A happy band mingling good-humouredly among the crowd: this is the Acousteel Gang. An enthusiastic audience masses around this formation of Gascon percussionists, somewhere between street theatre and funky steel band. The name of the new show -The Acousteel Shows Off - sets the tone. A singer armed with a megaphone roars his way through compositions and cover versions. Fun, humour and good vibrations. Eglantine Chabasseur - RFI

The notes hammered out of their respective instruments, steel drums and drums, also have a warm touch: their adaptation of reggae, rock or French tunes on chords born of the Caribbean has attracted quite a following. (...) A success much appreciated by these itchy-footed missionaries as they spread the good word. - L'EST REPUBLICAIN

(L'Acousteel Gang) hammers superb evocations of Trinidad out of its shiny drums. Foot-tapping, hip-swinging stuff! - Le Printemps de Bourges

The Acousteel Gang's 200th : A Symphony of steel
"(...) In this musical genre, they are pioneers. In the 1990's, there weren't many rhythms like this in the region. Today, everyone can judge just how far they have come - two CD's, tours in France and abroad - an impressive record.(...) The year 2000 has been a good one for the Acousteel Gang, with their appearance at the Frankfurt Festival and a few trips to Switzerland, Italy and Spain before returning to France for the Aurillac Festival, where they made new contacts for some new destinations..."
Vincent Chouet - Sud Ouest - Sept 2000

A cracking street set-up
Thanks to the magical Accousteel Gang's musicians, the atmosphere at the Fourneau (Oven) is hotter than ever. The last few days have been tropically Caribbean. Party sounds come floating out of these strange metal drums, and the street set-up at the port location only adds to the flavour of this spicy musical dish. Some of you may remember when Accousteel Gang fanfared their way along the docks for the Jeudi du Port two years ago. "At the time we were quite happy just to wander, without really bothering about any kind of Street set-up, which is what weve called this new show" explains Toto, one of the groups drummers. The team loves being at the Fourneau, which is in the same spirit as Oposito. They are currently working in Brest with Jean-Raymond Jacob, one of the members of Oposito. This mixture promises more than a few musical sparks a few months from now, when theyll be producing their new show at Noisy le Sec. We'd planned on coming here on the look out for new and different influences to help our music grow. Finally what we got was total exchange, and our own ideas have found their rightful place in Jean-Raymond Jacobs show. Apart from their appearance in the Oposito show, the Accousteel Gang are in the process of finishing their own show, and should be back in the Brest area before the end of the year. A promising mixture. The week spent at the Fourneau was devoted to the new Accousteel Gang formula, along our personal musical lines, that of the Trinidad percussion instruments, but with this new street set-up which was missing before. Armed with their musical oil drums, the septet has adopted the spectacular style of the street bands, which is obviously perfect for the cheerful Trinidad sound. Born in the Caribbean islands, Trinidad music, which is based on the steel drum melodies, is becoming more and more popular worldwide. But, for these ex-drummers who make up the Accousteel Gang, the Trinidad percussion instruments sound just as good with traditional themes as they do with Rolling Stones, Sting or Serge Gainsbourg songs - Calypso style! On the temporary stage at the Parc ˆ Chaines, the last few days rehearsals have had the entire neighbourhood dancing. The group is planning on coming back to the Fourneau over the next few months to try out their new styles. But, before they go back south to their natal Gironde, the Accousteel Gang will be taking part in the show cooked up by the Fourneau for the towns Christmas festivities. There will also be a local choir, the Plouzane instrumental band and a kids theatre group, directed by Jean-Claude Assetin - the more the merrier! Whilst creating at the Fourneau, the Acousteel Gang are concentrating on their spectacular Street set-up for their music. LE TELEGRAMME - August 98