SOFT MACHINE PARIS CONCERT REPORT

SOFT MACHINE CONCERT REPORT

Before the concert, i met Alucard and it was my first progarchives meeting!
Alucard is a very gentle person, and we had much pleasure to evoke our favourite bands and albums together.
Then we moved to the “New morning” and were happy to find very few people (about 40 persons!!) and an intimist atmosphere. The new morning is a jazz club so it explains this peaceful mood. As we discuss prog music with Alucard in front of the toilet, a living god passed in front of me to go into the toilets: it was Hugh Hopper himself!! I was amazed and could even speak a word, as i was completely astonished to see him so close. Sorry Alucard! (Although it was not the first time I saw him).

Then the concert started.

I was not surprised that sound was ten times too loud, as they amplified sax and drums to make it sound “rock”, whereas it was completely unnecessary, as we were in a little space, designed for acoustic jazz. So i put cotton pieces inside my ears, and it became almost bearable.

This line up is very efficient on a technical level…
Drums and bass were incredible, despite of the “bumped low” due to over amplification.
For sure, Mr Marshall is a killer on drums!
Hugh Hopper is still very good, Elton Dean plays in the same vein than he always did.
Mr Etheridge on guitar is quite skilled but a little too violent and demonstrative sometimes.

They played Third but sound was too square and cold to feel the studio albums nostalgia.
Second set was softer, with more melodic compositions.

To sum up, this concert was quite good but unfortunately sound was too loud as usual in rock concerts. There was a little lack of magic, inspiration, but I was expecting it.
However, they were all very good, better than the concert i’ve seen about four years ago with another drummer, far less good than Marshall who is a killer.





Edited by oliverstoned

I suppose that you two went to a concert that was played by a formation called:

 Soft Machine Legacy

 

They have  no real right to the historical name. They recorded in June a live album in zaandam, Holland and I reviewd it about one month ago!

oliverstoned wrote: I think the album you reviewed is the one they were playing just before the concert starts. I quite angry with your point of view saying that this line up doesn't embodies the guenuine SM. That's why there's not the magic of our fav studio albums.

Salut Olivier!!

Unless you soeak of my review , in my post I do only say that they do not have the right to be called Soft Machine.

As for my review of the album, Etheridge belongs to a whole different generation of SM than the other three. I did not rate the album well but I believe I was fair too! 

Sean Trane wrote: I suppose that you two went to a concert that was played by a formation called:  Soft Machine Legacy   They have  no real right to the historical name. They recorded in June a live album in zaandam, Holland and I reviewd it about one month ago!

Maybe it is linked to the country, in France they are touring under 'Soft Machine':  press, concert tickets, posters!

I like Soft Machine so its good to hear that they still play... did they play Eamon Andrews?

Eamon Andrews is only on live albums such as Kings of Cantebury, or their BBC sessions 4 cd set...