We relativize the previous edition and we start again: if the year 2016 disappointed by its attendance, it has never failed in terms of line-up. True to its integrity, the Route du rock 2017 gave pride of place to punk and new wave, all served by the diva of the festival, PJ Harvey. Let's go for a summary of the 3 days.
First, to situate, the Route du Rock is next to Saint-Malo. On the beach were held outdoor concerts, the opportunity to discover some small groups whose career promises as much as their performance appreciated by beachgoers (about 2000 according to the organization). This is how we were able to appreciate the performances of Calypso Valois and Little Ghost, among others.
Friday, August 17: Black according to PJ Harvey and Idles
We arrive on Friday on the fort of Saint-Père after a difficult awakening at 6am, followed by 5h bus from Paris, but we need more to demotivate us. The excitement is there, at the time of the opening of the doors. Unfortunately, we miss the excellent Froth and Foxygen.
But we come to the moment when PJ Harvey begins his high mass. She did not want to play later, so everyone came to rush to the festival at the same time, which did not fail to create some confusion. No matter, the queen of the evening, unclassifiable and avant-garde artist, released the big game tonight with a big band behind composed of a saxophone, strings, percussion and choirs. At the beginning of the set, she favors her most recent songs, taken from her folk rock repertoire. His latest titles are in a more solemn register, whose harmonies, supported by a PJ of black elegance, captivate. The atmosphere is hushed, perfectly transcribed by the giant black and white screens, placed on either side of the Fort Scene. She accompanies her singing with graceful movements and ends with a more rock repertoire, that of the beginnings and which has elevated her to the rank of high priestess of rock. ("Down By The Water " among others). The headliner kept his promises!
A small snack
We continue our way to the VIP area of the festival, to quench our hunger and thirst. Our choice is a giant burger offered by a food stand. As soon as the first bite begins, a fervent vegan advocate explains how the world would be a better place with less meat. That's the Route du Rock, everyone talks to each other, and the atmosphere is always relaxed! With a full stomach, we continue with Car Seat Headress who starts his concert on the Scène du Fort. We know little about this group, but a clue makes us listen: the voice of frontman Will Toledo, similar to that of the leader of The Strokes, Julian Casablancas. What to be disturbed, because we have a huge fan of The Strokes in the team. At first surprised, the spectator is then seduced by the rock flights where the guitars are the guardians of the fort. Tension, euphoria and melancholy dominated the performance. The 2000's aesthetic is present and we then witness the first slams in the crowd. A successful bet for this band from Seattle who brilliantly manages to warm up the atmosphere.
You would take back some adrenaline
The time to queue to satisfy some basic needs (the famous trio eat / drink / toilet), we almost missed Idles. And that would have been a big mistake on our part! Impressive performance that we are witnessing. Theatrical, physical, extreme. Their punk is incisive, bordering on hardcore. Between each song, the frontman addresses the audience, we witness a brutal happening that leaves the audience stunned. It is that our time is dark, nauseating, and just like Future Islands the next day, our dazed and terrified moods in the face of the news are exorcised into sonic noises at the height of a world that is wavering. What a wave of power, sublime and terrifying at the same time, we have rarely seen this!
Thee Oh Sees could be the continuity when you know their repertoire. Although also physical, their performance exudes more positive vibrations. Particularly awaited by the public, they amaze by the presence of two drummers who perform the same movements with perfect synchronization, giving the sound a horizontal power. This is what the Cold Pumas confirmed to us in an interview. We would also like to salute the quality of the video recording transcribed on the giant screens next to the stage, which offer us incredible shots.
Live is a frantic race, we have the impression that they do not always know what they are doing, but it does not matter, because the expressions and postures, very expressive and naive, give a coherence to this happy mess. A live band certainly, because we were not necessarily convinced by the albums of this prolific formation.
Tech ice cream for the end
Change of atmosphere and direction the dancefloor with Helena Hauff, DJ who in 5min makes us almost forget our heavy legs and lack of sleep. Big bass and minimalist atmosphere, which reminds us of Gesaffelstein, supported by an atmosphere of ice blue. Unfortunately, we will not be able to attend his entire performance because we are starting to feel exhausted, and we want to preserve ourselves for the next two days. Beware of the mistake of the beginner, who gives everything the first day and does not assume his festival to the end! Direction the bus, small whim then with a taxi and night of restful sleep in the calm of the old town of Saint-Malo.
Saturday, August 18: the road to the zenith
While the afternoon was dedicated to the beach, the interview of Cold Pumas that was to take place on Sunday finally takes place on Saturday. Barely time to soak up their latest album " The Hanging Valley" to enter their universe and, out of the shuttle, we find them for a casual interview that you will be able to read soon. After a short nap on the deckchairs, we are ready for this long-awaited day. A happy feeling then invades us, and it is with eyes shining with curiosity that we go to the scene of Cold Pumas.
The post punk band benefits from a small peculiarity namely its drummer-singer, who sets the tone for the rest of the formation. These little hypnotic tunes captivate us immediately. We think we hear at one point Joy Division, with a tessitura and a rhythm to be mistaken. The comparison stops there, because Cold Pumas has an explosive singularity, which makes it stand out. The mastered use of loops and repetitions makes us stumble. The bar is set high from the first concert of the day.
Some main courses
We dwell on Parquet Courts, a prolific punk band signed to the irreproachable label Rough Trade. Nothing to do with the urgency of the beginnings, because the band favors its most recent songs, punctuated by exotic riffs. Only we get a little lost, the fault of a setlist lacking coherence and dynamism. The alternation between two singers does not help us much and we come out a little disconcerted from this performance that the audience seemed to appreciate. Our disappointment with the festival.
Then come Arab Strap, a band from the 90s adored by slowcore lovers (read: music of slowness), and which in recent years has been swapping classical chamber pop instrumentation with an electronic trend. We appreciate, or not, these long digressions that, yesterday, evoked the emotion of nudity, and now, a lazy flight. It seems that singer Aidan Moffat is delighted with his digital finds, and makes it known by waddling on stage, so that festival-goers imitate him (or not). It would have been a second disappointment without the oldest songs, the real leg of the band.
We continue with Temples which raises the atmosphere a notch. The English are in good shape tonight and prove it to us from the first songs, mainly from "Volcano", their second album released earlier this year. The guitars and keyboards build in unison a soft psychedelic atmosphere, which reminds us of the great hours of the Beatles during their period of experimentation on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Night falls on the Fort, as they perform "Shelter Song", their first anthem.
In digestive, just like honey
The hair electrifies just at the thought of "Psychocandy" (1985), the incredible album of Jesus and Mary Chain, to the hyper saturation of the guitars and the talent of composition of the Reid brothers. Out came ballads tinged with boogie woogie, passed to a short-circuited milshake ("Just like honey" is the illustrious example). From this, we will hear, they will play with an intact freshness. Just like the fabulous and unexpected last album, Damage And Joy . It is very logical that the Route du Rock welcomes these veterans who had recently devoted themselves to their "rehab" and the education of their children. They are now back on the road to remind younger generations of the rock delight that preceded what some consider to be the last jolts of the genre (Nirvana, the White Stripes and the Strokes).
Known for their sulphurous reputation, the dirty kids of Black Lips perform their scales in the sound conditions of the live, in the middle of the set of The Jesus & Mary Chain ! Arrived their real time of passage, they do not do in the lace: volume of the sound pushed to the maximum, constant questioning of the crowd, throwing toilet paper in the front rows. The group pours its power sometimes in a somewhat messy way. The structures of the songs leave us a little marble, maybe because we still have our heads in the noisy pop clouds of The Jesus & Mary Chain.
A wolf's hunger
Then come Future Islands, Americans led by the lunar Samuel T. Herring, who tumbles onto the stage. It is an understatement to say that he has a lot on the potato, his performance being apparently transcended by a revolt of his country that he considers "shameful" (Trump, Charlottesville and its neo-Nazi demonstrations in the lead). A werewolf, who hits his face with his fists, who uses his guttural voice, sets a special atmosphere, between great electro / new wave air and dramaturgy of his songs. A pinnacle of this day,as surely.
Finally, the total for us wouldn't be the total without Soulwax's performance in the middle of the night. Waiting until 2:30 in the morning was well worth it: the entrance of the artists at the same time as the view of the impressive installation, all white, on which are placed on different levels the many musicians (also in white) of the formation from Belgium. After 13 years of absence, those who are also known for their projects under the name of 2 many DJs have released this year "From Deewee", one of those condenser albums of popular music in the broadest sense, mixing electro, groove and punk. A mashup that the band played in one go in the studio for the purposes of the album, which they will do again here at Fort de Saint-Père, in front of spectators who only have to exult in front of such verve. 3 drums this time, and some epic moments evoking their friends LCD Sound System. You don't sleep at the road of Rock, you dance. Waking up for the last day will be difficult.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20: In the spotlight
We take the time on this last day of the festival to visit the city center of Saint-Malo, which we love a lot. The legs and head are heavy this morning, but we are particularly excited to see the groups scheduled this Sunday.
La Route du Rock, a festival for gourmets
We arrive at the end of The Proper Ornaments, a London band composed of James Hoare (Veronica Falls, Ultimate Painting) and Max Oscarnold (Toy), which on paper frankly makes you want. Their 70's aesthetic is served by a psychedelic folk with stretched conclusions. The finale is great and we regret not having been able to attend the entirety of this performance. We take the time to quench our thirst with a good fresh cider. The Breton bartender also regrets that our choice is a sweet cider, Parisian that we are. We would like to highlight the alternatives to beer and the traditional tasteless burger and fries offered by all festivals. The diversity of food stalls and the local touch make our experience much more enjoyable!
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The first guitar notes of crooner Angel Olsen are then heard. Surrounded by 5 musicians dressed in sky blue suits, she starts with a bang with her hit "Shut up Kiss Me". Her folk rock register is seductive and the singing is reminiscent of a certain Lana Del Rey. A feast for the ears, a little tarnished however by some lengths in the set. Clearly, festival-goers look less dynamic today, exhausted by the crazy Saturday day that ended late into the night.
Mac deMarco invites you to the table
Yak has the merit of waking up the baked audience of the day before, generously using the fuzz, served by supercharged riffs. We adhere but not completely, the formation lacking in our opinion a little originality to stand out tonight. The Hero of the Evening Award goes to… Mac DeMarco ! The Canadian artist with a legendary sense of humour arrives on stage with a cigarette in his mouth, telling us that he arrived at the festival by shuttle, like all festival-goers. He puts us at ease and delivers a relaxed surf rock performance, looking like beef with friends (his friends also enjoy a jubilant meal behind the stage). More than a concert, we have fun with his long tirades between each title. Out of nothing, Mac DeMarco and his band then launch into a hilarious cover of Vanessa Carlton's hit "A Thousand Miles". In addition to the comic aspect of this performance, we highlight the musicality and velocity of the formation, which make us spend a really pleasant time.
Interpol melts in the mouth
We can't wait to attend the concert event of Interpol, which celebrates through a world tour the 15th anniversary of their cult album "Turn On The Bright Lights". The band has a special history with La Route du Rock, since it played there in its debut in 2001. The concert opens with bright red lights sweeping the stage up and down. The night that encircles this red speaker then revives the cover of the album. Interpol offers a strong scenography with very worked lighting atmospheres, it is also one of the only groups of the festival (with Soulwax the day before) that offers us such a show for the eyes. The ears are not left out. As announced, the disc is played in full and in order. The execution of the pieces is classy, perfectly orchestrated and mastered. A moment of anthology and intense communion with the public. It's already time for us to leave…
To sum up, in a nutshell, the Route du Rock has once again demonstrated a quality line-up, has been able to surprise, as well as confirm, its musical feelings. The atmosphere has warmed up as much as in other years, the good child mingles with the jubilation and demands of music lovers. If you don't know what to do with your weekend in August, book one next year: the festival is back from August 16 to 19, 2018. And to provide you with an additional overview, here are some mood photos in black and white!
Written by Ninon Bernard and Piotr Grudzinski.
Photos: Piotr Grudzinski, Nicolas Joubard and Alexandre Brunet
