Back at the Chabada for the second day of the Levitation festival. No clouds at all in a true blue sky, festival goers and organizers definitely got all the luck.
Due to cancellation the day before of english Temples and last minute pull out from americans Strangers Family Band, programming is changing a little bit, starting with french Lonely Walk on the indoor stage.
Cold wave, dark wave, post-punk, the main stage of the Chabada is under big dark and electric waves. Bordeaux based Lonely Walk are merging live the punk energy and the moody new-wave.
Mickaël Apollinaire, staring at the horizon with a deep singing, will drive the first to arrive festival goers to a dancing and hypnotic ritual.
Let’s move to the outside stage (first day attendees had noticed the clever back and forth route in between the 2 stages) to discover Neue Wilde from Caen, Normandy.
Side project from 3 members of acclaimed Concrete Knives, they have been invited to fill in the gaps. And it’s fortunate.
In a friendly way, Nicolas (guitar), Corentin (keyboard) and Guillaume (drums) will take great pleasure during a good 30mn set to play an instrumental gig full of freshness, sometimes unequal due to the youth of the project. Energic and smiling, Neue Wilde is quite away from pure psych rock but who cares ! Psych rock is open enough, this will be confirmed all through this second day.
On the indoor stage, The UFO Club (another side project) headed by Christian Bland from the Black Angels and Lee Blackwell from Night Beats are playing intense psyche music. Two Night Beats Lee and Tarek are playing well awaken compared to the night before, while Bland is singing with an stunning voice.
With a transported audience and a totally glinding set, The UFO Club will definitely be the band coming from outer space
Outside, Mars Red Sky, back at the Chabada, are beating hard.
Julien Pras’ unchanged 3 pieces band is playing with the same objectives : offer to the audience a rock in between pschydelesim and stoner, raw, with no compromise. Wide open mouth Julien is singing with a haunted voice and is captivating the audience together with a solid bass-drums combo.
More intimate, the 3 english guys from Beak> will play close to the public, back lighted with animated colored screens.
Geoff « Portishead » Barrow’s side project is gathering the audience a maximum by the front on the stage. Playing drums and teamed with Bill Fullet and Matt Williams, Beak> will ramp up a consistent hypnotism, close to a “math” rock, with a metronomic rigour.
One hour later, The Telescopes are kicking off on the outdoor stage with a guitar player in the audience and the others performing on stage.
In the public, a bold guy is getting nuts, throwing out is tshirt and himself on the crash gate. Stephen Lawrie is singing and is definitely looking lost, clumsily attempting to use 2 microphones to scream and say a few words. One big disappointement of the festival.
Damo “Can” Suzuki, undoubtful Krautrock master, came alone from Germany.
On stage, together with the members of Dead Skeletons and Beak> drummer who he picked-up on the spot to join and play with him, as he is used to, will loop the same mantra during half an hour in front of an audience in trance and in quest of spirituality. A weirdo true experimental project and psychedelic delirium.
Easier, Elephant Stone are inviting us for a pleasant pop turn, with a british and psyche accent. Mixing indie rock and indian cultures, the band from Montreal will offer a peaceful time to the public.
Most likely the coolest gig of the festival, thanks to Rishi Dir incredible sitar moments.
2 highly expected concerts will close the festival, with the word “dead” on everyone’s lips.
Icelandic Dead Skeletons will open first and will play what seems to be the memorable concert of the Austin Psych Fest twin festival.
Like a finger given to death, Jon Seamundur’s band will celebrate life during a black mass. The painting of a crane will be done on stage at the beginning of the concert while incense sticks are lighted on the sides of a screen looping the band logo with a universal messaging displayed in all languages (who fears death cannot enjoy life).
Uniting the audience around their catchline, the Icelanders from Reykjavik marked everyone’s mind. A big moment of musical communion.
Lastly, the awaited Dead Meadow will close the ball. With a good mix of psych pop atmosphere, blues and heavy rock, the 3 american chaps will play their songs with serenity in front of gained fans, still up despite of the late time.
With all its colored screenings, probably the most convincing of the festival, the washington based ban is fraternizing with the crowd. People will vibrate on the last notes of this in one go festival, looking for the last opportunities to get together and keep memories of Levitation France.
For this first 2 days edition, Levitation France at Le Chabada had hosted big names and top notch rock bands and welcomed around 2000 festival goers, with some coming from very far, to live this succeeded psychedelic reunion.
A big rare and unique music moment, at the crossroads of styles.
Adaptation by Nicolas Nithart of « Levitation France – Jour 2 » by Fred Lombard :
http://www.indiemusic.fr/2013/09/23/levitation-france-jour-2/
austinpsychfest.com/levitation-france
facebook.com/LonelyWalkband
facebook.com/pages/The-UFO-Club/171463302910871
facebook.com/marsredskyband
facebook.com/beakbristol
facebook.com/thetelescopesuk
facebook.com/ElephantStoneHQ
elephantstonemusic.com
facebook.com/DEADSKELETONS
facebook.com/pages/Dead-Meadow-Official/177062599000500
