With:	Didier Delsaux [Vocals] and Bruno Ramos [Guitars]
Conducted by:	wrathchild
Published:	29.09.2005
Band profile:	Manigance

We're in the catering room with Bruno, guitarist, waiting for Didier, singer. We're talking about the previous Manigance shows that Jeff and I have seen so far when Didier arrives. The interview can begin:


wrathchild: Ok, so, the next album is coming soon but we haven't heard much information yet, how it is going so far?

Bruno: Very well, we're on time and the album is scheduled for the end of the year.

wrathchild: You have an exact timing to respect?

Bruno: We first wanted to release it in October but we postponed it cause of touring matters.

Didier: We must say that there are some previews that have been released in Japan. The album is going to be released simultaneously in Japan and in France, and the Japanese are very intransigent on dates. So, it was normally scheduled for October but we postponed it to February 2006. But before that, according to the latest news from Olivier Garnier (Replica Records), we should be featured on a compilation, one song from the album should be on a Replica compilation by November.

Jeff: So you're still with Replica?

Didier: Yeah, still. So you see the album is currently a demo and we recorded the drums, all the rest remains to be done.

Jeff: Do you have the name?

Didier & Bruno: No, not yet.

Didier: We have several ideas but...

wrathchild: Ah, we won't have the exclusivity!

Didier: Ah, no unfortunately, we don't have it ourselves so you see we cannot give it to you. We have several ideas but haven't decided yet.

Jeff: Yes, of course.

wrathchild: "D'un Autre Sang" was a bit heavier, darker with perhaps a more serious touch than "Ange Ou Démon". Will you follow the same way for the upcoming album?

Didier: It's changing a bit, once again. Maybe it's a bit less dark while remaining in the vein of, how to say, which adjective... more or less "protesting". That's true I generally whip the human being quite easily.

wrathchild: With themes that are closer to the people.

Didier: Yes, that's it. This album is still going to be "resolutely human" while a phenomenal rain is falling on Raismes (laughs). And so I think it will still have the same resolutely human themes but maybe a bit more progressive than "D'un Autre Sang" and more in your face than "Ange Ou Démon", you see a mix of the two previous albums. I think we've found ourselves round there.

wrathchild: Apart from that, on both "Ange Ou Démon" and "D'un Autre Sang", there are eleven original songs of which one is a ballad. Will it still be the same scheme for the third album?

Bruno: We're not far from that, I think.

Didier: Yeah there are eleven tracks in total with a ballad which is unfortunately not composed yet but will be soon, and one instrumental track, something new.

wrathchild: There was already a short instrumental.

Bruno: Yes, the short intro.

Didier: Here it's a complete track made for the instruments, so a four to five minute track. An instrumental that we'll probably play on stage.

wrathchild: That's true that your instrumental passages sound very good.

Didier: And it helps the singer, he can relax a bit.

wrathchild: The crowd helps you quite a lot.

Didier: True, but I still try to sing my own songs as much as possible (laughs).

wrathchild: In the previous interview, an email which you (Didier) answered...

Jeff: Yeah I was the one to send a questionnaire to you via email.

Didier: Ah ok, so now I can put a face on it.

wrathchild: You told us the distribution of "D'un Autre Sang" would also take place in Canada and some Northern Europe countries. Do you have any results?

Didier: Ah, well, we have none (laughs).

Bruno: We haven't got the results so far.

Didier: I have heard that some people were talking about us. But we have nothing about the sales.

Bruno: There's always a delay.

wrathchild: Would touring Quebec be possible?

Didier: Well, I think the priority is Japan.






Jeff: Did you go to Japan?

Didier: No we never went to Japan. Avalon seems ready to promote a five to six date tour, going to Tokyo, Osaka, etc.

Jeff: You have a very good audience there.

Didier: We're selling a lot of albums.

Bruno: And now there are three albums sold there so it's time to go and play.

Jeff: Do you know why? Is it because you're singing in French?

Didier: Yeah that's the exotic side, you see.

wrathchild: Did you actually received interview requests from Japanese media?

Didier & Bruno: Yeah we did some.

wrathchild: How do they perceive the fact the lyrics are in French?

Didier: They love it.

wrathchild: But do they understand them?

Didier: Well you see, there's a translation along with the albums. There's a booklet in Japanese which tells about the history of the band, in Japanese with some words in French and in English, and then you also have all the songs translated into Japanese.

wrathchild: Did you try to sing them?

Didier: Yeah, if you want, I can sing one right now (laughs).

wrathchild: Ah well, no, during the concert!

Didier: After another beer (laughs).

wrathchild: Ok so, about the distribution of the next album, will there be more countries involved or will you keep aiming at the same countries as before?

Bruno: Err, well we're trying to get a new contact for Germany, and Replica is currently working on it.

wrathchild: Today we're close to Belgium. Do you have someone in charge of Belgium?

Bruno: Just for Belgium, no, but I think Replica is trying...

Didier: They're in contact with small distribution companies but no big label or other stuff that could be really interesting for us to export our music.

Bruno: Also, we have some feedback from Chili, the USA.

Didier: Our albums are being sold in the USA, in Chili, in dribs and drabs. In Russia, Ukraine, etc. But I tell you, the real market for us is France and Japan.

wrathchild: You're coming from South of France, and that's cool cause we do too (laughs, and some geographical discussions).

wrathchild: So, Southern France, near Spain. That's quite the opposite in Spain: Here in France, a band will try to start by singing in English in general, whereas in Spain that would be the opposite and they need to be really sure of what they do before they try to sing in English. Bands like Avalanch tried to release an English version of their albums without having a real success. What does France lack to produce French singing bands, I mean, especially for beginners?

Didier: Yeah I don't know, there aren't many bands I know that take on to sing in French. That's the problem.

wrathchild: What is the most bothering thing in composing in French? Do you have any difficulties because it's in French?

Didier: I personally have none, cause I have my habits and my own way to compose.

Jeff: A style.

Didier: Yes that's it.

wrathchild: I was thinking that, like all the bands, we're used to listen to are singing in English, we already have the formula in mind.

Didier: But perhaps people think it will be easier to get contacts with a demo sung in English. I kinda lead a campaign for the French language and there are young bands on the start in our area that are singing in English so I try to convince them - as they're more or less friends - to make an attempt at composing one or two songs in French to see how it may sound. I can even give a hand if needed, you know, just to make it sound better.

Bruno: That's true that when you're singing in French, people are more critical of the topic and the lyrics.

Didier: That's the challenge.

Jeff: And some people don't understand English.

Didier: Yeah.






wrathchild: I had seen a TV show with Daniel Balavoine (French rock star, RIP) who said that the fact he was singing with a high voice was a problem for the French audience while they had no problem listening to David Bowie's high voice. And also, people were criticizing his French lyrics for lacking cohesion, and to that he replied "do they even understand the English songs they listen to?"

Bruno: Most of them listen to the melody only.

Didier: Generally, the themes used in English are less complicated, thoughtless.

wrathchild: "Oh, an eagle in the sky!"

Didier: I think that there's a challenge to take, there are bands that could make the effort of writing in French and to have a good production in France, and that signatures are possible, sincerely. The proof is we got signed because we were singing in French.

wrathchild: And that works, as you're the second headliner today at the festival (Raismesfest).

Didier: Yes, that's a good progress, we could benefit from some advantages we wouldn't have had if we had chosen to sing in English in my opinion. We would have surely been unnoticed among the many bands that sing in English. And maybe we wouldn't have had this contract in Japan and that's a must have for us.

wrathchild: You can't live off the French scene.

Didier: We don't live off our music.

wrathchild: Yeah, I remember that a journalist asked you about producing other bands in your own studio and you said you didn't have time for that.

Jeff: Yeah that was me asking.

wrathchild: Oh, damn, I didn't read the interview well enough...

Didier: I asked you whether or not you were interested in producing other bands.

Didier: We're currently very busy with Manigance, so we don't have time for other bands, we've got loads of work to do.

wrathchild: The latest news we received from Manigance was the opening concert for Scorpions at the Olympia (a prestigious French venue in Paris). So, how does it feel to open for Scorpions and to play at the Olympia?

Bruno: It feels good (laughs). Especially when you're playing in front of the Olympia sold out, of course thanks to Scorpions. It's very pleasant, that's awesome to play there and for Scorpions.

Didier: That's an important step for a band to be able to play at the Olympia so when we were offered to be the opening act we couldn't refuse. That's true that the Olympia is a mythical venue that we ought to go to once in a lifetime.

Jeff: How was the response from the audience?

Bruno: Oh yeah, I think it went quite good.

Didier: You know I think that Scorpions is for a slightly different audience than the usual metal public. There's the metal audience but also many people that got used to their ballads and who don't look metal, who don't even listen to metal. We have the advantage of offering something in French, that sure sounds metal but with touches that can go to pop from time to time, at least that's what some people told me. So I think that we approached many people, people that got interested in Manigance and that didn't know us before, they just knew Scorpions so opening for them gave us the opportunity to reach an audience that we would never have reached with the traditional metal promotion in France. Yeah, it has brought us a lot.

wrathchild: And so, now, what does it feel like to play at Raismesfest?

Didier: It feels like raining!

Bruno: As if we had unloaded everything just to do the sound check... (laughs)

Didier: We hope we'll be able to play (fortunately they did!). That's a great pleasure to be on stage again cause we haven't performed since the gig with Scorpions.
We're in a composition stage so we usually compose a lot and then we tour but that was quite some time since we could enjoy meeting our public. So that's a good opportunity to meet some people and that's a good thing for us. We traveled a thousand kilometers smiling!

wrathchild: Cause here you're far from those concerts in the South.

Didier: We're far from home, that's for sure.

Bruno: All those miles for just one concert, but that's pleasant.

wrathchild: Which are the bands playing here that you enjoy the most?

Bruno: There are many.

Didier: There's Symphorce, we're good friends with Cede Dupont.

wrathchild: Thanks to the tour with Freedom Call.

Didier: Yes, true, that's a pleasure to see him again. And then there's Nightmare, with whom we get along very well and we actually set up a surprise tonight with them.

Bruno: We often met them, as often as Symphorce.

Didier: Other that those, we don't really know Sonata Arctica. We'll see how things will go but we're confident on the atmosphere here at the festival, cause there are many friendly faces!






wrathchild: As Jeff and I are fans, we can hardly figure that a member of the audience or of a media would bash the band. Has it already happened?

Didier: Yes, of course.

wrathchild: About what?

Didier: About "Ange Ou Démon", I know that there's a journalist who works for a big French magazine...

Jeff: Yes, I saw that.

Didier: He really disliked the sound, found the solos to be poor and the vocals out of place, the reverb set too high...

wrathchild: But nothing about the fact that you had chosen to sing in French?

Didier: No, I don't think that was because of that.

Bruno: I think that the problem is that the fact of listening to songs in French reminded them of the eighties. In the eighties, there were many bands that sang in French.

Didier: Maybe they're pissed of that a French band tries to tour and to do well cause that could keep them away from the big bands that sing in English. Perhaps we're disturbing, perhaps that some people don't want that French metal be put forward.

Bruno: You can't be liked by everyone.

wrathchild: What do you think of the Internet as a promotion tool?

Bruno: Obviously, it's important.

Didier: There are lots of people connected wandering through the Web.

wrathchild: Compared to the written media, the press, we often get the impression - belonging to a Webzine - that even though we have more visits than magazines have issues, we will never be taken seriously till what we do is not engraved on paper.

Didier: I had never asked myself this question so far, but that's true, maybe.

Bruno: Especially regarding credibility.

wrathchild: The problem is that there are many young and small bands that try to develop themselves thanks to the Internet, cause it's simple a cheap. But websites suffer from a lack of consideration.

Didier: I think we have to wait till people's attitude changes.

wrathchild: Do you receive many interview requests via emails, compared to phone calls, etc.?

Didier: Yes, that's fifty - fifty.

wrathchild: Which are you enjoying the most?

Didier: That's different. By phone, it's generally for radios, so it's a bit like being thrown in the arena. Email, that gives you some time to think and come up with better answers, that's pleasant.

Jeff: Many bands actually prefer phoners.

Didier: Yeah, but that doesn't bother me, I like writing so there's no problem. I usually reply to most people that leave comments, that doesn't bother me.

wrathchild: Well, I'm running out of questions, maybe Jeff has some more?

Jeff: No, that's ok.

wrathchild: Regarding a tour, as the album is postponed will you have a pre-tour or will the concerts be only after the release date?

Bruno: I think that all is gonna begin by May. That's also possible that we do a few gigs.

Didier: The priority is set on finishing the album, then on the release in February.

Bruno: So after all the promotion is done.

Didier: There will probably be some gigs in Spring too.






Jeff: Have you planned some concerts out of France or things like that?

Didier: We don't know yet, we're talking about this, about European tours, French tours, we'll see.

Jeff: Have you played in Germany?

Didier: No, we haven't. Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium but not Germany...

Jeff: How was it to play in the Netherlands?

Didier: Oh there weren't a lot of people, that was cool but it was mostly an opportunity to play abroad.

Bruno: They didn't really know us but that was cool.

Didier: The weird thing is that we've done an excellent concert. With no pressure on us.

wrathchild: And regarding Summer festivals? Which one would you like to play for, Graspop in Belgium maybe?

Bruno: We'd like to play at Wacken (laughs).

Didier: But we'll see with the offers we'll have, we have someone looking for gigs.

Bruno: We will try to tour as much as possible next year. As we alternate touring and composing, we haven't toured a lot this year.

wrathchild: Ok, so, do you have something to say to our readers?

Jeff: Feel free to address a message to people outside of France, as we've got a lot more visits from other countries than France.

Didier: Go for it in English, Bruno! (laughs)

Bruno: Ah well, we hope we'll meet them, in a festival, on stage.

Didier: You said what was the easiest to say (laughs). We will record this new album that will be released next year and we hope it's gonna be as successful as the others, or even more, so that we have more opportunities. And we salute them: "Hey everybody!"

Bruno: And we hope we will surprise you with what you're expecting.

wrathchild: Ahah, I'll have to meditate on that! (laughs)

Thanks to Bruno, Didier, Florent, François, Daniel and Marc from Manigance, to Roger Wessier from Replica Records and to all the people at Raismesfest!