Nouvelle Vague bring their stylish re-imagining of new wave classics to The Apex

Fans of “The Traitors’” atmospheric soundtrack — filled with cinematic takes on pop and rock favourites — will love Nouvelle Vague’s unique reworkings of classic post-punk songs.

Blending the new wave sounds of the late ’70s and ’80s with the smooth rhythms of bossa nova (Portuguese for “new wave”) and a nod to the French New Wave cinema movement, Nouvelle Vague (pictured above) have built a tongue-in-cheek, lounge style and are set to appear at The Apex, in Bury St Edmunds, later this month.

Founded by Marc Collin and the late Olivier Libaux in 2003, it was initially conceived as a one-off tribute to post-punk songwriting, however their debut album spent the best part of a year in the French album charts and sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.

While most tributes are simple cover versions, Nouvelle Vague takes the skeleton of the song and does something completely different.

Explaining his ideas, Marc said: “I like melancholy music. The first idea I had was to do ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, it’s just a sad song, and if you keep the melody and the lyrics, it reveals the song.”

Marc collaborates with a rotating cast of female vocalists (who have included the actors Juliette Lewis and Vanessa Paradis), who bring vintage tunes to life through their emotive and distinctive interpretations.

Their third album, “NV3” (2009), featured collaborations with Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore, Ian McCulloch from Echo and the Bunnymen, Terry Hall from The Specials and Magazine’s Barry Adamson.

The group recently celebrated their 20th anniversary with a new album “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?”, which includes Blondie’s “Rapture” reimagined as a film noir theme, a 60s soul version of Dead Or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round” and ABC’s “The Look Of Love” inspired by the song of the same name by Dusty Springfield.

Nouvelle Vague are at The Apex on Wednesday, November 19, at 7.30pm.

See www.theapex.co.uk or ring 01284 758000 for more details and to book tickets.