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Summer Solstice 2008. A grim season really, on all counts, so what's better than granting yourself a good dose of apocalyptic folk noir, or whatever you choose to call this these days? Place: Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland. Just another shiny Swiss town, complete with obligatory lake and the usual higher standard of life. Coming here from London is a bit like polluting, I admit it. It's hard to brush off yourself the stench of London, its underdevelopment and its miserable lifestyle. So, a grim season on all counts, but luckily, we can freely jet off to Switzerland, much to annoy the greener than thou posse, who keep brainwashing the rest of us with tales of forthcoming doomsday, so long as we keep exercising our right of heading to better forms of life than the UK is, simply by boarding a plane. I bet they have never heard of military aviation, have they? Those low-life hypocrites.
Now, if you're still reading, what were we on about originally? Ah, yes, music; a shimmering Summer Solstice in Yverdon-les-Bains, courtesy of Soleil Noir (quality over quantity) and the likes of STURMAST, CAWATANA, ROSE ROVINE E AMANTI and VON THRONSTAHL. You get that feeling of apocalypse just by reading the names, really. I do like CAWATANA and STURMAST was a pleasant surprise, but I'd rather like to concentrate on the two later acts.
ROSE ROVINE E AMANTI have really mutated into an entity that commands attention. Namely the solo project od Damiano Mercuri, the act performs with a full stage line-up and despite the main attraction being Damiano's high calibre vocal performance and acoustic guitar work, this blessed night RREA offered much more than this. Most of the show presented new material, confirming that Mr Mercuri is working on overdrive on this project, and the live execution was majestic. Josef K of VON THRONSTHAL joined on backing vocals on a few numbers and this was less intrusive than at a previous performance in London, when Damiano's and Josef's vocals clashed badly, possibly due to poor mixing.
VON THRONSTAHL performance was sparkling as ever. Staged over a backdrop screening the epic historical classic Scipione l'Africano, which dates back to 1937! The band went on and on as if there were no tomorrow. Aided by a guitar player straight out of some 80's glam band, a juvenile looking martial drummer who played his part seamlessly, complete with trance-like appearance, and Damiano himself on electric guitar, Josef K went through his epic rock numbers and dressed them accordingly with a stage presence that was simply outstanding. And not simply because the stage was so tiny. Au contraire, it makes it even more awkward to move around withouth the coverage of a big distracting space around you. His dialogue with the audience is a strong element that brings him much closer to the audience, just as much as his repeated wanderings among the crowd, offering the microphone to unsuspecting punters and getting them to contribute to the show vocal work themselves. Damn, even I got sucked into that!
The setlist spelt 14 songs but they definitely went way beyond that. Covers of immortal tracks such as Bells or We Walk In Line show that VT can tell easily the wheat from the chaff and are a real slam in the face of those who still waste their time in vain attempts at categorizing and, worse of it all, denigrating them. Josef goes through all his routines with his monitor speaker, lifting it kissing it, glueing it to his ear, stomping on it, praying to it, embracing it and so on. |
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Luckily he stopped short of tossing it on to the audience, which shows that he is a true gentleman indeed. Well, one of the great things about VT is that they act as rock heroes without the arse-driven acts of nonsense of the “real” ass-rock heroes out there.
In summary, this gig was a rightful celebration of a summer solstice that spelt quite bad for many out there, and still does to date. So the message is: jet off to more advanced places and support arts where these still exist. Let the "greens" (or whoever feel like being in charge these days) masturbate their brains trying to stop you doing so. Oh, yes, do remind them of this military aviation thingy, though, if you find the time. |
