Greaves, Sok, Brooks

≡ September 2019 ≡

A new season is on its way, calmly but with some concerts that are looking intense along with 3 figureheads, 3 artists inseparable from the music they created, 3 generations, 3 styles, 3 peerless human beings and 3 dear friends: John Greaves (Henry Cow), G.W Sok (The Ex) and Will Brooks (dälek).

With John Greaves, it happens in Paris on the 13th and 14th, at La Gare -a venue where jazz music appears to regain its wild hue- and I’ll play on the side of the great John to welcome the release of his latest album Life Size with an outstanding casting of more than 15 guests including Jakko Jakksyk from King Crimson or Zeena Parkins.

With G.W Sok, it happens in Marseille on the 21th at Data, for our Coddiwomple trio with the perfect guitar player Nicolas Lafourest, a clean-up style gig before recording, in the aftermath, our first album, with Nicolas Dick in command. Free and sonic uso in sight.

With dälek, it happens in Rennes on the 28th at L’Antipode, to celebrate the KdB Records’ 10 years. After the How we tried saga, after an unlikely instrumental duo in Montreal and after Our last breathes single for the Connect the machine compilation, this evening sounds like an happy and smashing get-together with hip-hop noise founders.

MellaNoisEscape concerts become less frequent but let’s bet they’ll be more intense. On the 12th, we’ll be near Lille with Michel Cloup Duo for the Belles Sorties of L’Aéronef in Prémesques, with the ever fantastic Suzy LeVoid who will release the fantastic Miët and the ever fantastic Lucie Antunes who will release her fantastic first album Sergueï.

Briefly, following its real success at Festival d’Avignon, Ersatz by Julien Mellano is played in Thionville on the 21st and 22nd for Festival Court Toujours, in Choisy-le-Roi on the 27th and 28th for Festival En bref.

In Cognac, you have only some 60 days left to bath into L’Ombre de la Vapeur by Adrien M & Claire B.

Beyond seas, my music will also support Qui a tué mon père ? by Stanislas Nordey in the Carribean island of Martinique, in Fort-de France at Tropiques Atrium on the 14th, and in the USA at Lewis Center Princeton on the 21st.

And Le Fils from Cie l’Unijambiste in the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion on the 6th in Saint-Leu, the 10th in Tampon and the 12th in Saint-Denis for Festival La bèl Parol.

Simple Women, the Italo-Romanian full-length film by Chiara Malta whose score I composed, will be competing at the Toronto International Film Festival for a world premiere during the opening night.

So much for September. Here we go again.
Our watchword should be this saying by fellow so(u)ldier Pacôme Thiellement, performed during our recent ad-libbed show suggested as this month video: Let’s stop loving best not to love what we love not rather than loving what we love.
I wish your new start to be filled and light.

Olivier Mellano