Les Commandos Percu
International street arts company
Drums at night, fire in the sky
« An ending with a bang, certainly not a whimper, as fireworks and drumbeats signal a fitting farewell to this year's Arts Festival. Concert of Fire, by French group Les Commandos Percu, combined wild percussion and pyrotechnics to provide a fitting end as the Arts Festival's closing event. The performers underscored the visual experience with steady and furious percussion. With all kinds of fireworks shooting every which way above the stage, it was a light show that certainly delighted. " I've never seen anything like it. It's really wonderful, it's better than the National Day !" » - > The Straits Times / June 2002
Art as an agent of change for democracy and a riser for the group
« Four years after their noticed appearance in the official line up of Chalon dans la Rue festival, les Commandos Percu will come back next summer on 20th-23th July 2011. They were in residence this week in L'Abattoir / International Street Art Center for the creation of a new show, entitled Destruction! Don't worry, behind this terrible word hides a pacifist message : "Let's not close our senses or our heart, let's open ourselves to what surrounds us, let's break all the Berlin Walls that grow around us everyday." » - > The newspaper of Saône-et-Loire / February 2011
Percussion and fireworks
« "It's very simple, why we do this », said artistic director Raymond Gabriel, " Percussion makes boom, fireworks make boom too ! " Each musician pounds away on specially designed drum sets that can spew sparks. But despite the blinding show of light, Raymond Gabriel stresses that the music comes first. " The fireworks must be justified by the music." said Mr Gabriel. " We are a musical band first of all, and our music is the common thing that reaches out to everyone." » - > The New Paper, Singapore / June 2002
« For us, percussion is a language and we can see that all around the world, people understand something of our percussion language. We think that the language of percussion is the same language as that of fire. » - > Interview of Raymond Gabriel for the European Pyrotechnic Arts News