Monsieur Pantin at Chester Folk Festival - 30th May 2005

Mr Pantin in full swing
Tucked away in the corner of Kelsall's Social Club on the last night of a 4 day festival, by which time many people had gone home, was the livliest little band I'd seen all weekend. Three men sat on chairs, with the middle chair apparantly surrounded on 3 sides by a pile of cushions and recorders: Paul Martin, left and his Mandocello, Steve Cobham, right on Acoustic Guitar and Jean-Pierre Rasle, centre woodwind, bagpipes and vocals.

While the 2 strings players were clearly enjoying themselves, Mr Rasle was having a whale of a time - he switched instruments often - though not effortlessly, there seemed to be several occasions when the bagpipes were due on but weren't quite fully inflated - and he sang his heart out (in French), often piping with both his legs bouncing up and down, managing almost all of the time to miss the microphone with the drones. This was exciting stuff, Gaellic sounding tunes with energetic backing from the strings, the instrumentals becoming almost folk-trance at times.

The songs were perhaps slightly less pleasing, maybe because being in French I couldn't follow the lyrics, despite having had the story explained in advance, but Jean-Pierre has a fine and distinctive voice and he sings with the same passion as that with which he plays.

I was pleased that the little tingle that had struck me when I read the advance information about this band proved to be a portend of good things to come, and the CD which I purchased right after the performance is nonetheless exciting either.