first review from the fuji rock festival
The Flying Padovani is a secret Police
Henry Padovani knows the music industry. Corsican by birth, the guitarist was the original Andy Summers in The Police before he was replaced by the permanent Andy Summers before the band's first full studio album. He then formed The Flying Padovanis, releasing two albums in the '80s before he took a position with IRS Records.
Now he's reformed The FPs, who just burned up the Gypsy Avalon. GA was decidedly more rocking this evening. Regardless, The FPs blazed through a dirty set of surf rock/rockabilly originals and standards. Every FP title is perfectly suited to the power trio's brand of abuse:
Switch Blade
Black Widow
Ace of Spades
Three for Trouble
Kebabalon
Jack the Ripper
(missed the title)
Murder
The crowd that was at GA was up front dancing away within inches of the band -- Chris Musto who did some of the best drumming I've seen yet and Paul Slack smacking the bass -- who were loving it. FP ended with two covers, "The Theme from Peter Gunn," which segued briefly into "The Theme from James Bond," and "Wipeout".
"Three for Trouble" is also the name of their new album, and of all the acts I've seen so far this year, theirs is the record I'd be most likely to pick up.
They'll be playing tomorrow on the small stage in the World Court food area around 6:30. Check 'em out. Kebabalon, yeah.
Reported by Donald Eubank (2008.07.26 / 22:35)
THE FLYING PADOVANIS IN LONDON NEXT WEEK
if you are in london next week, do not forget to come to either the eel pie club in twickenham on the 25th or at the ace café on the 28th in wembley. in fact, that one, the ace cafe, will be free entrance!!! don't be silly!! make the most of it and see the best rock intrumental band around. the kings, in fact...the best show you ll see this part of june.
BEFORE EMBARKING ON ENGLISH AND JAPONESE DATES, THE FRENCH PUBLIC GET THEIR SHARE!!!
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Vive La difference...!
This is the story of the unpredictable Corsican & the two English punks. It is a love story, a battleground, a triumph and a tragedy. This is the irresistible story of cross channel, punk rock, Entente Cordiale, and the hidden, missing musical link that joins the ragged, ‘70’s punk contenders to the ‘80’s moneyed Rock Royalty. This is the invisible, fragile thread that links The Police, Johnny Thunders, Link Wray, Pete Townsend, The UK Subs, The Stade de France, The Sex Pistols, Manu Katche, Duane Eddy, Joe Strummer, Hyde Park &…. Zucchero….!
This is the story of rock n roll’s first real “world†artists - the boys that passed the baton from punk to beyond, and who are still (against all the odds), standing firm and playing the devil’s music in your local Metropolis supercoolodrome! So welcome to the strange, unspoken world of Henry Padovani - the unpredictable Corsican (& founder of little known power punk trio, The Police), upon the occasion of his return to the spotlight with this high octane, global warming, hot rodded, instrumental, weapon of mass instruction.
With a sound drawn from the premature birth of rock n roll’s deformed firstborn – screaming, cut-throat guitars, a sub-sonic, rumbling, Neanderthal bass and a percussive attack like an avalanche in a Convent, The Padovani’s are back with their thundering, organic back beats & a stash of switch-blade, ice cool tunes that finally make sense of the EU.
THE PADOVANIS ARE SO COOL THEY DON'T EVEN SING!
Heirs in waiting to the spectral spirits of Link Wray, Dick Dale & Duane Eddy, these extra-terrestrial, supercharged, Euro-freaks stamp their own style on the genre of music that has remained the “must have†for all true followers of real music since the dawn of time (well, the 1960’s anyway). Played with a verve that disguises its complexity, this is rock and roll in its purest form: melodies that crash over a relentless powerhouse of rhythm. & a wall of sound that moves the heart and the pumps the blood filled loins……
In this “celebrity bullshit†world of the over-hyped pretensions of the next big thing, we need to get back the roots of rock and roll, & to strip it all back to the pure essence we fell in love with in the first place.
ONE GUITAR, ONE BASS, DRUMS...
PURE ROCK. PURE ROLL. SIMPLE, BUT DEADLY
The Flying Padovanis are:
Henri Padovani: Guitar, Corsican unpredictability. Waving Corsica goodbye, late in 1976, our unpredictable hero landed in London, to stay a couple of weeks... He was not to return. In January 1977, with Stewart Copeland and Sting, he formed the band The Police. The early days were really tough, and after a short venture as a quartet, following the arrival of Andy Summers, Henry split to join Wayne County and the Electric Chairs, before setting up The Padovani’s with Chris Musto and Paul Slack. The Flying Padovanis were regulars on the London circuit and toured Europe, playing with everyone that goes on a stage, from Pete Townsend to Kim Wilde, from The Jam to The Pretenders. Vive La Difference…..!In 1984, Henry joined up with Miles Copeland to form IRS Records, where launched REM, The Cramps and The Lords of The New Church amongst others. In 1994, he became Zucchero's manager, and went on to sell more than 10 million albums during their 5 years together. But the call of the wild was ever too strong, & in 2002 he strapped on the guitar again to write the music for some acclaimed French films. This success was closely followed by his solo album "A Croire que c'était Pour la Vie" where he sings and performs with his fellow musicians: Sting, Stewart Copeland, Manu Katché, Steve Hunter, Glen Matlock, Chris Musto and others. He has since also written a book of his memoirs "Secret Police Man", published by Flammarion…..Phew!
In September 2007, he was back with The Police, joining his old friends Sting, Stewart and Andy for two nights on stage at the Stade de France in Paris for a rocking 'Next To You' in front of 160,000 screaming fans.
"...I couldn't but miss all that Rock and Roll..." (from "Secret Police Man")
Paul Slack: Bass, British Stoicism... Whilst studying at St. Martin’s School of Art, London-born Paul Slack attended the first ever Sex Pistols gig. Paul soon quit St. Martin’s to join the then unknown punk band UK Subs, appearing live with them for the first time on 1st January 1978.
During the next 2 ½ years they recorded six singles and three albums, appeared on three "Peel Sessions", played a leading part in Julian Temple’s film "Punk Can Take It", as well as managing to be almost constantly on the road - one highlight being a European tour supporting The Ramones. In 1980 Paul along with Charlie Harper wrote “Warhead†which was released as a single in February of that year and remains to this day the Subs' most enduring anthem. Warhead recently featured on the soundtrack of the Shane Meadows Bafta-winning film "This is England" (Best British film).
The Subs set Paul on the road which eventually lead to the Padovanis………the rest is living history. There’s more, but you won’t get it from Paul – he’s the strong, silent type….
Chris Musto: Drums, International complexity Chris has played drums with numerous rock legends.
Starting aged twelve, the ‘70’s passed in a psychedelic blues-blur, then off to Berlin for an obligatory stint in a subversive transvestite show for 6 months. Back in the UK, a doomed early audition with The Clash led our hero away from core punk to form the groundbreaking Subterraneans with legendary NME journalist Nick Kent. It was a short and inevitable step to a meeting with Henry, the unpredictable Corsican, and this key moment (as they shared a common love for instrumental rock), and thus, The Flying Padovani’s were born.
Through the embarrassing 80s, our stylistically challenged hero overcame his haircut to play with tribal popsters King Trigger, Mystery Slang, bedroom wall Goddess Kim Wilde, Jody Watley and French artist Anne Pigalle. The decade ended with a permanent seat as Johnny thunder’s drummer, for the last 4 years up to Johnny’s death in 1991. The cult Johnny Thunder’s tribute album – “I only wrote this song for you†followed, with our boy on drums & in the producer’s chair….
This record saw our boy working with Michael Monroe, Patti Palladin with Cook and Jones, Chrissie Hynde, Arthur Kane, Sylvain Sylvain, David Johansen, Wayne Kramer (MC5), Andy Sheppard, The Ramones, Walter Lure, Los Lobos, Willy DeVille, Die Totenhosen, Steve Nieve, Marc Almond, Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Glen Matlock and The Philistines, with many of those associations lasting to the present day.
Since then, passing ships….. Meeting up again with Joe Strummer in a West London recording session for an anarchic Welsh poet created a bond that enabled them to work on the soundtrack for Alex Cox’s film Sid and Nancy. Working (again) with the original Sex Pistol, Glen Matlock & The Philistines over the last ten years. On top of that, playing with notable performers such as Steve Nieve, BJ Cole, Michael Monroe, and troubadour legend Rory McLeod.
Finding time to act as production coordinator for Japanese concert promoter Smash Corporation, focusing on the prestigious Fuji Rock Festival (a little hobby that has lasted for the last 11 years!)
See The Flying Padovanis live at this year's
Hyde Park Festival on Sunday 29th June 2008