Poppodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
Saturday, 26th October 2024
By now, the connoisseur audience knows what to expect from Lazuli: approximately two-hours of an intense and above all energetic show by the excellent French quintet. The audience consists of about 200 people this evening, mainly women, who react excitedly to what is being offered on stage. A similar audience when they played Progdreams X, but then, the program had to be shared with quintessential Dutch band Supersister.
There are few surprises this time, unless it’s the three new songs from the yet to be released new studio album. With no less than seven songs from the most recent studio album Onze from 2023. The quintet from the southern French region around Nîmes had already made seven appearances at the Boerderij before, for the first time in 2006. These guys feel good performing at the Boerderij and leave no opportunity unused to make this known. Six months after the release of the live DVD/CD Lorelive and the successful show at that same (last) Night Of The Prog festival in St Goarshausen in Germany, the band is well-rehearsed and polished in this new phase of their existence.
At half past eight Lazuli enters the stage to loud applause and opener Le lierre immediately hits hard. From Onze is Sillonner des océans de vinyles, an ode to the LP with a funny animation movie in the style of Yellow Submarine. Then a section from Le Fantastique Envol de Dieter Böhm is represented by three songs from the successful concept album from 2022 with the title track played first. The French horn sounding like an Australian didgeridoo. Personal favourite Les chansons sont des bouteilles à la mer features the Léode while in L’homme volant, the flying man, Beyney’s guitar sounds ‘superbe’. Two songs from the latest studio album Onze, Triste carnaval, a nasty childhood experience of frontman Dominique ‘Domi’ Leonetti with a similarly sad animation film, is followed by the gloomy Qui d’autre que l’autre. As already mentioned, actually three new songs from the new studio album to be released in 2025 (?). ‘Back to future’ as Domi puts it. Quel dommage contains a duet between guitar and Léode and delivers the well-known Lazuli formula of light versus dark or ebb and flow. Être et ne plus être is dominated by Beyney’s wah-wah pedal, but the best is saved for last. Chaque jour que le soleil fait has a beautiful French horn intro and is, in my opinion, the most beautiful song of the trio.
Two more songs from Onze, Mille rêves hors de leur cage has never been heard/seen live before and in Parlons du temps brother Claude takes (co-)care of vocal duties while Arnaud Beyney plays the bass guitar. Le miroir aux alouettes is characterized by the use of the marimba and Arabic sounds from Claude’s Léode, all-rounder Romain Thorel plays the drums and actually does a great job. Les courants ascendants is dominated by horn and heavy rhythms and is also the last song of the official part of the show. The Leonetti brothers and guitarist Beyney leave the stage (temporarily) to loud applause from the audience.
The other musicians remain on stage for a duo set of keyboards and drums featuring very diverse music: from funk to jazz and classical, subdued to exuberant, with a leading role for the keyboard playing of Romain Thorel, what a top-notch musician! But I must not underestimate the cannonballs of Vincent Barnavol and his accompanying role, completely in the service of Thorel’s improvisational talent. And all this based on the chant from Les courants ascendants.
Le Grand Vide is a beautiful and especially fragile highlight after which Le Pleureur sous la Pluie makes quite a contrast. Including a screeching guitar solo and a film with fragments of Buster Keaton, Gene Kelly and Charlie Chaplin with the theme of rain. Dominique Leonetti declares his/their love for the Boerderij with the statement ‘best venue in the world, staff, audience, everything’ after which the band dedicates itself to the classic part of a Lazuli performance: 9 Hands Around the Marimba. Naturally accompanied by the necessary nonsense and this time as musical theme Dreamer by Supertramp – and the audience are ecstatic.
A frantically dancing and as always crystal clear singing Domi still has a hard time with the English language, but does his utmost from a cheat sheet. There is even some Dutch every now and then, the joke about the Dutch word for ‘maintenant’ is old but still fun. There is more familiarity, such as Domi mixing with the crowd during Les courants ascendants, but certainly not distracting.
Arnaud Beyney is a real live wire, he never stands still, bursting with energy. He often lovingly embraces his pink Harley Benton guitar, then again makes it look like a strangulation or uses his instrument as a bat. He is constantly on the move, ‘headbanging’ with that expressive head of his, in more ways than one way a worthy replacement for Gédéric Byart.
With the live album Lorelive just released, we are now waiting for the new studio album (Douze?) which will hopefully be released in 2025. If the short series of new songs played this evening meant a little preview, then we have much to look forward to. Until then, we’ll have to be patient.
[Photos by Martijn Adegeest (Poppodium Boerderij)]
SETLIST
Le lierre
Sillonner des océans de vinyles
Dieter Böhm
Les chansons sont des bouteilles à la mer
L’homme volant
Triste carnaval
Qui d’autre que l’autre
Quel dommage
Être et ne plus être
Chaque jour que le soleil fait
Mille rêves hors de leur cage
Parlons du temps
Le miroir aux alouettes
Les courants ascendants
~ Encore:
Duet (Romain Thorel & Vincent Barnavol)
Le grand vide
Le Pleureur sous la Pluie
9 Hands Around the Marimba
Dreamer
MUSICIANS
Vincent Barnavol – Drums, Percussion, Marimba, Backing Vocals
Arnaud Beyney – Guitars, Bass
Claude Leonetti – Léode, Vocals
Dominique Leonetti – Lead Vocals, Guitars
Romain Thorel – Keyboards, French Horn, Drums