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Translation
Shivering and Harrowing
Cult artist Peter Hammill gave a clinic last night at the salle
Octave-Crémazie, to all the young who claim to make alternative music.
Returning to the Old Capital, after 10 years of absence, this Brit who is
now 50 years of age, took his audience on a journey through a musical
bedlam.
What surprised everyone, was Hammill's voice. His vocal chords are as strong
as when he fronted the legendary Van der Graaf Generator almost 30 years
ago. The guitarist-pianist is still capable of easily passing from soft
tonalities to the extremely violent. Makes us ask where does he get all
these voices.
Peter Hammill is faithful. He never sold out, like many from the progressive
days, to musical mercantilism. It's this integrity, that makes his public
faithful, ready to follow him on any road, as rocky as it may be. He
continues to explore and push his art forward.
Shivering and Harrowing
The public reserved a warm ovation for his arrival on stage, tequila glass
in hand. Accompanied by violinist Stuart Gordon, Hammill played guitar, sang
and hammered the piano with passion. We can find in his material, lots of
drama, craziness and emotion. Music that is shivering and harrowing.
Gordon on violin brings a different musical dimension which is very
interesting. This instrument which is always present in Hammill's musical
landscape, has now been rediscovered by younger more 'underground' groups.
Hammill presented lesser known songs that weren't necessarily accessible.
He put an end to the 2 hour concert with a theatrical finale, without the
microphone, screaming 'A Stranger, A Lonely Man.' The bonus was the encore,
a very taking Still Life by Van der Graaf Generator. A big concert from an
unclassifiable artist, who continues, to our pleasure, to do it his own way.
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