Univers Zero at LE TRITON, June 12, 2009

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   So I went to the Univers Zero concert this Friday in Le Triton, which is a small venue in the Paris metropolitan area. Le Triton is basically a restaurant which expanded to include a club scene (with a capacity of maximum 140 persons) and rehearsal/studio spaces. They have grown into an important supporter of the progressive scene; they even have a label, where they publish One Shot releases and others. In late spring - early summer they have this series of weekend concerts which they call The Progressive Music Festival. The line-up is quite formidable:

Morglbl (May 30)
Magma (June 4,5,6)
Univers Zero (June 12,13)
John Greaves (June 18)
Aranis (June 19)
One Shot (June 20)
Hugh Hopper Benefit (June 27)

They also had Koenji Hyakkei on the 1st of May. More details here: http://www.letriton.com/programme.html

The venue is very is very friendly and warm, and also easy to reach. Prices are fair, ranging from 18 to 30 euros per concert. I think they're doing a great thing and I hope that by spreading the word I can retun some of the satisfaction they provided me with this month. The Magma show from a couple of weeks ago was absolutely incredible, possibly the best show I've ever whitnesses.

The Univers Zero concert was absolutely fantastic, much more enjoyable than expected. I'm not at all an expert on their music and avant-rock in general, so all I can say is that they "rocked". The two albums I listened previous to the concert were "Heresie" and "Implosion", therefore I was expecting some sort of weird quartet scaring the hell out of us. However, the music was very tight, powerfull, with more harmony and mellody than I expected. There was also a warm relationship established between the musicians who were evidently enjoying playing for us and the public which was composed mainly of hardcore fans. This friendly and laid-back atmosphere paid off and we all had a great time. 
The line-up of the band was, I think, similar to that of the 2006 live album, with the exact instruments (though with some new members). I could not understand the names from the presentation of the band, but comparing the band member photos from the official Univers Zero website with the guys from the concert, I can say with confidence that the new members were Dimitri Evers (bass) and Pierre Chevalier (keyboards). In addition, the band had Andy Kirk as a special guest for about half of the show. Mr. Kirk played electric guitar on one song, keybords on several other songs and at the end of the show the band played one his own compositions, named "Warrior" if I remember well. The piece was stunning and it was definitely one of the evening's highlights alongside one of Univers Zero's traditional pieces, "Dance".  
The drumming was powerful and all over the place, and together with the bass they forced the other guys into giving "all they had". The clarinet and and horn/oboe section was wonderful and also the power of an amplified violin was a great surprise, working at least as good as an electric guitar in the role of lead instrument.

The special feel of the evening was also enhanced by the news that the show was being videotaped for becoming the future Univers Zero Live DVD. So when you get this DVD look out for me - I'm right there in a corner with my beloved half. Watch closely, it's not something you get to see very often: a Zeuhl & avant-rock loving girlfriend. Lucky me! 

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