Over to Vauréal France tonight for a concert by Salut l’Orage (Hello Storm in English), recorded June 30 (yesterday) at the Forum in Vauréal, France.
A guitar-drums duo from St. Etienne France, Salut l’Orage have been gathering an audience the past couple of years (nothing in the States yet, but that may take a while, under the current conditions).
The French website Le Fil had this to say about them last year:
Salut l’orage delivers a new and transcendent rock sound, driven by modern writing with an almost urban flow. Live, the duo’s mastery and presence are impressive. The saturated guitars navigate between three amps and join chiseled drums for a powerful sound.
The lyrics, alternately spoken, sung, and shouted, propel us into the heart of a whirlwind where darkness and light, measured and extreme, reason and madness mingle. With effective pieces and devastating energy, the two musicians succeed in uniting beyond the rock audience. A journey populated by monsters, dissonances, and polarized emotions. A pulse of life, and a common thread: staying the course in the storm.
And this from Le Progres published early last month:
The duo Salut l’Orage is not idle.
After From the base to the summit (in April 2024) where he evoked his Saint-Etienne roots (“Two slag heaps for heritage/We want to resurrect SE” with a film shot on the Puits Couriot site), M’en aller (in June 2024), Tout va bien (in November 2024) and De la Sueur et des Larmes (last February), Lucas Pourrat and Maxime Chorel have just released a fifth single.
“We recorded it partly at Pax (in Saint-Étienne) and the other part at home before working on it with Bruno Preynat, from Studio E (Écotay-l’Olme).”
“The common thread of our songs is the ambivalence between light and shadow.”
Available on platforms since Friday, Rien de neuf further asserts Salut l’Orage’s style, which likes to bring together hope and dark ideas in a pop-rock atmosphere.
“We worship and we hate/We unite and we undo. The dominant dominates/The dominated mimics him/The taste for power is universal/Difference frightens/Fear makes us bad, it’s true/Motivated by our impulses/We will find a reason/To justify our worst misdeeds,” the title begins. “In our project, we talk a lot about how to build yourself as a young adult in today’s world,” explains Lucas Pourrat. “The common thread of our songs is the ambivalence between light and shadow while trying to stay the course.”
Formed in December 2023, the duo already boasts 50 performances and is preparing a series of concerts in June-July, with several dates in the area: Marcenod en fête Festival (June 7), M’art in the street Festival in Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise (Rhône) (June 14), the Chalmafest Festival in Savigneux (June 28), the Abrazik festival in Montbrison (July 5)… On June 21, Salut l’Orage will perform as part of the Fête de la musique on Place Jean-Jaurès in Saint-Étienne: “On this occasion, we will offer t-shirts in the colors of the region: green and white.”
On September 26, the public will be able to find Lucas Pourrat and Maxime Chorel on the stage of the Roger-Planchon hall, in Saint-Chamond, for a set with Baptiste Dupré to open the cultural season.
So there you have it – Press play and dive in – you don’t have to know the language to feel the vibe.
