Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk Goes b2b with Fred Again.. in Rare Appearance

Former Daft Punk member Thomas Bangalter broke a long hiatus from public performance to DJ with Fred Again.. in Paris’ Centre Pompidou.

Attendees of Because Music‘s Because Beaubourg 20th anniversary event at the Pompidou Centre in Paris were treated to a surprise when Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk joined Fred Again.., Busy P, and Erol Alkan on stage Saturday night.

Daft Punk famously split in 2021, and other than GRAMMY Awards appearances in 2014 and 2017, the duo last took the stage for a surprise performance alongside fellow Frenchmen Phoenix at Madison Square Garden in 2010. The last time Bangalter himself performed publicly without his iconic Daft Punk mask was a whopping 24 years ago.

The occasion was all the more momentous as Centre Pompidou is slated to close its doors this fall for a projected five years of renovation. Bangalter reportedly got his first taste of electronic music on the rooftop of the world-famous arts and culture venue during a 1992 house music event called Armistice.

Daft Punk tracks like “Rollin’ & Scratchin’,” “Digital Love,” and “Contact” could be heard during Saturday’s performance, with the lattermost concluding the set. Fred Again.. (real name Frederick Gibson) took to the mic to share that it had been “the maddest two hours of my life.”

“Last night I got to play with Thomas Bangalter, Erol Alkan, Busy P at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the last night before it closes for 5 years,” Gibson wrote in an Instagram post afterward.

He continued: “Thomas told me in this lift on the way down to the show that the first time he fell in love with electronic music was in this building in 1992. He also told me hasn’t played a proper set without the mask on for 24 years. I didn’t know what to say to either of those things and I still don’t. All I said to him at the end is that I hope it isn’t 24 years til the next.”

While Bangalter’s Centre Pompidou appearance is certain to fuel rumors of a Daft Punk reunion, the duo have not indicated that such a comeback is in the cards. It remains to be seen whether the French artist will continue to perform publicly as a solo act.

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