French guitarist wants more time after serious health scares

An Anglophile French guitarist and songwriter has been motivated by surviving two serious health scares to record and release, Donne-moi du temps, which translates into English as gimme time.     

Laurent Moitrot, who lives in Angers in the west of France, combined a busy semi-pro live music career with full-time teaching until he hit sixty a few years back. Then he closed his maths books for good and released a blues album called Little Monsters in Europe.

Now, following the COVID pandemic and a few serious health worries, he flew into New York City in spring of 2025 to record his new album, Donne-moi du temps, with producer/guitarist James Mastro (Ian Hunter, The Bongos) at the helm.

Donne-moi du temps is a stunning six-song mini-album packed with gritty, angular, crashing riffs recalling the energy and excitement of prime Rolling Stones and Dr. Feelgood and early Fleetwood Mac, Mott the Hoople and Mick Ronson.

Released globally on Magic Door Record Label in September, this is the album Laurent’s dreamed of making all his life.

The title track, released as a single this July, laments the passing of good musician friends to they could play together one more time. At the same, in the song, he makes a promise to his departed mates to make a record that celebrates their musicianship and being mates.

‘Now I’ve been given extra time, it’s important not to waste it procrastinating. My little demo songs were rough diamonds and with a little help from James and his mates they are sparkling gems. I hope my friends in this world and next will like them.’

‘Little Monsters was a pure blues album but Donne-moi du temps is rock from the very first moments with me letting the guitar do the talking. With the first album, I was too shy to write French lyrics. Most French people don't really listen to English lyrics. All they hear is ya ya ya,’ says Laurent.

Laurent, and his wife Brigitte, is a frequent visitor to England and will be popping over to Ross on Wye to celebrate MottFest in October, a big party for fans of Mott the Hoople, one of the UK’s most influential rock bands.

‘We pop over to the UK several times a year for the last decade and it is like a second home for us.’