Faust, London, 15/11/21

As of 2021, there appear to be 3 iterations of Faust out there; Hans-Joachim Irmler's (who has led his own version for about 20 years now), Zappi Deimaier's (who has struck out on his own recently after playing with both other line ups), and Jean-Herve Peron's. It was the last of these that recently toured Europe with an expanded line up to perform Faust IV, and I caught them at the Union Chapel in Islington.
The gig was originally meant to take place a few months ago, but Covid intervened (it’s a bit of pain, as Jean Herve put it). I arrived at the venue about 30 minutes before the doors opened and got the opportunity to stand in a lengthy queue on a chilly November evening in North London. Security staff checked our vaccination status while we waited (my double AstraZeneca jab was acceptable) before my ticket was checked, I applied hand sanitiser and I was in!
I’ve seen Faust several times over the last 20 years, usually as a 3 or 4 piece with occasional surprise guests. On this occasion I knew that the line up would include Yumi Hara on keyboards plus a string trio, and that Yumi was acting as musical director/conductor/arranger. Once I was in it became obvious that the stage was going to be pretty crowded, with 2 drum kits, wind instruments and several guitars waiting to be picked up. The Union Chapel is the kind of Victorian venue that Faust assaulted with pile drivers and pneumatic drills back in the 70s, and there was speculation as to what the evening’s performance would include.
Eventually everybody was in and had found a pew (quite literally; the Union Chapel retains its church fixtures and fittings), the lights went down and ... stayed down. There was a bit of light from behind the stage, some dry ice drifted around and a few shapes could be seen dimly in the murk. The string trio started playing a low droning piece, with Yumi dimly visible on the opposite side of the stage and, after a while, some sympathetic rumbles from an electric guitar. This was based on one of the instrumental pieces from the album, the theme emerging gradually. Other figures appeared on stage and further musical weirdness ensued, before Jean Herve Peron announced that he was delighted to be back in London but that on this occasion there would be no explosions, power tools or mayhem and the band launched into Giggy Smile.
At this point the evening really took off. Among others, I recognised Chris Cutler as one of the two drummers, attacking the kit in his inimitable fashion, Amaury Cambuzat on guitar (a regular touring musician with Faust for the last 25 years) and Chloe Herrington on sax and bassoon. The set list stuck to Faust IV, though not in the same order as the album and with a fair amount of expansion and improvisation. Including guests there were a dozen performers, although not all were required for every piece; mostly they sat down and read or just absorbed the ambience betweentimes.
Memorable moments came thick and fast. Jean Herve explained the context of some pieces; there really was a Jennifer with red hair at the Manor recording studio, but her name was actually June; Mike Oldfield recorded bits of Tubular Bells when Faust had finished for the day; Kraut Rock was a train. A very tall woman got the audience to clap the rhythm for Psaltery – all together now, it’s 1; 1-2-3-4; 1-2-3-4-5. She also played bits of percussion, sang a couple of verses of The Sad Skinhead and looked after the merchandise stall. We were later informed that she is Jean Herve Peron’s daughter. We heard the recorded voice of Peter Blegvad (Dream me a name and I’ll answer to it). The performance closed with all concerned tearing through a lengthy rendition of Kraut Rock that got a standing ovation and that will stay with me for a long time.
And then it was over. Jean Herve introduced all the performers, who came from 5 countries and whose ages ranged from late teens to 70s (with every decade in between represented). He paid tribute to Faust members and associates who are no longer with us, and to those who are still going strong with their own versions of the band, all faithful to the spirit of the original group from half a century ago.
When I got home, I listened to the original album and recalled giving it a 3 star review on this very site some years ago. I have seen Faust perform some of it before; Psaltery, The Sad Skinhead and Kraut Rock have all been regular inclusions in their set lists over the last 20 years or so, and those performances were no more or less faithful to the recorded originals than the Union Chapel versions. What made the evening stand out was something that is easy to overlook with Faust - the real musicality that underpinned the brutal noise and the bizarre or alarming antics. The expanded line up took the material from Faust IV and fleshed it out, reminding us that Faust were accomplished musicians with a real flair for melody when the mood took them. Had it been a faithful, not for note reproduction of the studio album it would have fallen flat; this performance retained the dream logic and shifting moods and textures of Faust at their best. They stretched out time, and nobody knows if it really happened. I hope that there will be a decent quality live recording at some point in the future.
The Line Up:
Jean Herve Peron Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Amaury Cambuzat Guitar
Yumi Hara Keyboards
Audrey Dechevre Drums
Jeanne-Marie Varain Percussion, Vocals
Clement Meulemans Double Bass
Raphael Meulemans Cello
Antonia Mallach Violin
Guests
Chloe Herrington Bassoon, Soprano Sax
Geraldine Swayne Guitar, Vocals
Anthony Moore Guitar
Chris Cutler Drums
The recorded voice of Peter Blegvad

Nice review, sounded like a great show. Would love to see Faust perform live, whatever incarnation. 

Hadn't realized Zappi had left that line-up to start his own version, he wasn't in the band last time they came through. I've seen them 3 or 4 times and it was a surprise that he wasn't there. Not sure about this Peron only line-up but anything with Chris, Yumi & Chloe is very welcome.