THERE’S been something of a British invasion on the continent in the past 10 years.
Not as cool or as iconic as that of The Stones in the 1970s, but with just as much passion. The Brits’ recent escape to the sunny paradise of European festivals in pursuit of rain-free weekends comes after enduring many flooded tents at festivals close to home, scarring the memories of music-loving Scots.
Cheap flights, guaranteed heat and intriguing line-ups have created curiosity and excitement in equal measures.
You’ll no doubt have heard of, or been to, the sun-drenched Spanish locations of Benicassim or Bilbao. With its hot sun and even hotter line-ups, such events have seen a huge number of Brits travel further for their festival kicks.
One line-up that really stood out as the TTV team planned our summer festival schedule was that of Rock en Seine, a special festival not entirely populated with Scots or dare we say it
Londoners quite yet, more of a 95 per French native to five per cent pale holidaymakers split.
It’s special not only for its eclectic headliner mix but because Paris is quite possibly the most captivating and special place in the world.
For someone who considers themselves a creative person due to writing, photography and a borderline unhealthy addiction to Instagram, the city rushes through me from the way it looks in the rain to the graffiti art on buildings.
One of the first bands to really get the crowd amped up on the opening day are young English lads Catfish and the Bottlemen.
It’s been just over a year since the band dropped into TTV HQ to record a session with us and we’ve been following their career closely ever since. Their indie, festival-ready setlist that comprised the entire track listing from their debut album Balcony saw them rocketing through a fast-paced, high-energy performance with a few crowd singalongs thrown in for good measure.
FFS are fresh from rave reviews following their recent Edinburgh Fringe show and it seems Paris has also caught the bug as the crowd sprawled among the trees and adjoining the backs of the people watching the Main Stage at the opposite side. FFS light the stage on fire, full of energy, and charisma; their performance hats well and truly on.
Tracks such as Piss Off are so catchy that it etches into your brain for hours to come. A rowdy rendition of Take Me Out brings things to a close and sends the crowd into a frenzy as the beer in their brightly decorated festival cups sloshes to the ground.
Kasabian continued their festival surge taking to the Main Stage on Friday night. Bursting with bravado, the special chemistry between frontman Tom and his old school pal Serge brought a tear to a glass eye. Especially so during their stripped back but somehow colossal rendition of Fatboy Slim’s Praise You as they brought their set to an end, sitting down on the edge of the stage with an arm round each other in a way that only brothers of rock ‘n’ roll music can. A true pinnacle for our generation, the lasting rock band of our time.
With a Main Stage that was nestled narrowly between trees and fencing, the crowd stretched back for what seemed like miles when Tame Impala offered up their meticulously crafted performance on Sunday night, with a 60:40 split of people jumping to the backbeat and those sprawled casually out between the blades of grass. They send a rampage of buzz through the branches of trees like a strong storming wind when belting out Elephant from 2012’s Lonerism record before bringing the mood back down to a marvellous mellow vibe again with new track Eventually from their latest heavily praised release; a song so understated that it was quite simply made to be played on a Sunday.
Although there’s too many to mention (Run The Jewels, Alt-J, Jungle, Hot Chip, Jamie XX....) The Chemical Brothers made sure they would be one of – if not the – talking point of the weekend. Closing the festival on the Main Stage the anticipation from fans moments before the neon laser beams shot from the stage was so tense it was uncomfortable. Just how would this Parisian crowd act as the recognisable beats of opener Hey Boy, Hey Girl, Setting Sun featuring Noel Gallagher’s vocals and new track Sometimes I Feel So Deserted bellowed into the crowd? The answer is with dancing. And what better way to close this weekend of rock than with a sea of people uniting with hands crashing around the air, smiling at strangers as if they are a long lost friend?
If Paris is the most romantic city in the world then Rock En Seine festival is its grungy, rough around the edges cousin, up for a laugh with no shoes on, trailblazing into the night underneath a full moon that lights up the sky.
Album of the month: Halo Tora, Omni/One
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