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Setting the Stage at La Grande Ourse

On 9 February 2020 at La Grande Ourse in Saint-Agathon, Strange Kind Of Women delivered a powerful homage to Deep Purple, placing the epic “Child in Time” at the emotional core of the evening. The quintet approached the material with respect and precision, but also with the instinct to push and pull the dynamics that make these songs so enduring. It was a night steeped in heavy rock history, centered on interplay, crescendo and the dramatic contrast that defined Deep Purple’s classic years.

The Musicians

• Alteria, vocals
• Eliana Cargnelutti, guitar
• Margherita Gruden, keyboards
• Paola Zadra, bass
• Paola Caridi, drums

Strange Kind Of Women work as a true ensemble. Each player carries a distinct role and sound, yet the performance breathes through collective timing and weight. The band’s name nods to Deep Purple’s “Strange Kind of Woman,” and the music they chose reaffirmed that link with insight rather than imitation.

Inside “Child in Time”

“Child in Time” remains one of the most arresting pieces in the hard rock canon. Built on a slow, haunted motif, it draws tension from the space between notes, the way a simple idea can expand into a towering movement. Strange Kind Of Women understood that arc and built their version around it with patience and intent.

Margherita Gruden’s organ tone was the gravitational center. Thick and grainy, with the kind of swirl and grit that immediately recalls the Hammond timbres of the early seventies, her voicings set a grave, meditative mood before opening out into broader harmonies. Against that bedrock, Paola Zadra’s bass laid down an unshakable pulse, not overplaying the line but shaping it, letting the low end bloom as the volume and intensity increased. The rhythm section’s restraint in the opening minutes was crucial, because it left room for the vocal narrative to take hold.

Alteria’s lead vocal was measured at first, almost conversational, then fiercely elastic. The song’s upper-register cries are infamously demanding, more a controlled jet of sound than a simple note. She moved into that range with a steady climb and a clean attack, using vibrato and careful phrasing to control the line rather than letting it drift. The quiet-to-volcanic escalation only works when the initial calm is believable, and she made that rise convincing.

When the piece finally tipped into its heavier section, the band’s gears locked tight. Paola Caridi’s drumming shifted from brushes of cymbal and tom color into sharp snare accents and a ride pattern that pushed the tempo forward. Her fills were crisp and economical, marking key transitions without clutter. Zadra followed, thickening the groove, while Gruden opened the organ’s aperture to a wider, more aggressive roar.

Eliana Cargnelutti’s guitar work threaded melody and fire. The main solo balanced lyrical bends and sustained notes with quicker runs that broke through the texture at climactic moments. Rather than treating the solo as a showcase detached from the band, she shaped her phrases around the organ’s harmonic frame and the rhythm section’s surges. The effect was less about flash than drama, an ascent in paragraphs that mirrored the song’s broader structure.

The closing return to the main theme brought the piece full circle. Here the band favored clarity over bombast, allowing the final tones to linger. It underscored the composition’s underlying theme of innocence and consequence, a protest steeped in sorrow as much as in rage. In their hands, the song felt both faithful and alive.

Instrumentation and Dynamics

Deep Purple’s music thrives on a particular friction between organ and guitar, two lead voices vying for the same bandwidth. Strange Kind Of Women approached that balance with sensitivity. Gruden’s keys were never relegated to atmosphere; they argued, answered and sometimes led outright. Cargnelutti responded in kind, choosing tones that cut without harshness and phrasing that complemented the organ’s percussive attack.

The rhythm section’s control made those conversations possible. Zadra’s bass grounded the harmonic motion with lines that stayed close to the root when needed, then bloomed into countermelodies as the arrangement opened up. Caridi’s cymbal work gave the crescendos their sparkle, while her snare and kick placement kept the band unified during sudden shifts in intensity. The cumulative effect was a dynamic range that felt meticulously shaped rather than simply loud or soft.

Another Cornerstone: “Perfect Strangers”

The group also trained their lens on “Perfect Strangers,” a later-era Deep Purple cornerstone that trades speed for grandeur. The song’s monolithic riff and ominous keyboard textures were rendered with weight and clarity. Gruden’s dark, modal figures carried the tune’s Eastern-tinged mystique, while Cargnelutti outlined the riff with muscular precision. Vocally, the slow-burn cadence and declarative phrasing demanded authority, and Alteria delivered it without strain. Where “Child in Time” rises in long arcs, “Perfect Strangers” advances like a procession, and the band treated it accordingly, letting each section land with measured impact.

Context and Approach

Strange Kind Of Women’s reading of Deep Purple favors architecture over mimicry. Rather than stacking exact replicas of classic parts, they prioritize how those parts interact. The organ’s grit, the guitar’s bite, the assertive low end and the vocal dynamism are all present, but they are organized around living, in-the-moment decisions. That approach suits material built on improvisation and contrast. It also gives the band room to honor the songs’ identities while speaking in their own voices.

Venue, Production and Credits

The concert took place at La Grande Ourse in Saint-Agathon. The event was presented by Association Melrose in collaboration with the Mairie of Saint-Agathon. Audio recording was handled by Christophe Ursot, and the mix was crafted by Francesco Marzona, whose balance of organ, guitar and voice allowed the arrangement’s layers to read clearly. Video was produced by Association Merose, capturing the performance and the ensemble’s chemistry on stage.

Final Notes

“Child in Time” remains a daunting summit for any rock vocalist and a structural challenge for any band. Strange Kind Of Women met that challenge by emphasizing feel, dynamics and interplay. Paired with a stately take on “Perfect Strangers,” the performance at La Grande Ourse showed why this repertoire still matters: it asks musicians to listen as intently as they play, and it rewards audiences with tension, release and unmistakable character.