Franck Carducci & The Fantastic Squad – The Caves, Edinburgh
As Franck Carducci brings his rock and roll circus to town, John Scott takes a ringside seat – well, stands at the front.

Just two weeks ago, I had never heard of Franck Carducci & The Fabulous Squad. Last week, a couple of songs from Franck’s last album had earwormed their way into my brain and refused to leave. Tonight, I saw one of the best shows I have seen in a long, long time; and I say that having seen Alice Cooper a couple of weeks ago.
Not only had I not heard of Franck and his band but I didn’t know anyone else who had heard of them either and when my friend and I walked into the venue and instantly doubled the size of the audience, I was a little worried. By the time The Fantastic Squad took the stage, there were maybe around fifty people in the smallish crowd but from their first note, Franck and the band played like they were performing to thousands.

The opening number (Love Is)The Answer is one of the tunes that I had been unable to get out of my head and gives the band the opportunity to hit the ground running. The band: Barth Sky (guitar, vocals), Léa Fernandez (drums), Cédric Selzer (keyboard), Mary Reynaud (vocals, guitar, percussion, and much more), and Franck Carducci (vocals, bass) are clearly a tight unit and seem determined to have a good time. In particular, Léa brings a beaming smile to every drumbeat.

While there is a prog element to Franck’s music, his Shergold double-neck twelve-string/bass as favoured by Mike Rutherford in Genesis’ prog heyday is a bit of a clue, this is definitely a rock band and one with some fabulous tunes.

The Betrayal Of Blue tells the story of The Earth letting humanity know that we are destroying it and telling us that while it will survive, we might not be so lucky. Having never seen the band before everything they do comes as a bit of a surprise but when Mary knocks off a quick theremin solo, I can honestly say that it was unexpected particularly as she uses nearly every part of her body to play it.

Me Hyde and Dr. Jeckyll is an out-and-out rocker; I’m not sure if Franck was aware that he was performing in the birthplace of that story’s author, if so he didn’t mention it. The Ecstasy Of Gold is an Ennio Morricone cover that takes us into spaghetti western territory with Mary trading vocal licks with Barth’s guitar and Cédric’s organ.
We now come to a part of the evening that Franck tells us is different every night, the band goes off for a drink and it is a different one every night. In reality, it’s Franck’s solo spot, usually a different song each time. Tonight we get David Bowie’s Space Oddity after which, Franck goes off for his own drink and the band and Mary return to perform The Angel. Mary, in illuminated wings – half angel, half butterfly – swoops down into the crowd, swirling like a dervish.

Torn Apart is another strong rocker before Franck introduces us to Alice’s Eerie Dream, an alternative Alice in Wonderland where Alice has been forced into prostitution and is pimped out by The Red Queen. While Frank and the band belt out this fantabulous slab of Jabberwock and roll, Mary as Alice attempts to seduce the band members in turn but her advances are rejected and she sulks off in a strop.

The Asylum leads off with Barth’s soulful guitar and Cédric’s mellotron-like keyboard before Franck’s guitar picks up the rhythm and we are off into bluesy riffs and Hammond licks. A brief piano-led interlude provides a breather then it’s back to classic organ sounds and a slow build culminating in wahwah tones from Barth and an almost disco beat from Léa which ends in a tub-thumping solo from her and a scorching solo from Barth. As the song steamrolls to a climax, a repeated piano line emerges and the band segue seamlessly into The End from The Beatles Abbey Road album.

A fabulous end to a fantastic evening but of course it’s not over yet. Slave To Rock ‘n’ Roll, another of my earworms, is the perfect song on which to finish. It seems impossible to follow that but we are invited to move closer the stage, which involves taking about two steps forward, and to join in a finger-snapping acapella On The Road To Nowhere, a really magical and intimate way to end the show.

If Franck Carducci’s The Fantastic Squad bring their rock and roll circus to a venue near you, don’t be a clown and miss it. Roll up to the greatest show in town.

Setlist:
(Love Is) The Answer
Closer to Irreversible
The Betrayal of Blue
Mr Hyde & Dr Jekyll
A Brief Tale of Time
The Ecstasy of Gold
Space Oddity [Franck Carducci solo]
The Angel [performed by Mary Reynaud with The Fantastic Squad]
Torn Apart
Alice’s Eerie Dream
Asylum

The End
Slave to Rock & Roll
On the Road to Nowhere

Words and photographs John Scott