Location: Cap Decouverte, France
Concert date: 17.09.2009
Attendance: 600
Ticket price: 80/100 €
That time of year has rolled around again, when all of us fans of the movement known as Rock in opposition make our way to France – a movement that strives to keep music as independent as possible from big corporations and as original as possible. Some might think it’s a get-together of music snobs, but there wasn’t a trace of that at the festival itself. It was more a hangout for lovers of good, unusual music.
After the odyssey through French airports two years ago, this time I decided to rely on my own driving skills instead, and so I tackled the 1350 km trip to the idyllic little town of Albi in the south of France (near Toulouse). The drive was smooth and pretty quick, right up until I decided to leave the motorway and take French back roads, where thanks to my GPS I got myself into all sorts of messes (closed roads, roads that didn’t exist, and plenty more). Still, after twenty hours I finally made it to Albi, where, after a few more hours of waiting, I at last went off to a well-earned rest.
Albi is a lovely little town with a rich history and plenty of sights, but the French do their best to rein in your curiosity at every step, since at all the tourist spots there are no signs in any language except French (it’s the same in restaurants, shops, and so on).
The festival grounds are about fifteen minutes from Albi, though after a night drive across the French Carpathians that was a piece of cake. So on Friday, after sightseeing in Albi, I finally got to the long-awaited first day, with my favorite band, Magma.
ELECTRIC EPIC
Electric Epic is another band of bassist Philippe Bussonnet, who also plays in Magma. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from them, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The guys played outstanding jazz rock with quite a few funk and avant-garde touches. Bussonnet and the saxophonist especially shone. My only minor complaint about the set is that the guitarist wasn’t heard all that well, but otherwise it’s nothing but praise for the festival opener. Then again, how could I even doubt the band would be good with Bussonnet in it, who also delights us in Magma, BBI and One Shot, all top-notch projects.
Already on the first night, in the second set, I got to see my beloved Magma. If you’ve ever listened to Magma, you know it’s a unique blend of jazz, rock, avant-garde classical and opera. An invented language (Kobaian), created by mastermind and drummer Christian Vander, adds even more dramatic effect.
For their 40th anniversary I expected the standards, like Kohntarkosz or Theusz Hamtaahk, but instead I got three pieces I know very poorly or not at all, which suited me fine, since I always want to hear more new Magma.
First they played an extremely fast version of the newer piece Slag Tanz, which they’d already played at earlier shows, but never this fast. This is clearly another Magma masterpiece, and I hope we won’t have to wait for it as long as for the new studio album, which comes out on November 5.
A short piano interlude followed, which, to be honest, was a bit boring. I don’t know whether it was improvisation or part of the composition, but in the future it would be better if Bruno Ruder didn’t get a solo spot, since improvisation might not be exactly his strong suit (or maybe he just had a bad day).
Next they played a somewhat slower piece called Felicite Thosz. Vander had his hands full, since he’s obviously still composing and, for now at least, has no plans to retire. Felicite wasn’t as dynamic as Slag Tanz, but it radiated that typical beauty only Vander is capable of.
Then came a standard, Emehntehtt-Re, which was to be expected, as it was also a sort of showcase of the album coming out on November 5. It’s another masterpiece that never lets up from start to finish. It’s full of twists, tender passages, wilder stuff, outstanding chamber arrangements, and so on.
And the fun wasn’t over yet. After a thunderous round of applause came an encore, where they played a stretched-out version of Kobaia, from their very first album, where they were still much more jazz-oriented. What a fitting way to celebrate 40 years!
Magma once again delivered an outstanding show. I just can’t get enough of them. I hope I’ll get another chance to see them, since according to some accounts Vander isn’t in the best of health, though watching him go wild on stage you’d never guess it. Vander is still an excellent drummer and singer. I honestly can’t decide where I’d rather see him – behind the mic or behind the drums. Whatever he does, he always outshines everyone else.
If this was my last encounter with Magma, so be it, because the show was even better than two years ago. There are still so many things I’d love to hear them play, so I’ll probably never be completely satisfied, but the celebration of the music of Christian Vander and Magma was a total success, and this night will stay with me for a long time.
CHARLES HAYWARD
The first act on Saturday went to British eccentric Charles Hayward (This Heat, Quiet Sun), who came to the festival all on his own. He started with a few songs on piano, then moved behind the drums and served up a proper experimental one-man show. During the set he used lots of triggers (he set off effects with his drumsticks) and samples, and at times he created a great atmosphere. I admit he kept me entertained, but he didn’t convince me that this is music I’d want to listen to at home. Live, though – hats off!
Next up were old acquaintances from Portugal, the Belgian chamber orchestra Aranis, who brought a classical vein to the festival. Their presence may not have satisfied purebred rockers or even jazzers, since their pieces are very polished, classical and without any improvisation. That bothered me too. In Portugal I enjoyed both of their sets immensely, but this time I was rather indifferent, since I knew exactly what to expect. You could even say their shows are too convincing and good, and the songs so polished that all spontaneity gets lost in the music. That’s supposed to change in the future, as Dave Kerman has already joined them on drums (sadly not for this show), and the three vocalists who guested on their latest studio release could add more variety.
COMBAT ASTRONOMY
For many, Combat Astronomy’s set was the worst of the festival, but that may be a bit unfair, because the fact is they had a really strange sound. The bass was way too loud, and the keyboards were practically inaudible. It’s also true that the band wasn’t in sync: the drummer wasn’t their regular one, the saxophonist jumped in at the last minute, and the bassoonist was missing too. Despite the bad sound, it was obvious Combat Astronomy have plenty to offer. Especially worth highlighting are the interesting vocals of Elaine di Falco (also of Thinking Plague) and the keyboards, which, as I mentioned, could only be heard now and then. On albums the band sounds much better, kind of like a more accessible version of Thinking Plague (American complex avant-garde rock).
KOENJIHYAKKEI
To close out the long Saturday we got another one of my favorite bands – the Japanese outfit Koenjihyakkei, who threw a real party. Their dynamic take on zeuhl (a mix of jazz, punk and opera) charmed practically everyone, and something happened that I doubt will ever happen again at a festival like this – the Japanese got the audience to sing along during the song Toweloi. They mostly focused on their last two albums, Nivraym and Angherr Shisspa, but sadly completely forgot about the other album (Viva Koenji). During the set they also presented two new songs, which we’ll probably be able to hear on their next album.
Their show was excellent as far as performance and sound go. The musicians were very active and constantly interacted with the audience, even though it was in broken English. The only bad thing about the show was that every song was played full-throttle, flat out. Everything was at the same volume and practically everything was ultra fast. That’s interesting for half an hour, but then you start craving some change. That’s a minor flaw in a set that was otherwise excellent in every way.
YOLK
Yolk are one of the younger bands at the festival, and that deserves praise. They play an interesting mix of avant-garde rock, jazz, space rock and metal. There are lots of interesting effects, on both vocals and keyboards. The excellent guitarist deserves special mention, impressing throughout with both fast playing and calmer passages. Some compositions stood out more than others, but overall I had the feeling Yolk are hiding a huge potential that isn’t fully tapped yet. Still, a good opener for the last day.
THE MUFFINS
The Muffins are another interesting band from the US, there to add a bit more of a jazz flavor to the festival. You can hear they owe a lot to Soft Machine. That’s especially noticeable in the bass, certain keyboard effects and the woodwinds (I practically counted them all). I have to say they probably had the best sound at the festival, and the performance was very well executed too. I’m not exactly a huge fan of this kind of music myself, but I’m sure many people enjoyed it.
You could say Present are a home team of sorts, since their leader Roger Trigaux is a co-organizer of the festival, so they pretty much have to play. Personally I don’t mind at all, since they’re one of my favorite bands and they only get better with the years.
Their set was the shortest of the festival, but you have to bear in mind that they also had to play the finale with Univers Zero. They played Promenade au Fond d’un Canal, a classic from their first album, Docteur Petiot from the first Univers Zero album, Vertiges from the new album Barbaro (ma non troppo), which came out right around the time of the festival, and Delusions from the comeback album Certitudes (not counting C.O.D. Performance).
The song selection was very varied and the performance outstanding again, but Present play so rarely that many people wished to hear even more, since quite a few “classics” like Souls for Sale, Ceux d’en Bas and others were missing. Personally I didn’t even mind the short set, because their music is very demanding and tiring for the ears. There’s a lot of dissonance and melodic development, lots of loud guitars and drums, sudden shifts, so this kind of music really wears you out.
Right before the end I got another set I’d been looking forward to just as much – the dark chamber rockers Univers Zero, led by Daniel Denis. I’d already seen Univers Zero this year in Austria, where they had a much longer set, but the audience in France was far more receptive to their creations. During their show they played a mix of newer, bouncier songs, which might suit those who don’t like their gloomy style from the past, and longer, older pieces. I’d already heard Presage in Linz, but I can never get enough of that composition. The only song they didn’t play in Austria was Dense, yet another highlight of their career, from the album Ceux du Dehors.
The show was of course outstanding and received far better than in Linz, where there were only twenty people. Univers Zero played brilliantly, with loads of energy, and Denis drummed superbly, but sadly, just like in Linz, they had technical problems again. During the second half of the set there was constant crackling, which was especially distracting during Dense, with its many quiet parts on harmonium.
UNIVERS ZERO and PRESENT
To close the festival and cap off the evening, we got a joint performance by Univers Zero and Present. It was a reunion of the masterminds behind Univers Zero, Daniel Denis and Roger Trigaux, who played in both bands.
In the past there were reportedly some grudges between the two, but they’ve obviously been settled, probably mainly because of Roger’s illness and Pierre Chevalier’s involvement in both bands. He probably acted as a kind of go-between.
The grand finale was set – 13 musicians together on stage. The sound was powerful, almost too powerful, and it nearly blew me out of my seat. First we heard a new version of Jack the Ripper, which is on Present’s new album Barbaro (ma non troppo), followed by Promenade au Fond d’un Canal, the Present classic from their first album.
The whole set was a bit chaotic simply because of the number of musicians on stage, and even more because not everyone seemed perfectly in sync. When they managed to lock in, the result was wonderful, but that nirvana was soon interrupted by some new slip-up. The excellent drum duel between Denis and Kerman deserves praise: it sounded a bit unconvincing at first, but later both got into it, and Denis even wrecked part of his drums. A nice ending, even if a bit chaotic.
GUAPO
In the breaks between sets we had no time to sit idle, since besides the occasional press conference, the gloomy Guapo filled in for a short while, playing a sort of mix of avant-garde rock and apocalyptic post rock. Guapo are great at what they do, but when you see them five times in three days, you notice their compositions are as alike as two peas in a pod. Like in pure post rock, Guapo often start slow, then the music builds to a hypnotic peak. I love all that, but in small doses, so this time I overdosed on Guapo. Still, congrats to them for their drive and effort.
The festival ran smoothly and the sets started right on the minute, which is very commendable. Only on Sunday did the organizers “mess up”, constantly moving sets to earlier slots. The audience wasn’t properly told about it and a lot of people were late for the shows. Announcements in English (press conferences, schedule changes) were also poorly handled, since practically everything was written and said in French.
From a musical standpoint, you could say this festival was a showdown of great drummers, since we got nothing but legendary masters – Christian Vander (Magma), Daniel Denis (Univers Zero), Dave Kerman (Present), Dave Smith (Guapo), Charles Hayward, Tatsuya Yoshida (Koenjihyakkei). It’s hard to single out who was the best, but Yoshida definitely looked the most effortless, drumming his faster-than-light and insanely demanding parts without a grimace on his face, with typical Japanese precision. Denis impressed me too, still a top-class drummer. Vander was just as excellent, although it seems like he has health problems and is already struggling a bit.
In the end, all I can say is that this was another successful festival, and next year promises another one, with top-notch bands again. I’m already looking forward to it, even though I’ll once again have to deal with a long drive to my desired destination. But no pain, no gain!
Photos: Rok Podgrajšek
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