PLAYING IT BY EAR

French guitarist Yarol Poupaud made his Delhi debut this week, bringing to the stage material he has developed with Rajasthani folk musicians. He talks to TMS about life on the road, his band that defined French rock music, and why he will always be a performer.

- ADITHI REENA AJITH

FRENCH musician Yarol Poupaud has spent years moving between worlds from underground clubs to sold-out stadiums, performing funk-rock anthems and live improvisations. His work has spanned landmark albums with his band FFF, solo projects, and years on stadium stages alongside rock-androll legend Johnny Hallyday.

This week, the French guitarist and composer brought his music to the city for the first time, presenting two contrasting performances: a stripped-back trio set with bandmates Victor Méchanick on bass and Cyprien Loreau on drums, foregrounding his love for live, unfiltered music; and a collaborative performance with Rajasthani folk musician Rahis Bharti and his band DHOAD Gypsies of Rajasthan.

Having played in India for the first time two years ago at the Shilpgram festival in Rajastan's Udaipur and at a few shows in Jaipur with Bharti and his band - Delhi had not been a stop for Poupaud, till now.

Bharti, a seventh-generation musician from Rajasthan, has been representing folk traditions for over 25 years with his band. For him, the collaboration creates a bridge between cultures rock and folk. The two met four years ago and collaborated for the first time at the Confolens Folklore Festival, one of France's oldest folk festivals.