RIO 2015 reviews & thoughts

[Trane]

Surprised no-one started a thread about how good this edition was.

I mean, I'm probably the last one to get back home (except maybe for Debbie Pooh 73), as I did many detours via the hills and mountains of Southern France (just as I had done before getting to Carmaux).

Just got back early this morning, so I'll post my thoughts later on.... But this is where it will happen (if you please )

[calyx]

Yeah, we're all a little slow to react... But don't forget a lot of us went on to Paris for the King Crimson shows, and since a few of us had also been at the David Gilmour show in Orange on the 17th, that's a lot to recover from !

I agree it was musically one of the very best RIOs so far. It was also great that just about everyone was able to make it this year. It wasn't quite the same without the Belgians last year (I'm counting Udi, Keith & Dave as honorary Belgians there), plus Steve & Joyce from Cuneiform, Stéphane & Sylvie from Traverses etc. etc.

The schedule was more sensible this time. 11 bands over three days I think is a reasonable maximum. All of them were unique and accomplished in what they had set out to do, there was a good mixture of veterans (Present, former Etron Fou drummer Guigou Chenevier, and of course Art Zoyd with Daniel Denis as guest percussionist) and new talent (Pryapisme, Ukandanz and the rather spectacular 17-piece Toubifri orchestra). Most everyone seemed to agree that the Mats/Morgan Band seemed a little out of place, although no-one will deny the spectacular musicianship. Alec Redfearn & The Eyesores were also quite different, but whereas I heard a lot of people venting their dislike of M&M, there was no such thing for AR&E - I guess those who didn't enjoy it simply were less vocal about it. To have Secret Chiefs 3 was also a very smart move - it makes total sense to have them as honorary members of RIO, probably more sense than, I'll be the first to admit, to have Canterbury bands where the musical links seem more tenuous.

I hope others will comment... Thanks Trane for starting this thread, this was indeed overdue.

[Steve F.]

i thought every performance was at least really good and I saw every performance

signed, still in Carmaux,

[flytomars]

Im still in Paris (recovering from the Crimson shows and then heading home ) so a full review will also come later, but I must say it was a real joy to also be able to extend the RIO experience a bit longer with the Crimson shows- there were at least 10 RIO alumni in each show (Klaus Blasquiz and John Greaves also spotted in the audience for the second show), and sitting in a pub after the show with Aymeric, Mark, Yehuda, Debby, Alain from SZ etc etc was also great
I think the festival has long become, apart for a musical mecca, also a very social event of like-minded people with a passion for (very esoteric?) music.

[NogbadTheBad]

I'll write a review in the next couple of days, I dropped back into a bunch of madness at work and I have two other gigs this week, Decemberists & Rabbit Rabbit, so it will probably be Saturday before I get time to post my thoughts. I thought this year was outstanding, every performance was at least great. I had no problem with M&M being there though their performance was a bit too noodly for me compared to the the cd's I love.

[zombywoof]

Mats and Morgan didn't go over well? That's a real shame. Love their discs.

[calyx]

Mats and Morgan didn't go over well? That's a real shame. Love their discs.

Well, that's the one band where the majority of people I talked to afterwards didn't care for them or hadn't liked the performance (in most cases people who are not big fans of them anyway). I am in no way claiming it's a representative sample !

[Phlakaton]

Well, that's the one band where the majority of people I talked to afterwards didn't care for them or hadn't liked the performance (in most cases people who are not big fans of them anyway). I am in no way claiming it's a representative sample !

Thats just crazy. But that's me... I love those guys.

[chalkpie]

BTW, the band I am the most jealous of not seeing would be Aquaserge - LOVE that band (and album).

[Trane]

Yeah, we're all a little slow to react... But don't forget a lot of us went on to Paris for the King Crimson shows, and since a few of us had also been at the David Gilmour show in Orange on the 17th, that's a lot to recover from !.

Yeah, since I'd brought the GF around for a little tourism, I wasn't about to race to Paris for Crimson... My loss, I guess

However, I'm not the least sorry to miss out of Gilmour and that latest album (is it called About Face II? )

i thought every performance was at least really good and I saw every performance

signed, still in Carmaux,

If you need any pointers (medieval villages and canyons are my specialities ) to visit the area, don't hesitate and PM me

Im still in Paris (recovering from the Crimson shows and then heading home ) so a full review will also come later, but I must say it was a real joy to also be able to extend the RIO experience a bit longer with the Crimson shows- there were at least 10 RIO alumni in each show (Klaus Blasquiz and John Greaves also spotted in the audience for the second show), and sitting in a pub after the show with Aymeric, Mark, Yehuda, Debby, Alain from SZ etc etc was also great
I think the festival has long become, apart for a musical mecca, also a very social event of like-minded people with a passion for (very esoteric?) music.

Sounds like I missed out

Mats and Morgan didn't go over well? That's a real shame. Love their discs.

TBH, it's a lot to do with that 80's sound and sillyness... Sounded like synclaviers and acted like Kraftwerk robots and Devo silliness and suits

I don't know what Michel Besset sees in them, but putting them right after the enormous AZ performance (to be expected) was quite a risky bet, really... You couldn't go one bigger than AZ, so you had to in another directions (which MB did), but going with M/M was one move I wouldn't have dare. I'd have closed day two with AZ, really.... Or at least put them in third, Because TBH, I didn't appreciate Priapism after that as well. Maybe AZ emptied me from my emotions.

[chalkpie]

TBH, it's a lot to do with that 80's sound and sillyness... Sounded like synclaviers and acted like Kraftwerk robots and Devo silliness and suits

That actually sounds great.......

[NogbadTheBad]

My assumption was that AZ asked to be in that slot

from Ians phone

[Trane]

My assumption was that AZ asked to be in that slot

I'd also thought about that, since most of them left the same day... I only remember two or maybe three AZ (including regular Soarez) on Sunday

[Yves]

Geez..... some of you are veritable prog jet-setters while the rest of us are slaves to the grind...must be nice!

[Plasmatopia]

Geez..... some of you are veritable prog jet-setters while the rest of us are slaves to the grind...must be nice!

We may have to create our own Kickstarter campaigns.

[magmasystems]

Definitely the best RIO Festival that I have been to. I agree with Calyx in that the reduced number of bands gave the audience more time to "breathe".... it didn't seem that we were being bombarded by a constant stream of live shows. Every act had something special ... Ukandanz was the biggest surprise for me, and I really enjoyed the Eyesores (first time that I ever saw them). Gigou's new band (Reve General) featured a string quartet, and that was a nice added dimension. Mats and Morgan were good to listen to, but they "noodled" a bit too much ... but the new guitarist (who doubled on keys) had some nice chops.

The only regret is that Happy Family played in the small room ... according to Ito-san, they requested to play in the small room, so that they could get a more intimate feel .. but that room gets so hot that people (including me) had to walk out for a while.

[Shadow]

Here is some video from the first day headliner:

https://www.facebook.com/45741304095...9893718373784/

[Scrotum Scissor]

^

Are you the one with the microphone there, lord Haw-haw?

Nah, just kidding - splendid joke!

Fairly easy to assume that none ever present at this dumb RIO thing would ever grasp a second of Gentle Giant's grand elitism.

[Trane]

Saturday Sept 19th

Rêve General : This is a project between two bands, including 3/4 of the « dying » Volapük (? says Guigou anyways) and all of Metamorphosis. Featuring only strings & drums (no kb or wind instruments), they made me think of a Post-rock band, and I quite enjoyed it. I supposed they played all of their only album, which was recorded live over three nights in late 2014. In some ways, this was about as close as chamber rock as it got in this year’s festival. To my knowledge, this was the first appearance of Guigou Chevenier (Etron Fou Leloublan) in the RIO Festival, and in the following interview, he showed no interest whatsoever in reforming his old band.

Art Zoyd : What to say ?? Actually, I wasn’t thinking of coming down to Carmaux this year, until I heard that the band was going to do a 44 ½ birthday celebration with almost all of their most representative members (the only major absence was Patricia Dallio) and do a full retrospective. This event simply could not be missed, as AZ is usually never revisting its old works, always forging ahead. The band played a two-hour very emotional set (for the audience anyways), and to be honest, i got goose bumps many times throughout the show. What a pleasure to see Zaboitzeff back at the helm of the band. Backed by a second row made of three drummers (Daniel Denis as a guest, but he’d played with them during the UZ hiatus of the 90’s), the concert was the biggest (or second biggest) musical slap I’ve received in all of the RIO fest I’ve attended (I missed three of them).
My only regret is not to have participated to their crowdfunding to build up this gig. I hope to make it up, by trying to find them a gig in Belgium ASAP, because it would be a shame that this project doesn’t get a fourth gig (Lyon and Lilles are foreseen in the near-future).

Mats & Morgan : Well, one couldn’t go one bigger than AZ, so organizer Michel Besset opted to go diametrically different for the next gig. The swedish M&M turned in a bizarre set that I believe was not appreciated by a large part of the crowd (can’t speak of audience, since a lot of us left throughout their set). You’d have sworn you were in the first half of the 80’s, with their goofy Kraftwerk robotic moves and silly Devo-like attire and attitude, and backed by a very 80’sish sonic attack were Synclavier-sounding sonics dominated. If there wasn’t a real drummer, I would’ve sworn that a time-travel ellipse had happened to us all. OK, these guys are beast at their respective instruments, but this did not win me over. I guess that AZ drained me from my emotions, and I probably wouldn’t have been receptive to many groups.

Pryapisme : Part of the French wave of bands that are explicit about their sexual obsession (like POiL), these guys played in the smaller hall and were apparently locals, draining some of their following with them. The comfort of the smaller hall is more Spartian, and there is much space for a standing crowd, therefore annoying the sitting audience in the first four of five rows of seats. And the ventilation also sucks in that room. As for the band, though all members were quite virtuosi at their respective instruments, this doesn’t mean that they play music (said two music teachers in the attendance), and their humour is really not funny. They could rename themselves as « Les Petits Cons », and it would be just as fitting… even more than the state of their little dicks they seem to obsessed by. Obviously, they’re out there for the chicks, but I didn’t even see that many of them.

Difficult to sum up my feeling of Saturday’s RIO-fest line-up, because this day included the Everest and the Marianna Trench within a few hours. I know it took me a few hours to come back down to earth after AZ’s concert (actually, lmost 24 hours), but the last two bands of the day were simply not to my liking at all, but then again, this seemed to be the case for most of us. Probably that AZ being placed further up the calender (third or fourth spot) might have changed drastically my perception.

[Trane]

Friday Sept 18

Aquaserge : Tagged this time as a Belgian band, though they’re mostly French, they played mostly their latest album, mostly ignoring their previous albums (featured in their previous RIO Fest appearance), this was a good opener, but were refused to play an encore, which they deserved.

Ukandanz : I wasn’t expecting much from them, despite two members of POiL in their ranks, but their energetic performance won me over halfway through their set with their hard funk ala RHCP or RATM with strong ethnic overtones, mostly due to their Ethiopian singer. Obviously a band that brought their own public (tickets for only their concerts were available at the door), their crowd enjoyed the show dancing all the way through the set, even invading (harmlessly) the stage for their most danceable track. The show ended with two harder-edged tracks and afterwards UKD forced theoir way into an encore

Present : the headliner of the first day, Present gave us a surprise as they welcome Univers Zero wind player Kurt Bude and Aranis Liesbeth violinist in their fold. While they gave us an habitual performance, they also gave us a wide glimpse at their next album which will feature a fair bit of wild and raw vocals, courtesy of leader Roger Trigaux. Nothing from their next album is recorded so far, we learned in the interview

Overall, the Friday was a normal RIO Fest day, despite UKD’s unusual (but welcome) sonic detour. Since I had missed the previous two editions, so I must say that I was quite happy to see the gold old same faces : I hadn't realised I missed seeing them.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Thanks for the reviews, Hugues.

[chalkpie]

Glad youse guys had a blast. I really hope to make it one of these years, preferably before I'm dead.

I would like to publicly advocate for Knifeworld 2016 - I personally think that band fits that description and then some by large distance. Get them there and my ass might be on an Air France jet next year. A Bob Drake set wouldn't spoil my afternoon, either.

[NogbadTheBad]

This years RIO festival was outstanding, they had a great selection of bands, a bunch of familiar fans giving it a real family feel, one outstanding headliner, no duds, nice weather and a great atmosphere. It was one of the best festivals I’ve been to. A big hello to all my friends who were there, had a great time chatting, drinking and generally socializing.

Friday
Aquaserge – (B+) – Good young band playing a some psyche. Good groove throughout their set and a fun start to the festival.
Ukandanz – (B+) – A surprise pick for the festival, a new band featuring a couple of guys from PoiL in the rhythm section and an Ethiopian singer. Loads of high energy bouncy music. Band brought a bunch of young fans who danced around at the front and even on stage, not something you usually see at RIO. Hard not to grin during their set, went down very well.
Present – (A+) – The RIO house band returned with a new member, Liesbeth from Aranis on Violin. They both added something to the sound and were welcome additions. The band played some great new music featuring ferocious vocals from Roger which hopefully will appear on the next album.

Saturday
Reve General – (A) – A new Chamber Rock band made up from Volapuk and Metamorphosis led by Guigou from Etron Fou Leloublan. The band features 2 violins, 2 cellos, 2 guitars and Guigou on drums. He won the prize for most sweaty shirt. I was looking forward to their set having been impressed by samples. I was not disappointed. They put on an excellent dark edgy set with some interesting vocals. Loved it.
Art Zoyd – (A++) – As Hugues said, what to say! The main reason that most people were probably at RIO, the theater was packed for a celebratory 2 hour performance featuring loads of old material and lots of old members on stage. A phenomenal show that had the audience ecstatically engaged with every piece. A stunning show and the definitive highlight of the weekend.
Mats & Morgan – (B-) – They probably suffered from following Art Zoyd and it was a dramatic change of direction to a primarily fusion set from the masterful band. They clearly highly proficient and having loads of fun. I enjoyed it most when they played tunes but too often they seemed to be overly noodly and setting up Morgan for an outlandish demonstration of drumming skills. Technically he cannot be surpassed.
Pryapisme – (B) – A young French band I knew nothing about who came with a very strong recommendation from Jack Dupon which made me look forward to it given the likes of PoiL, Ni & Chromb lighting up the scene. They were a high energy bunch of players featuring metal, EDM (four of them played keys along with their regular instruments) sharp turn on a dime changes and plenty of humor which was rather lost on me given it was all in French. They played the small room that gets lots of atmosphere but is also brutally hot. Fun band.

Sunday
Alec K Redfearn & The Eyesores – (A) – One of my personal favorites opened Sunday with a typical set of edgy folky avant music led by Alec’s accordion and supported with keys, double bass & French horn. The sound quality wasn’t great with the keys being over applified but overall a great set that seemed to be very well received.
Happy Family – (A) – The Japanese bands first performance outside their home country and they really brought it. Prett straight ahead set up of guitar, bass, keys and drums focusing on playing complex, fast heavy instrumental rock. Funny chat between numbers with the band pitching their merchandise as they didn’t want to take T’s and CD’s back home. They were in the small room also and similarly suffered from the heat. Lots of fun.
Secret Chiefs 3 – (A+) – Great to see the California band making an appearance at RIO, they have a wonderful mix of metal, avant, surf, middle eastern and noise. They were in their trademark cloaks and hoods with no talk to the audience. I oved the angular heavy dark energy they brought, as good as the other 2 times I’ve seen them in the last year. May have slightly over stayed as their last track before the encore had a full on onslaught that seemed to go on a little too long. Overall wonderful
The Really Big Experimental Toubifri Orchestra - (B-) – By the time this band came up I was worn out and was ready for bed, particularly as I had an early depart to the airport in the morning. A17 piece featuring some members of PoiL and Ni with a whole bunch of horn players. It seemed to be a bit to much of a zany high school “lets put on a show” for my tastes but the audience seemed to enjoy it. I gave it 20 minutes but wasn’t enjoying it so went to bed. It was probably my exhaustion rather than the band.
So another fantastic weekend full of memories, laughter and fun. Can’t wait for next year. 

[boilk]

Great reviews Ian, and glad to see that Happy Family did well. I actually like that hot, sweaty smaller room. Korekyojinn were absolutely amazing there in 2013, and afterwards, a couple of the guys from Guapo said that they wish they could have played their set there, because of the intimacy factor.

What a great line-up this year!

neil

[calyx]

I've read a couple of times that both Kurt and Liesbeth were new members of Présent. Actually only Liesbeth is. Kurt was already playing with them two years ago when they last performed at RIO.