Pete Doherty among acts to mark reopening of Bataclan in Paris

The Bataclan, the Paris music venue where 90 people were killed in November's terrorist attacks, will reopen in the autumn, with Pete Doherty playing one of its first shows.

The venue, a landmark on the Paris music scene, has been closed since three terrorists with Kalashnikovs burst in and opened fire on the crowd of 1,500 people during a gig by the US band Eagles of Death Metal on November 13th, 2015. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the massacre, one of a series of attacks on Paris that night.

In a statement released on Twitter, the Bataclan management said the exact date for the venue to reopen was not yet set, but announced a series of bands who would play there from next autumn.

British rocker Pete Doherty is scheduled to play at the venue on 16th November, three days after the one-year anniversary of the attacks. The Senegalese star Youssou N'Dour and his Super Etoile de Dakar band will play a few days later, the managers said in a statement.

Repairs

They said work had begun on repairing the interior of the building but “no exact reopening date has as yet been fixed”.

The US rock group Nada Surf and the French group MZ have also been booked to play the concert hall in the east of Paris in December, the statement added.

The Bataclan management said: “We want to preserve [the venue’s] warmth and friendliness and maintain its popular, festive spirit.”

The Californian group Eagles of Death Metal, who were on stage when gunmen burst in opening fire, have repeatedly said they they want to return to play the venue.

– (Guardian service)