Review
Publication date : Saturday, October 16th 2004 - 23 293 views
The Gladiators, a musical legacy
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After steering the Gladiators' ship since 1967, Albert Griffiths has decided to hand over the helm. Not far, since it is his son Al who will now take the lead vocals of the group (and not his son Anthony, the band's drummer, as we previously wrote). A passing of the torch that takes place through an album, "Father & Sons", and a final tour. A look back at a legacy.
 Many had come to applaud Albert Griffiths one last time. At the Elysée Montmartre in Paris, the audience rumbles intermittently and calls for the Gladiators' leader. Everyone expects a farewell night, one last chance to see him sing the group's hits. There will be none of that. No impassioned speeches or poignant farewells, but a passing of the torch in front of witnesses. The Gladiators' latest album, explicitly titled "Father & Sons", sets the smooth transition in motion. Albert Griffiths sings on only half the tracks. The concert follows the same logic.
The band is at full strength (the guitar duo of Gallimore Sutherland and Clinton Rufus, keyboardist Vernon Sutherland, the rhythm section of Earl Bagga Walker and Anthony Griffiths, and Ruddlowe Robinson on backing vocals) and is enriched by a trumpet / saxophone horn section. After half a dozen songs punctuated by the traditional messages in French, Albert Griffiths introduces his son, Al: "He is the one taking over the Gladiators," he announces, before slipping away.
 Gladiators, new generation
One hand on the mic, the other behind his back, Al Griffiths adopts his father's well-known, static stance. The resemblance is striking. The voice is more direct but the timbre is identical. Still young and inexperienced, Al Griffiths will hold the stage until the end of the concert. It is he who will launch into the group's hits: Hello Carol, Bongo Red, Roots Natty, Look is Deceiving, under the eyes of his father sitting in a corner. The message is unequivocal: he is the new leader of the Gladiators.
His performance, respectable, nonetheless disconcerts an audience that came to applaud a man and his hits. Instead, we witness the handing down of a legacy. The band alternates classics with tracks from the forthcoming album (Promise Me, Captivity, Holding On, Bull Buck). Albert Griffiths will return only for Stick A Bush and the introduction of the musicians. Even the traditional tribute to Bob Marley (via Soul Rebel), with which the concert ends, is sung by Al Griffiths. The Gladiators have just changed face. As if nothing had happened.
Report written by Sebastien Jobart
Tags : The Gladiators (28)
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