When France’s top military band, in their gold-buttoned uniforms, shattered the formality of the Bastille Day military parade by breaking into a medley by Daft Punk, it wasn’t a surprise. For days, the French military’s top musicians had been bemusing passersby on the Champs Élysées as they rehearsed their bewilderingly fast dance steps, with many of them darting to and fro heaving tubas and trombones.

Some band members had even questioned why they should be doing “pop”, but orders had come down from on high: this year’s parade had to “reach out to the youth”. Whether the US president, Donald Trump, who was guest of honour at the celebrations, got the joke was another matter.

From the VIP viewing platform, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, could barely suppress a smug grin. But Trump looked on, pursing his lips earnestly, as he had done watching the hundreds of troops parading moments before. At one point, he mouthed “so good” to his wife, Melania Trump, but he did not appear to recognise the hits. While French dignitaries clapped and swayed in their seats, Trump sat resolutely still, his blonde comb-over lifting and falling slightly in the breeze.(theguardian)…[+]