It’s not everyday a Dordogne based Anglo-French band records a live album in a local auditorium, but Lazarus Heights are nothing if not adventurous.

They are also resilient and versatile, related facets which serve them well in a seated venue with plush cinema seats, an excellent stage and good sight lines, but slightly blighted by poorly placed lights and a wilful smoke machine which sometimes renders the band as looming shadows.

No matter, they and their enthusiastic crowd make light of the situation, on an evening when the focus is on successfully recording a live album, while a video team trawls the stage for useful shots in the “fog”.

The band hit the stage with purpose on the thunderous opening chords of ‘Papillon’ the title track of their current album.

But while ‘Papillon’ is their debut album, they have also released a 7 track ‘Strangers’ EP (for sale in the foyer), meaning they have an extensive catalogue of songs to choose from.

And it is the song ‘Strangers’ that provides a chronological uplifting prequel to the excellence of the new ‘Papillon’ material.

Front man Dick Grisdale clearly enjoys the bigger stage, which gave him room to angle his guitar when sustaining a note and making shapes when hitting one of several booming choruses.

Bass player Simon Pearson also occasionally cuts an equally pivotal figure, when surging to the front of the stage to extend an arm or cup his ear in the direction of those now dancing at the front of the stage.

You get the feeling he knows they are there, even if he can’t see them.

And while Jeff Gautier provides the bluster, phrasing and textures to shape the band’s sound and keep it interesting, it is keyboard player Paul Mouradian’s mix of short angular synth solos, motifs and attentive bv’s that catch the crowd’s attention.

This is particularly so on the flighty ‘Fall For You’, on which Gautier’s lightness of touch and Grisdale’s clarity of diction are topped and tailed by Mouradian’s delightful riff.

And as the final note of his keyboard gently descends and decays there’s a palpable moment of tension before the crowd ruptures the attentive silence with thunderous applause.

The Mouradian and Gautier combination is equally impressive on the ‘Waterfall’, a song full of muscular chords and a propulsive feel which effectively mirrors the lyrical imagery.

Mouradian’s breezy synth solo and subsequent melodic coda rounds off a well structured song.

Lazarus Heights is very much the sum of its parts, as evidenced by their self titled complex anthem, which moves from a Spaghetti Western filmic intro with a cricket reference, to a sweeping chorus, a proggy Gilmour style guitar solo and a final whistled outro.

It provides the perfect snapshot of a confident combo who clearly relish the prospect of nailing a live album.

There’s still time for a couple more Grisdale penned big hitter such as the bombastic ‘Dry Martini’, full of keyboard and guitar double lines, a rumbling bass, cinematic lyrics and another booming chorus.

There’s also the heavy duty riff driven ‘The Pleasure’ on which Grisdale conjures up some impressive Eastern sounding tones.

Two French related tunes obviously connect with the crowd, with much punching of the air on Jacques Brel’s Tango ‘Next’, as re-imagined all those years ago by Alex Harvey.

The band also reach for another sonic level on Alain Bashung’s dynamic ‘Fantasie Militaire’, with a slow building portentous opening with Grisdale singing in French.

An explosive stop-time resolution ushers in a wall of sound with Grisdale’s frenzied and sinewy toned guitar attack which again intuits with lyrical anger.

And with the job of nailing the live album complete, the band throw in several crowd pleasers like The Doors ’LA Woman’, a Bowie sing-along on ‘China Girl’ and even some punk injected rock and roll on Iggy’s ‘Lust For Life’.

Cue Zeppelin’s ‘Rock & Roll’ on which Gautier excels in his role as John Bonham, before a sweeping finale with Cristophe’s ‘Les Mots Bleus, which brings the room to its feet.

A final bow at the front of the stage and they are gone, just like a ‘Papillon’.

Review by Pete Feenstra
Photos by Martin Koene

Album review (Papillon, 2024) 

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Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 24 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 26 November 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)

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