Le Trabendo concert and music venue
Le Trabendo is a music concert venue and club which is located at the Parc de la Villette park in Paris, close to the Cite de la Musique and plays host to international bands and stars just like the Rolling Stones who played a gig here in 2012.
A bit of history..
The Trabendo originally opened in 1993 under the name of Hot Brass and originally became one of the hottest jazz clubs in the north eastern part of Paris, yet in the year 2000 it changed its name to Trabendo, which was named after an album by the Negresses Vertes.
Negresses Vertes were a French band who produced music that was classed as fusion world music and alternative rock and with their style becoming more of a lounge style, their 2000 album was named Trabendo and this music venue opened its doors once more, but this time to modern music.
It was then in 2002 that Trabendo was taken over by an electronic music magazine called Tsugi and from there this music and concert venue went from strength to strength providing a very varied programme that includes indie rock, electronic music, rap and world music.
About Le Trabendo
The Trabendo is a small club and concert venue that only has a capacity of a maximum of 700 people at any one time, and you would not think this would be a music concert venue that has played host to international bands and stars.
Yet it most certainly has with bands such as The Strokes, Metallica and as we mentioned above, the Rolling Stones and this club has hosted some of the greatest figures of jazz, rhythm and blues.
In fact, February 2013 sees Kevin Costner and the Modern West playing along with another gig from the Robert Cray Band, but as you can no doubt imagine, security is extremely tight, especially when they are paying host to international stars, and after the tragic terrorist attacks at places like the Bataclan, security is even tighter.
Also, as you would no doubt expect, the cost of each concert will vary greatly depending upon who is performing and these can range from around €20 up to around €50 as of 2018, depending on the band and event, which means purchasing a ticket prior is essential.
It is easily recognisable by the bright red construction and building known as a one of the follies that was designed by the architect Bernard Tschumi, which surrounds the club Trabendo, and giving it a unique appearance, this is classed as Folie R7.
Inside it is just like virtually any other club or music venue with soft yet dark colours that makes it intimate and friendly, yet has a luminescent bar, and the actual music is not too loud, so it doesn’t become distorted like at some venues.
There is of course a bar and this opens one hour before a concert starts and the bar plus the terrace remains open until late after the concert has finished, plus it has a private staircase that adds to the whole almost futuristic atmosphere.
The bar and terrace also offers snacks such as hot dogs and chips along with confectionary snacks, plus there is also a cloakroom where you can deposit items such as coats, which is a cost of approximately €2 per item. Although we would like to point out that with the anti-terrorism measures in place, large items such as luggage are prohibited entirely.
Access to the Trabendo Concert Venue
Located within the Parc de la Villette in the 19th Arrondissement, this small music club in Paris is situated near to the Cite de la Musique, yet opposite is the green park area and then the Grande Halle, which when you look at the history of the Parc de la Villette, was once the old abattoir.
Tickets for concerts should be purchased online at their website well in advance, as being a small music venue, this is a popular place for a night out in Paris, especially when they have international stars playing as we mentioned earlier.
But please do bear in mind that unfortunately due to stairs Le Trabendo is not accessible to the disabled, and being a night club style music venue this is also only accessible to adults and no children or under 18's are allowed to enter.
When it comes to getting to the Trabendo, you will find that the nearest Metro station is the Porte de Pantin stop and you would need line 5, but do bear in mind that during a weekday the last metro is just before 1am and the first one does not start again until after 5.30am, but at a weekend the last metro is approximately 1.30am.
However, you will find that there is also a night bus called the Noctilien Bus de Nuit that passes by the Parc de la Villette approximately every 20 to 30 minutes throughout the night, as well as going to other main destinations around Paris such as the Charles de Gaulle airport, and you can get to Trabendo via the Noctilen Lines N13, N41, N42, N45 and N140.
But prior to the Night Bus Service starting to operate, there are also the standard Buses you can utilise to get you to this music venue and the Parc de la Villette, which include the Bus Lines 75, 139, 150,151, 152 and 330.
