Poppodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer [NL]
Saturday, 14th March 2026
Lazuli has long been renowned for their live performances, just listen to, or watch Lorelive (2024). Yet the fact that they continue to grow remains both astonishing and deeply impressive. Their new album, Être et ne plus être, proves the former, while their performance on a chilly Saturday night at Zoetermeer’s prog temple Poppodium Boerderij proves the latter. Early in the show, bandleader and singer Dominique “Domi” Leonetti quietly confides, “New songs are like babies, it’s hard to let go of their hands.” A revealing admission from the French poet responsible for nearly all of Lazuli’s music and lyrics.
At exactly half past eight, the band launches into, Être et ne plus être, the title track of their new album; an eruption of energy that feels almost volcanic. Sourire, another new piece, and one of many to be performed on the night follows. Dominique Leonetti plays ukulele as the track shifts from loud to soft, featuring a Queen‑like guitar tone, a prominent French horn line, and Domi’s trademark dervish spin. Qui d’autre que l’autre highlights the Léode and piano, while the Native American inspired Une chanson Cherokee is rendered with Arnaud Beyney on bass and Dominique on acoustic guitar.
A second trio of new songs begins with the intriguing, swinging Mon body se meurt, complete with Thorel’s horn and a video of a clay doll. Les 4 raisons, in waltz time, features crystalline piano and no fewer than five vocalists. L’eau qui dort closes the sequence, its impromptu section by Beyney and Thorel drawing smiles as Dominique searches for the right guitar setup. When Domi asks whether it’s acceptable to play some older material, the audience roars its approval. Le miroir aux alouettes, a huge crowd favourite, brings tribal rhythms and Arabic sounds with Vincent Barnavol on marimba, and Thorel excelling on drums. When Dominique, as tradition dictates, wanders into the audience, the room erupts. Quel dommage closes the first set before a brief intermission.
Triste carnaval, the sad autobiographical tale of a boy who misjudges the date of Carnival, appears amid swirling smoke. On L’homme sûr, Claude Leonetti’s Léode trades solos with Beyney’s guitar. Matière première is downright impressive, thanks to the horn, the Léode, and Dominique’s socially charged lyrics. The contrast with Chaque jour que le soleil fait is striking; Dominique calls himself a ‘canary’, a monogamous bird, and dedicates the song to his ‘one and only ladybird’. During Thorel’s breathtaking horn solo, the hall falls utterly silent. Le Pleureur sous la Pluie brings its familiar Hollywood‑themed video, but Beyney’s Jimmy Page‑esque solo, played on his Gibson Les Paul, is electrifying.
Les courants ascendants closes the official set, its organised chaos and climactic sing‑along as irresistible is always a crowd-pleaser at Lazuli shows. The Leonetti brothers and Beyney then leave the stage, giving Barnavol and Thorel space to shine. Thorel’s Herbie Hancock‑tinged piano solo which moves from swing to funk to jazz to rock, is a highlight, perfectly matched by Barnavol’s drumming. Hats off to both of them! L’Instant follows, fragile and luminous: Domi’s clear voice and guitar alone is pure perfection. Finally, Au bord du précipice, one of the new album’s finest moments, arrives with an emotional Léode solo and a heartfelt thank you from Domi for offering ‘an escape from today’s world madness’. Well, every self-respecting fan knows what comes next as tradition demands the closer to be 9 Hands Around the Marimba, built this time around the theme of Les courants ascendants. The hall‑filling “oh oh oh oh oh oh oh” continues long after the band stops playing.
Lazuli performed nineteen songs in total, including all twelve tracks from Être et ne plus être, released only two months ago. Four from Onze (2023), two older pieces (4603 Battements, Tant que l’herbe est grasse), plus the customary 9 Hands. I cannot recall another show where a band performed all the songs from the most recent album (OK: Steven Wilson). For someone who, as previously stated, finds it difficult to let go of his ‘newborn musical children’, Domi manages it with remarkable aplomb.
With roughly 200 attendees, including a relatively large number of ladies, they sang, danced, and embraced the experience enthusiastically. The lighting and sound were once again superb throughout the two hours and fifteen minute performance, all of which was evident as Lazuli received a well deserved, standing ovation from an ecstatic crowd. This was, without doubt, an exceptional concert and perhaps the French quintet’s finest in years.
[Live photos courtesy of Richard Winkel (Poppodium Boerderij)]
SETLIST
Être et ne plus être
Sourire
Qui d’autre que l’autre
Une chanson cherokee
Mon body se meurt
Les 4 raisons
L’eau qui dort
Le miroir aux alouettes
Quel dommage
Triste carnaval
L’homme sûr
Matière première
Parlons du temps
Chaque jour que le soleil fait
Le Pleureur sous la Pluie
Les courants ascendants
L’Instant
Au bord du précipice
9 Hands Around the Marimba
MUSICIANS
Dominique Leonetti: Lead Vocals, Guitars
Arnaud Beyney – Guitars, Bass, Vocals
Claude Leonetti – Léode, Vocals
Romain Thorel – Keyboards, French Horn, Drums, Vocals
Vincent Barnavol – Drums, Percussion, Marimba, Vocals
LINKS
Lazuli – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram
