Originally Posted by
MaikH
Friday and Sunday:
Schnellertollermeier was the only one of the three Friday acts that I knew beforehand, and I had high expectations from their two albums on Cuneiform. They turned out to be one of the festival highlights - their infectious energy and intensity makes for a great live experience, and their long, intricate pieces really benefit from the more focused attention I bring to a concert, as compared to a record. Thoroughly recommended, and now I regret even more that I missed them due to a nasty cold when they played 3 km away from our home in early April.
Next up, a.P.a.T.t, proud carriers of the torch of british eccentricity. A wild ride where musical styles were switched and traded about as rapidly as the instruments the group members played. While I enjoyed the concert quite a bit, and would readily see them again, I'm not sure how much of that enjoyment would survive transfer to our comparatively staid living room - while the variety of the songs and the unforeseen 90° turns made for a great show, none of it left a hook, so to speak. Predictably, this was one of the best post-concert interview sessions ('Are you wearing a cape? ... A round of applause for the guy in a cape!').
Koenji Hyakkei was, to someone unfamiliar with them, a bit overwhelming. I would definitely need to get better acquainted with them, but a very preliminary impression is that the level of energy is uncompromisingly high. In spite of the rhythmic complexity, the tonal approach seemed to be 'these go to 11' for everyone throughout, but a good part of this might be due to festival fatigue - this was the last of three demanding acts, after all.
Saturday started with Yumi Hara, Chris Cutler and Tim Hodgkinson under the nom de plume The Watts. I had seen the three of them as part of the Lindsay Cooper project Half the Sky, in what was probably my favorite concert of 2018. The Watts was a completely improvised apart from the encore, and so a good deal more cerebral than emotional. Less chances to sing along, too. Describing free music is a challenge, but what struck me most, apart from the astounding balance between the musicians, was the amount of variation in mood and sound colour, without any breaks in the flow. There were a lot of moments where you noticed in hindsight that a substantial transition had happened in the last few minutes, without being able to point towards any decision points that pushed you from A to B. The encore was a piece from Gong that, judging from the audience reaction, was as close to a hit as prog instrumentals can be. A nice ending for an excellent start into the last day of RIO 2019.
Geoff Leigh, who joined the trio for the encore, also had two solo sets between the bigger concerts. I love the Ex-Wise Heads, his project with Colin Edwin, and was very much looking forward to this. Unfortunately, the first set was so packed that we had to give it a miss, and the second one was plagued by glitches and uninvited noises from his gear. The latter was a shame, since he apparently does a good deal more interesting things than just looping himself; the approach seemed to be intended as more random sampling and feedback from his playing, but the equipment took even more liberties than that.
The Piniol set was roughly the same as last year, but it felt the opposite of rote. The songs, while ostensibly being the same, mutate quite a bit over time, and so every gig feels different. We can tell, seeing them thrice in 2018 - Zappanale, RIO, and an October concert just 30 minutes from our home. And certainly would not mind seeing them just as often this year, but so far that does not seem to be in the cards. With the Poil concert still being fresh in my mind, I found it remarkable how seven musicians of this caliber leave so much space to each other and work towards the music with a discipline that is a strange contrast to the apparent chaos and abandon on stage. It exudes a spirit of sharing the fun and collectively building up something huge - the only element of competition appears to be which drummer gets to take off his shirt first.
If we would have needed any persuasion to go to this years RIO, the Rock Bottom set would probably have been enough on its own. John Greaves has yet to be involved in something I don't like, and a new take on a favorite album was enticing, too. As soon as Rock Bottom began - the set started with duets from John Greaves and Annie Barbazza by themselves, and three other Wyatt songs - I became aware of how long it had been since I listened to the original. The only drawback of so much great new music coming out in recent years is that you have less and less time to devote to any single album, even the old favorite ones. That said, this concert was just as wonderful as I had hoped beforehand, and I'm certainly going to dig into what else the North Sea Radio Orchestra have done. I might have preferred something else than Shipbuilding, which is defined for me personally by the MrMcFalls Chamber version, but the choices for the other Wyatt songs were great (especially Maryan).
In spite of their legendary status, Present was new to me, and although they had to contest with my waning concentration, I liked what I heard a lot. Nevertheless, these are huge pieces that throw a lot of weight around, and I'll definitely need to spend more time with this band before being able to say anything worthwhile about their music.
This closed our third RIO, and to us, it was wonderful. Replicating the magical Carmaux experience of being on a small and remote planet exclusively peopled by lovers of music is a tough call for any venue that is not at the end of nowhere, and Les Abattoirs made a very good first impression. Great sound throughout, friendly people, affordable drinks and good food for a festival. The only thing that could stand some improvement was the interview space - far too small on several occasions, and rather uncomfortable after the rain on Saturday. As a note to those unfamiliar with this festival, one of the many things that makes it special are the band interviews after every gig. Expertly (and bilingually) conducted by the inimitable Aymeric Leroy, they complement and round out what you've just heard and seen on stage, which often makes you appreciate the music and the musicians even more.
All in all, I'd love for the rumors about this RIO incarnation being a one-off thing to be untrue, and we would certainly be there for a second act in 2020.
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