Boys du Sévère at Ultimatum Festival 1985-05-03

Performs piece, vocalists speak rhythmically [French] atop electronic music.

The Montreal band Boys du Sévère consisted of singer and composer Jean-Luc Bonspiel, singer Josée Thibeault, with Jean-Martin Mignault on electronic drums. They were the musical part of Boris Wanowitch and the band members’ production Misère Plus.

Boris sat at an inquisitorial desk with Jean-Luc Bonspiel, each taking turns reading from text being printed randomly live on a scritchy dot-matrix printer, using my computer cut-ups program. This was the most cutting-edge literary event of the festival, technically speaking.

Boris then sat in a chair reading a newspaper while Josée gave him a haircut, with the loud buzzing electric clipper amplified by contact mics.

Continues piece [no musical underscore].

Room noise.

Bien.

Room noise.

Applause.

Tambourine, cowbell, and highhat hits.

Applause continues.

Silence [possible tape change].

Synthesizer.

Silence.

Man speaking [French].

Skips on a loop.

Room noise, chatter.

Resumes.

Room noise, chatter.

Resumes.

Room noise.

Resumes then skips on a loop.

Speaks [unintelligable].

Audio loop resumes.

Room noise.

Resumes.

Room noise.

Performs piece, vocalist speaks [French].

Resumes then skips on a loop.

Room noise, chatter.

Audio loop resumes.

Speaks [unintelligable].

Resumes then skips on a loop.

Speaks [unintelligable].

Resumes then skips on a loop.

Shouts.

Room noise.

Resumes then skips on a loop.

Room noise, chatter.

Resumes then skips on a loop.

Room noise.

Audio loop resumes.

Room noise.

Resumes then skips on a loop.

Boris and singer Josée Thibeault were wearing shiny black Spanish Guardia Civil hats.

Room noise, chatter.

Resumes.

Room noise.

Audio loop resumes.

Speaks [unintelligable].

Audio loop resumes.

Continues piece, vocalist speaks [French] over audio loop.

Whooping, soft clap, whistle [over top of recorded audio].

Audio loop continues.

Continues piece, vocalist speaks [French].

Soft laughter.

Continues piece, vocalist speaks [French].

Resumes then skips on a loop.

Continues piece, vocalist speaks [French] over top of audio loop.

Audio loop continues with microphone feedback.

Room noise.

Audio loop resumes.

Room noise.

Audio loop resumes.

Distant voice overlaps with audio loop.

Audio loop continues.

Continues piece, vocalist speaks [French] over recorded audio loop.

Power down sound.

Room noise.

Okay now, Jesus. Jesus.

Ouais!

Coughs.

Cheering and exclamations [unintelligable].

Their sacrilegious song “Jésus” was included on the festival’s documentary LP.

Speaks [unintelligable].

Room noise.

Carnivalesque electronic music [synth, horns].

Performs “JESUS”, vocalists sing [French] in sync atop music.

Carnivalesque electronic music continues [electronic keyboard solo, guira, tambourine].

Continues piece, vocals resume atop music.

Festival participants Jean-Luc Bonspiel, Jean-Martin Mignault, Jack V and I later formed Montreal’s seminal agitrock band Vent du Mont Schärr (1986 – 1990).

Carnivalesque electronic music continues.

Room noise.

Applause.

Room noise.

Rising and falling electronic beat [synthesizer, clapping].

Performs piece, vocalists speak rhythmically atop music.

Rising and falling electronic beat continues [no vocals].

Echo sound effect.

Applause.

Room noise.

Drum hit.

Synthesizer and keyboard.

Room noise.

Applause.

Le demi pouce, le demi pouce. Ou est le demi pouce ?

Giggles.

Room noise.

Silence [possible tape change].

Performs piece, vocalist sings [French] over electronic music.

Microphone feedback, vocals and music continue.

Continues piece.

Applause.

Electronic beat [electronic drums, synthesizer, electronic keyboard].

Performs piece, vocalist speaks rhythmically [Spanish] atop electronic beat.

Electronic beat continues.

Continues piece, vocalist resumes rhythmic speech.

Electronic beat continues.

Continues piece, vocalists speak and shout rhythmically [Spanish] atop music, echo effects.

Applause, coughing.

Hey, Alan Lord. Hey, come on. [Echoing].

Let’s improvise something.

You have to play the guitar now.

Room noise.

Clapping.

His name is Alan Lord. He’s a friend.

This is Alan Lord.

Two vocalists speak [Spanish extra-poetic speech].

Shouts [Spanish].

Laughter.

Room noise.

Bon ben.

Voices speaking [unintelligible], echo.

Room noise.

Du drum s’il vous plait.

Room noise.

Drum beat.

Glasses clinking, drumbeat continues.

Unintelligible speech, drum beat continues.

I joined them on guitar to play the jazz chords of our old Electro-Luxe song “The Wrong Way”, this time featuring Josée’s honeydripping voice.

Alright [echoes], unintelligible speech continues [echoes].

Room noise.

This is all brand new.

Room noise.

Do you wanna do it?

And that’s great.

Drum beat.

Room noise.

Technologie retrogade [cowbell], mais euh [voice effect], on voit que encore malgre tout, avec tout le signal analogue comme ca que [echo effect] l’on possede et que l’on manipule, il y a encore des gens mal pris que nous [echo effect]. Ah ouais. Jouer pas avec mes ners la parce que je’n peux plus la, je’n suis plus capable la, je vais craquer la. Okay. [Distorted echo effect, overlaps with audience laughter].

Room noise.

Euh, tu veux te rire de moi, toi ?

Soundboard sounds.

Mais c’est bien cette machine la, j’en veux une.

Room noise, chatter.

El maestro.

Electronic beat.

Echo, echo.

Electronic beat continues.

Electronic beat continues overlaid with electric guitar.

Performs piece, vocalist sings atop electronic beat [English].

All of us present on stage were once Neoists - a wacky Montreal gang of exquisite troublemakers

Guitar gets louder then recedes, vocalist continues.

Continues piece.

Continues piece, second vocalist joins.

Electronic beat continues

Continues piece, vocalists resume singing.

Electronic beat continues [vocalists stop].

Continues piece, vocalists resume singing.

Applause [overlaps with electronic beat].

Cuts out, silence.

[End of Setting and Tech: Recording].