Alive In The Catacombs will be screened in the Irish Film Institute as part of the band’s global theatrical screenings in June.
The Dublin screening takes place in June 5th at Irish Film Institute. Tickets here.
Alive In The Catacombs is a document of the band’s performance in the Catacombs of Paris filmed and recorded in July 2024. The screenings will also include a preview of an intimate behind the scenes documentary film.
The Catacombs of Paris is a sprawling 320km (200 miles) ossuary beneath the surface of Paris. With a foundation of several million bodies buried in the 1700s, skeletal remains are largely exposed, with much of the walls built of skulls and bones.
Homme had dreamt of staging a QOTSA performance in the Catacombs since his first visit nearly 20 years ago. The city of Paris, however, had never granted permission to any artist to play within the sacred tunnels. QOTSA, being law-abiding citizens, waited until their vision was sanctioned.
“If you’re ever going to be haunted, surrounded by several million dead people is the place. I’ve never felt so welcome in my life.”
– Joshua Homme
Watch the trailer here:
Queens Of The Stone Age play Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin on August 20th
Hélène Furminieux (Les Catacombes de Paris) said: “The Catacombs of Paris are a fertile ground for the imagination. It is important to us that artists take hold of this universe and offer a sensitive interpretation of it. Going underground and confronting reflections on death can be a deeply intense experience. Josh seems to have felt in his body and soul the full potential of this place. The recordings resonate perfectly with the mystery, history, and a certain introspection, notably perceptible in the subtle use of the silence within the Catacombs.”
Every aesthetic decision, every choice of song, every configuration of instruments… absolutely everything was planned and played with deference to the Catacombs—from the acoustics and ambient sounds — dripping water, echoes and natural resonance — to the darkly atmospheric lighting tones that enhance the music. Far from the sound-insulated confines of the studio or the comfort of onstage monitors, Alive in the Catacombs sees the band not only rise to this challenge, but embrace it.
Homme recalls, “We’re so stripped down because that place is so stripped down, which makes the music so stripped down, which makes the words so stripped down… It would be ridiculous to try to rock there. All those decisions were made by that space. That space dictates everything, it’s in charge. You do what you’re told when you’re in there.”
The result is QOTSA distilled down to their most elemental form—Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore augmented by a three-piece string section, employing chains and chopsticks as makeshift percussion instruments. Alive in the Catacombs is Queens of the Stone Age stripped to their barest essence by necessity (you can’t call it “unplugged” if there are no actual electrical outlets to plug into), McGyver-ing a car battery to power an electric piano. And unfiltered, as every song was recorded live in a complete take with no overdubs or edits.
Words fail to convey the magnificence of Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs. Its truly stunning balance of subtlety and grandeur must be experienced to be appreciated. The beauty is in the struggle (both internal and external). This is Joshua Homme at his most physically vulnerable yet ultimately his most triumphant.
Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs was produced by La Blogothèque and directed by Thomas Rames, and is being released by Queens of the Stone Age and Matador Records. The film will be available to rent or purchase via qotsa.com where pre-orders are currently available. Fans who purchase Alive In the Catacombs by June 7th will receive exclusive access to behind the scenes footage in addition to full streaming and download access. An audio only version will be announced in the coming weeks.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
