Thursday 7 November 2024, 7.30pm

Photo by Antoine Cognet

La Tène + Bradford Bailey (DJ)

£16 £14 Advance £8 MEMBERS

La Tène’s long, hypnotic, wordless pieces are built from traditional instrumentation, wild percussion and blurred, subtle electronic embellishments, and feel as ancient and earthy as those millennia-old artefacts – with all the metal, wood, dedication and craftsmanship they entailed.

As on their previous release ‘Abandonnée / Maleja’, a double set running to over 80 minutes, Cyril Bondi, Alexis Degrenier and Laurent Peter expand to seven members in total. Cohorts Jacques Puech (cabrette – a small bagpipe associated with the Auvergne region of France), Louis Jacques (cabrette and a larger, 23” bagpipe), Guilhem Lacroux (12-string guitar) and Jérémie Sauvage (bass) each return to add colour, layers and intrigue.

Inspirations, soundalikes and kindred spirits are elusive and fleeting in the case of La Tène. There are a couple specific to Ecorcha/Taillée, both brought to the table by Alexis : a Christian song titled La Passion, collected in 1883 by French folklorist Félix Arnaudin, and a reggaeton hit single from 2022, Saoko by Spanish star Rosalía. La Taillée adapts its crunchy central riff in La Tène’s own image. It’s that link between the past and the future that also rings out in the music of La Tène.

Line-up:
- Cyril Bondi : drums, percussions
- Laurent Peter / D’incise : indian harmonium, electronics
- Guilhem Lacroux : guitar
- Jérémie Sauvage : bass
- Louis Jacques : cabrette, bagpipes
- Jacques Puech : cabrette
- Étienne Foyer : sound technician

Please note that band member Alexis Degrenier will not be performing on this tour.

With support from Pro Helvetia

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Bradford Bailey

Bradford Bailey (US / UK) is a writer currently based in London. His work - published extensively in the form of articles, essays, and liner notes - is dedicated to ideas surrounding sound and music, offering particular focus to the exploration of pathways toward mutual aid, shared and cross-cultural understanding, collectivism, and community. He is also the writer of The Hum, a blog dedicated to supporting historic and contemporary music which exists beyond the realms of mainstream interest.