Upsilon Acrux 30/09 Paris

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First the bad news, La fleche d’or one of my favorite Parisian venues has closed. Situated in the 19^th arrondissement in Paris in a former train station, it had great architecture and good atmosphere! You could see for the price of a beer 2 or 3 young bands (100% non prog) in the three chords & cool looks section….

When I looked through the Upsilon Acrux tour list I saw a Paris venue: Le Rigoletto, a place I never heard of. None of the big ticket retailers was selling tickets and not much info was available. Finally I phoned the place and they informed me that it was not necessary to book tickets….the entry fees were 5 Euros for 2
Bands, not too bad at the end of the month….

Le Rigoletto is a Café-théatre, placed in the popular 19^th arrondissement of Paris, a Café with a restaurant that has a license to produce cultural events in a small basement theatre, about twenty seats at the side and maybe place for 80 more if you like body contact. I met two friends at 8pm and after a beer we went downstairs, the concert was announced for 8:30. Upsilon Acrux was doing their sound check and only a few people there, mostly the musicians. Especially nice to hear Phil Cobb try out his mini-moog. After the sound check I questioned guitarist David Moeggenberg about his guitar which was a model that I saw once played by Bill Frisell. He explained to me that it was made by Californian luthier Steve Klein, and offered me to play it which I politely declined, regretting immediately to not having tried out this rare guitar…

Without air conditioning the place became quite hot and we went upstairs for another beer. At 9:30 the concert started with Blackfish a British Metal-Punk-Fusion band, with nice ideas and an energetic show. In the meantime some more apparently former La Fleche d’Or goers arrived…

Another beer and time for Upsilon Acrux, I was astonished that the band wasn’t playing in le Triton which is normally the Prog venue in the Parisian area….The audience in Le Rigolleto was younger then the usual suspects for Prog concerts in Paris. The band delivered a great set for about an hour, very dense polyrhythmic music dominated by the the double guitar and moog sound reminding me at moments the Bruford, Wetton KC period. A bigger part of the audience looked astonished and slightly amused by the statistical density of the music, having been obviously more used to mainstream rock then prog. The set lasted for about an hour, a decent applause and the band packed….
All in all a nice evening, but  even so a cozy place Le Rigoletto is too small and acoustically not the best place to appreciate the complexes music of Upsilon Acrux. I hope to se the band some other day in better conditions…

Edited by Alucard - October 01 2009 at 12:46

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Alucard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 10 2004 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 3888	Topic: Upsilon Acrux 30/09 Paris Posted: October 01 2009 at 12:42
	First the bad news, La fleche d’or one of my favorite Parisian venues has closed. Situated in the 19^th arrondissement in Paris in a former train station, it had great architecture and good atmosphere! You could see for the price of a beer 2 or 3 young bands (100% non prog) in the three chords & cool looks section…. When I looked through the Upsilon Acrux tour list I saw a Paris venue: Le Rigoletto, a place I never heard of. None of the big ticket retailers was selling tickets and not much info was available. Finally I phoned the place and they informed me that it was not necessary to book tickets….the entry fees were 5 Euros for 2 Bands, not too bad at the end of the month…. Le Rigoletto is a Café-théatre, placed in the popular 19^th arrondissement of Paris, a Café with a restaurant that has a license to produce cultural events in a small basement theatre, about twenty seats at the side and maybe place for 80 more if you like body contact. I met two friends at 8pm and after a beer we went downstairs, the concert was announced for 8:30. Upsilon Acrux was doing their sound check and only a few people there, mostly the musicians. Especially nice to hear Phil Cobb try out his mini-moog. After the sound check I questioned guitarist David Moeggenberg about his guitar which was a model that I saw once played by Bill Frisell. He explained to me that it was made by Californian luthier Steve Klein, and offered me to play it which I politely declined, regretting immediately to not having tried out this rare guitar… Without air conditioning the place became quite hot and we went upstairs for another beer. At 9:30 the concert started with Blackfish a British Metal-Punk-Fusion band, with nice ideas and an energetic show. In the meantime some more apparently former La Fleche d’Or goers arrived… Another beer and time for Upsilon Acrux, I was astonished that the band wasn’t playing in le Triton which is normally the Prog venue in the Parisian area….The audience in Le Rigolleto was younger then the usual suspects for Prog concerts in Paris. The band delivered a great set for about an hour, very dense polyrhythmic music dominated by the the double guitar and moog sound reminding me at moments the Bruford, Wetton KC period. A bigger part of the audience looked astonished and slightly amused by the statistical density of the music, having been obviously more used to mainstream rock then prog. The set lasted for about an hour, a decent applause and the band packed…. All in all a nice evening, but even so a cozy place Le Rigoletto is too small and acoustically not the best place to appreciate the complexes music of Upsilon Acrux. I hope to se the band some other day in better conditions… Edited by Alucard - October 01 2009 at 12:46
	Tadpoles keep screaming in my ear "Hey there! Rotter's Club! Explain the meaning of this song and share it"

CPicard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: October 03 2008 Location: Là, sui monti. Status: Offline Points: 10841	Posted: October 01 2009 at 13:17
	Maybe I should have come... Too bad I had to wake up at 6 o'clock this morning. I wonder what kind of people are the usual costumers of the Rigoletto, since it's rather a bar sometimes opening for private parties (if I understood their promo).

Alucard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 10 2004 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 3888	Posted: October 03 2009 at 04:48
	You should have the audience of the Rigoletto is rather young and from the neighborhood (since La Fleche D'Or is closed) plus the friends of François who organized the concert and some progheads for this concert, this place won't do regular prog shows IMO
	Tadpoles keep screaming in my ear "Hey there! Rotter's Club! Explain the meaning of this song and share it"

VanderGraafKommandöh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: July 04 2005 Location: Malaria Status: Offline Points: 89372	Posted: October 04 2009 at 08:00
	I'm seeing them this evening in Worcester. Again, the venue seems it could be on the small side. Tickets are just £3. However, I cannot turn-down seeing a band of their quality for such a cheap price! They really really do deserve better and I'd quite happily see them at a bigger venue. I shall report on how it was upon my return.


Alucard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 10 2004 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 3888	Posted: October 05 2009 at 12:45
	Say hello to David Moeggenberg and tell him that next time I definetely want to try out his guitar!
	Tadpoles keep screaming in my ear "Hey there! Rotter's Club! Explain the meaning of this song and share it"

VanderGraafKommandöh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: July 04 2005 Location: Malaria Status: Offline Points: 89372	Posted: October 06 2009 at 05:45
	They were all terribly nice guys. It was an excellent gig too. Amazing stuff. I don't think some of the youngsters there quite realised how amazing they were. I was thanked afterwards for telling them they were. They were like "yeah man, you were right, they were awesome!" So if they've got some new fans, then excellent! I've done my job.


victor77 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 13 2007 Location: Spain Status: Offline Points: 142	Posted: October 23 2009 at 09:53
	I saw them one month ago opening for Kayo Dot. As I see, concerts in Europe are cheaper than in Barcelona, you lucky guys! Their show was hard and consistent, without any flaws, but I think their music, although quite interesting, is too similar to that of Don Caballero. That stopped me from buying their records, because they don´t surpass the comparison. Anyway, it was a good musical night.

Cesar Inca Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 19 2004 Location: Peru Status: Offline Points: 4888	Posted: October 25 2009 at 10:11
	Actually, I think that UPSILON ACRUX surpasses the comparion against DON CABALLERO. As much as I appreciate and enjoy the three DC albums I produly own in my collection, I feel that the music of UPSILON ACRUX (at least, on record) is more versatile and eclectic, and collaterally, even more complex without losing focus. They usually distort and refurbish the focus on the development of themes, but do not lose the focus in itself. Kind regards. Edited by Cesar Inca - October 25 2009 at 10:12

VanderGraafKommandöh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: July 04 2005 Location: Malaria Status: Offline Points: 89372	Posted: October 25 2009 at 13:47
	Although I haven't yet heard Don Caballero, I do prefer Upsilon Acrux over Ahleuchatistas. They're actually more proggy and experimental and much less math-rock in style. Try the albums, Victor. They're a lot more diverse. The guys when I spoke to them, said they tend to play their faster, more heavy stuff live. They have a lot of slower, proggy numbers as well. Edited by James - October 25 2009 at 13:49


victor77 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 13 2007 Location: Spain Status: Offline Points: 142	Posted: October 26 2009 at 09:19
	ok, I´ll give them a try in their studio albums. And about Ahleuchatistas, they played two weeks ago in a mini festival and I was quite satisfied with their show; their last record has very interesting passages. But their show made me think about how we categorize music, because they sounded more like a grindcore band with a prog attitude (as if Today is the Day played instrumental music). Definitely, Avant Prog is losing part of its original meaning and doesn´t fit well with these modern trends and, what´s more, it can also affect the way the music is judged, as long as its musical language is far from more traditional forms. May I say, I consider myself a risky listener and feel very comfortable listening to these (and others) borderline bands.

Cesar Inca Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 19 2004 Location: Peru Status: Offline Points: 4888	Posted: November 01 2009 at 00:02
	I'm with you regarding the "risky listener" thing, Victor77 - I am (or feel like I am) a risky litener, too. Kind regards.