Written by:	Jeff
Published:	April 23, 2008
Event:	Freak Kitchen
Location:	Elysée Montmarte, Paris, France
Galleries:	Freak Kitchen, Paris, France by Jeff (11)

Freaky Freaky Freaky !!!!

Damn I was awaiting this moment for a lot of time, a show of my favourite Swedish (and silly?) guys Freak Kitchen? But we are lucky in Paris, you can expect to see all the bands that you want on their tour and if you have a bit of patience, you have some luck one day?. It was the case this evening: Yann Armellino, Patrick Rondat and, of course, Freak Kitchen!!!

It's Tuesday, after more than one hour in the traffic jam (hoo my god you can't understand how it's hard to drive in Paris?), a little car crash in a traffic light :s, I finally find a place in the street to park? Damn it was like hell, and you can understand that with all the risks to miss the beginning of the show arggg what a pressure? yeah really it was a bit hard

Elysee Montmarte is located in the centre of Paris, near Pigalle, when you raise you head in front of the venue, you can see Montmartre and the Sacré Coeur, you really can see such concerts rooms in Paris only, it rocks. If you don't know Paris, you must know that Elysee Montmarte is one of the most famous venues of the city. In general all the Metal bands play here (or played here), and of course French Metalheads know it?


Do you want guitars??? (You'll have some?)

At 19 pm, the show begins with Yann Armellino (damn and damn because of this fuc? traffic jam all Freak Kitchen T-Shirts are already sold out, I must be cursed?). Yann is a very talented young French guitarist, the concept of his show is simple, Yann doesn't have a real band, so he only uses a drum machine and some recordings for the chorus, and plays over it with his Ibanez guitar. In fact it's more a guitarist performance than anything else, but it's catchy. We have some personal songs from him, but also some covers of blues and rock "n" roll bands. A good show, Yann seems to be very cool, he talks a lot to the audience and when we see all his solos, we have the proof that he is a really good guitarist. Well it's promising for the future of this young guy, and I hope that I could see him one day with a "real" band.





After 30 mins of show, a little break of only 5 mins, Partick Rondat and his bandmates come on the stage. Patrick is a very well known guitarist in France, he plays Metal since the 80s and yeah I can say that he is like our national "Joe Satriani". No lyrics in his songs, only some great melodies and of course tons of solos by the master. This time, this is different than with Yann, we have a real band on stage. Rondat and his guys played 1 hour 15 mins, with some old songs like Amphibia or new ones like Donkey's Island and at the end for the "encore" a cover of Vivaldi (it's an habit with Rondat) with a solo of the Spring and Summer (incredible). With all that, you can add a great acoustic session, and also an amazing 10 min bass solo by Mr Patrick Guers, one of the best bassist in France. It was a really good show, I was afraid that this kind of bands could bore me, but in fact it was ok? I'm not sure that I could listen to this kind of music during 3 hours in a gig? but at the end it was really cool? A good moment really?


Time for the Cow!!! (Mowwwwwww %$@&???)





21:30 Pm, the entire venue is waiting for them. It's totally black in the room, when we hear a sound? A big (and crazy) "Mowwwww" which sounds like a foghorn. Yeah the big yellow cow is living? After some of these "strange" sounds, the band comes on stage with two songs of the last solo album of Mattias (Freak Guitars: The road Less Traveled) "Print This" and "Minor Swing", two really silly and funny songs ["Minor Swing" is a cover of a song of Django Reinhardt]. And the show begins on "Blind" a very good old song from their first album. For the ones who don't know Mattias, I must explain that this guy is extremely funny, and that's also the case of Bjorn [Drums] and Chris [Bass], they are totally crazy on stage.




After only two songs Mattias starts his show. The main theme of the evening will be "Jaws" the movie. In French, the title of "Jaws" is "les dents de la mer" (read: "The teeth of the Sea") and Mattias explains to the entire crowd that he is thinking about a new version which could be (he says all that in French) "les dents de la crevette" or "les dents de la croissant" (the teeth of the shrimp or the teeth of the "croissant")? Apparently he really likes these two French words We are all totally stupefied, what does he want Well in fact Mattias will explain to us that when he will say "les dents de la crevette" or "les dents de la croissant" we will have to say his favourite words "Goodie Goodie !!!"? that's totally stupid but damn funny and it works !!! Mattias will say a lot of time the two magical sentences and all the time the crowds will answer to him? Excellent?.





But let's go back to the music, the band will play a lot of songs of all their albums plus some of the solo album of Mattias. You can read the set list here:

Intro ("Mowwwwww" + samples de Print This + Minor Swing)
Blind
Silence
Nobody's Laughing
Speak When Spoken To
My New Haircut
Taste My Fist (+ Chopstick Boogie)
7 Days In June
Hateful Little People
Little Bastard
See you in Pittsburgh
Jerk
Razor Flowers
Propaganda Pie
Porno Daddy






With all that we will have a lot of crazy breaks?. Each time Mattias is joking and playing with the crowd. Chris is also very funny, always doing grimaces to the guys or wink to the girls? and the asshole is also spiting a lot of water on the guys in front row? This is perfect really, it's hard to see band with such a friendly attitude and energy?






If you don't know Freak Kitchen, you must know that Mattias is one of the best guitarists of his generation, and each time with Freak Kitchen we have a lot of "toys" used in the gigs. Because yes, Mattias uses to play the guitar with a dildo, sticks or with his mouth or also with the "Cow Box" (an electronic box which makes sounds of laser guns and all this kind of sounds that only toys can do).






This time unfortunately no dildo but a new guitar, the "Apple Horn Snake Tongue" guitar. No strings but only a micro in it that Mattias uses like an Indian Tablas. Mattias asked us to reproduce with our mouth the sound of the guitar? A lot of "bloauablaouabloaa"? it was really funny too? )





I'm a fan, it's hard for me to do any critics, but the night was great, the sound was excellent the guys were perfect, and damn they are all great frontmen.
And if I add at the end that they play with Rondat a silly cover of "La Bamba" and a cover, with Yann in addition, of "Highway To Hell" with Chris on the vocals (who will finnish in the pit after a slam), Patrice on the bass and also the drummer of Rondat. Yeah you understand now, it was a great show of 4 hours?

We want more !!! and Freak Kitchen will be back on the road in February 2005 for the release of their new album, Organic? So don't miss them this time?

Hoo one last thing, "Les dents de la crevette !!!!!!!!! Goodie goodie !!!!! " (Thanks dudes for this great night?)