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Boys du Severe at Ultimatum Festival 1985-05-03
The following is a transcription of Boys du Severe's performance at the Ultimatum Festival I, Friday, May 3rd, 1985 at the Foufounes Electriques bar and performance space in Montreal. The band is made up of Jean-Luc Bonspiel, Jean-Martin Mignault, and Josee Thibeault. Boris Wanowitch joined this specific performance, and they named the collaboration "Misère Plus." Alan Lorde joined the band's performance for the song "The Wrong Way." In Alan Lord’s memoir High Friends in Low Places (2022), Lorde reflects on "Misere Plus": "Boris Wanowitch and Boys du Sévère's production Misere Plus, with Boris and the luscious Josée Thibeault wearing those ridiculous shiny black Spanish Guardia Civil hats, sitting at an inquisitorial desk with Bonspiel, taking turns reading an amazing text being printed randomly live on a scritchy dot-matrix printer, using my cut-ups program...Boris sat in a chair reading a paper while Josée gave him a haircut, with the buzzing electric clipper amplified by mikes..." (129).
Annotations
00:00 - 03:23
Performs piece, vocalists speak rhythmically [French] atop electronic Setting and Tech: Music.
Boys du Severe
03:23 - 03:24
Setting and Tech: Music stops.
Music
03:24 - 03:31
Continues piece.
Boys du Severe
03:31 - 03:32
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
03:32 - 03:33
Bien.
Boys du Severe Member
03:33 - 03:34
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
03:34 - 03:40
Applause.
Audience
03:40 - 03:43
Tambourine, cowbell, and highhat hits.
Music
03:43 - 03:45
Applause continues.
Audience
03:45 - 03:46
Silence [possible tape change].
Recording
03:46 - 03:48
Electronic Setting and Tech: Music [synthesizer].
Music
03:48 - 03:49
Silence.
Recording
03:49 - 03:52
Man speaking [French].
Recorded Sound
03:52 - 03:56
Skips on a loop.
Recorded Sound
03:56 - 04:00
Room noise, chatter.
Foufounes Electriques
04:00 - 04:01
Resumes.
Recorded Sound
04:01 - 04:08
Room noise, chatter.
Foufounes Electriques
04:08 - 04:10
Resumes.
Recorded Sound
04:10 - 04:12
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
04:12 - 04:15
Resumes then skips on a loop.
Recorded Sound
04:15 - 04:17
Speaks [unintelligable].
Boys du Severe Member
04:17 - 04:19
Audio loop resumes.
Recorded Sound
04:19 - 04:20
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
04:20 - 04:24
Resumes.
Recorded Sound
04:24 - 04:26
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
04:26 - 04:30
Performs piece, vocalist speaks [French].
Boys du Severe
04:30 - 04:41
Resumes then skips on a loop.
Recorded Sound
04:41 - 04:49
Room noise, chatter.
Foufounes Electriques
04:49 - 04:51
Audio loop resumes.
Recorded Sound
04:51 - 04:52
Speaks [unintelligable].
Boys du Severe Member
04:52 - 04:59
Resumes then skips on a loop.
Recorded Sound
04:59 - 05:01
Speaks [unintelligable].
Boys du Severe Member
05:01 - 05:04
Resumes then skips on a loop.
Recorded Sound
05:04 - 05:06
Shouts.
Audience
05:06 - 05:08
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
05:08 - 05:16
Resumes then skips on a loop.
Recorded Sound
05:16 - 05:19
Room noise, chatter.
Foufounes Electriques
05:19 - 05:21
Resumes then skips on a loop.
Recorded Sound
05:21 - 05:22
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
05:22 - 05:24
Audio loop resumes.
Recorded Sound
05:24 - 05:27
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
05:27 - 05:37
Resumes then skips on a loop.
Recorded Sound
05:37 - 05:41
Room noise, chatter.
Foufounes Electriques
05:41 - 05:44
Resumes.
Recorded Sound
05:44 - 05:47
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
05:47 - 05:53
Audio loop resumes.
Recorded Sound
05:53 - 05:56
Speaks [unintelligable].
Boys du Severe Member
05:56 - 05:57
Audio loop resumes.
Recorded Sound
05:57 - 05:59
Continues piece, vocalist speaks [French] over audio loop.
Boys du Severe
05:59 - 06:02
Whooping, soft clap, whistle.
Audience
06:02 - 06:06
Audio loop continues.
Recorded Sound
06:06 - 06:08
Continues piece, vocalist speaks [French].
Boys du Severe
06:08 - 06:09
Soft laughter.
Audience
06:09 - 06:11
Continues piece, vocalist speaks [French].
Boys du Severe
06:11 - 06:21
Audio loop resumes.
Recorded Sound
06:21 - 06:25
Continues piece, vocalist speaks [French] over audio loop.
Boys du Severe
06:25 - 06:26
Microphone feedback.
Tech
06:26 - 06:28
Audio loop resumes.
Recorded Sound
06:28 - 06:31
Microphone feedback.
Tech
06:31 - 06:32
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
06:32 - 06:36
Audio loop resumes.
Recorded Sound
06:36 - 06:38
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
06:38 - 06:47
Audio loop resumes.
Recorded Sound
06:47 - 06:48
Distant voice.
Unknown
06:48 - 07:24
Audio loop continues.
Recorded Sound
07:24 - 07:28
Continues piece, vocalist speaks [French] over recorded audio loop.
Boys du Severe
07:28 - 07:29
Power down sound.
Recorded Sound
07:29 - 07:31
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
07:30 - 07:35
Okay now, Jesus. Jesus.
Boys du Severe Member
07:35 - 07:36
Ouais!
Audience Member
07:36 - 07:37
Coughs.
Boys du Severe Member
07:37 - 07:41
Cheering and exclamations [unintelligable].
Audience Member
07:41 - 07:44
Speaks [unintelligable].
Boys du Severe Member
07:44 - 07:49
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
07:49 - 07:58
Carnivalesque electronic Setting and Tech: Music [synth, horns].
Music
07:58 - 08:31
Performs “JESUS”, vocalists sing [French] in sync atop Setting and Tech: Music.
Boys du Severe
08:31 - 09:08
Carnivalesque electronic Setting and Tech: Music continues [electronic keyboard solo, guira, tambourine].
Music
09:08 - 09:44
Continues piece, vocals resume atop Setting and Tech: Music.
Boys du Severe
09:44 - 10:17
Carnivalesque electronic Setting and Tech: Music continues.
Music
10:17 - 10:18
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
10:18 - 10:29
Applause.
Audience
10:29 - 10:51
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
10:51 - 11:22
Rising and falling electronic beat [synthesizer, clapping].
Music
11:22 - 12:49
Performs piece, vocalists speak rhythmically atop Setting and Tech: Music.
Boys du Severe
12:49 - 12:55
Rising and falling electronic beat continues.
Music
12:55 - 12:57
Echo sound effect.
Boys du Severe
12:57 - 13:07
Applause.
Audience
13:07 - 13:17
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
13:17 - 14:59
Electronic Setting and Tech: Music [synthesizer, electronic keyboard].
Music
14:59 - 15:02
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
15:02 - 15:09
Applause.
Audience
15:09 - 15:12
Le demi pouce, le demi pouce. Ou est le demi pouce ?
Boys du Severe Member
15:12 - 15:15
Giggles.
Audience Member
15:15 - 15:17
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
15:17 - 15:20
Silence [possible tape change].
Recording
15:20 - 15:34
Performs piece, vocalist sings [French] over electronic Setting and Tech: Music.
Boys du Severe
15:34 - 15:36
Microphone feedback.
Tech
15:36 - 17:07
Continues piece.
Boys du Severe
17:07 - 17:15
Applause.
Audience
17:15 - 17:31
Electronic beat [electronic drums, synthesizer, electronic keyboard].
Music
17:31 - 17:33
Performs piece, vocalist speaks rhythmically [Spanish]atop electronic beat.
Boys du Severe
17:33 - 17:40
Electronic beat continues.
Music
17:40 - 17:43
Continues piece, vocalist resumes rhythmic speech.
Boys du Severe
17:43 - 17:49
Electronic beat continues.
Music
17:49 - 18:57
Continues piece, vocalists speak and shout rhythmically [Spanish] atop Setting and Tech: Music, echo effects.
Boys du Severe
18:57 - 19:05
Applause, coughing.
Audience
19:05 - 19:11
Hey, Alan Lord. Hey, come on. [Echoing].
Boys du Severe Member
19:08 - 19:10
Let’s improvise something.
Unknown Speaker
19:10 - 19:11
You have to play the guitar now.
Boys du Severe Member
19:11 - 19:12
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
19:12 - 19:15
Clapping.
Audience Member
19:15 - 19:18
His name is Alan Lord. He’s a friend.
Boys du Severe Member
19:18 - 19:20
This is Alan Lord.
Unknown Speaker
19:20 - 19:29
Speaks [Spanish extra-poetic speech].
Boys du Severe Member
19:29 - 19:33
Shouts [Spanish].
Boys du Severe Member
19:33 - 19:36
Laughter.
Audience
19:36 - 19:44
Room noise, chatter.
Foufounes Electriques
19:44 - 19:44
Bon ben.
Boys du Severe Member
19:44 - 19:46
Continues speaking [unintelligible].
Boys du Severe Member
19:46 - 19:51
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
19:51 - 19:53
Du drame s’il vous plait.
Boys du Severe Member
19:53 - 19:55
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
19:55 - 19:58
Drum beat.
Music
19:58 - 20:00
Alright.
Boys du Severe Member
20:00 - 20:05
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
20:05 - 20:07
This is all brand new.
Boys du Severe Member
20:07 - 20:09
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
20:08 - 20:09
Do you wanna do it?
Boys du Severe Member
20:09 - 20:10
And that’s great.
Unknown Speaker
20:10 - 20:11
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
20:11 - 20:13
Drum beat.
Music
20:13 - 20:15
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
20:15 - 20:39
Setting and Tech: 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].
Boys du Severe Member
20:39 - 20:40
Laughter.
Audience
20:40 - 20:43
Euh, tu veux te rire de moi, toi ?
Boys du Severe Member
20:43 - 20:46
Soundboard sounds.
Music
20:46 - 20:50
Mais c’est bien cette machine la, j’en veux une.
Boys du Severe Member
20:50 - 20:55
Room noise, chatter.
Foufounes Electriques
20:55 - 20:57
El maestro.
Boys du Severe Member
20:57 - 21:04
Electronic beat.
Music
21:04 - 21:06
Echo, echo.
Boys du Severe Member
21:06 - 21:13
Electronic beat continues.
Music
21:13 - 21:25
Electronic beat continues overlaid with electric guitar.
Music
21:25 - 21:40
Performs piece, vocalist sings atop electronic beat [English].
Boys du Severe
21:40 - 21:45
Guitar gets louder then recedes.
Music
21:45 - 22:59
Continues piece.
Boys du Severe
21:59 - 22:50
Continues piece, second vocalist joins.
Boys du Severe
22:50 - 22:56
Electronic beat continues,
Music
22:56 - 24:22
Continues piece, vocalists resume singing.
Boys du Severe
24:22 - 24:30
Electronic beat continues].
Music
24:30 - 25:12
Continues piece, vocalists resume singing.
Boys du Severe
25:12 - 25:18
Applause.
Audience
25:18 - 25:21
Cuts out, silence.
Recording
25:21 - 25:21
[End of Setting and Tech: Recording].
END