LIVE REPORT – After spending the afternoon chilling in the field surrounded by vans and other festival-goers, we are back in the grounds of the Vendée festive rock festival, Les Feux de L’été. Pint of Amber Melusine in hand, we are ready to fully enjoy this second evening which promises to be just as festive as the day before.
We are welcomed by the set of Rue de la Forge which has just started. This group of Vendée origins roams the region’s stages with a rap base and a half-Celtic, half-Viking rhythm. Viking, that’s what their face painting used as stage outfit reminds me of. It’s clearly a live band, the power of rap mixed with rock is felt much more than on the studio versions.
And here is the big one HF Thiefaine eagerly awaited by the public. Surprisingly scheduled quite early in the evening, the audience still filled the front of the main stage. It’s smooth, there isn’t a crooked note, the voice doesn’t tremble, you can feel the experience expressing itself. We’re clearly not in for a big atmosphere, but we weren’t expecting anything else. We regret the lack of interaction with the public. The only truly festive song only played at the end of the set: “The Joint Cutter’s Daughter”.
We quickly left to settle in front Concrete Block Paperand when I say in front, we hit the crash barrier. No regrets, the rock atmosphere is there with this group from Nantes formed around Martinwell known in the region for having been the voice of the group Kiemsa. Dressed in yellow sequined outfits and white winged shoes personalized with the name of the group, they are mounted on springs and set the festival on fire. I am particularly impressed by Elisethe guitarist, who seems hypnotized by the sound she transmits. The atmosphere ignites with “storm I love you”, and the pogos follow one another. With absurd songs like “Entrée Plat Décès”, and a rhythm that makes you nod your head, I don’t know about you but it annoys me! This is the concert that sticks in my memory the most of the weekend!
Another local group that is making more and more noise in the rock world, with their 70s look, Dynamite Shakers is clearly there to turn the stage and the audience upside down. Quite a discovery for me, I had only heard of the group which I didn’t fall in love with when listening to it, making me think of rolling stone in a “satisfaction” way. But on stage it’s something else! They are around 20 years old and have a lot of energy to spare. It’s crazy to think that at their age they look like 20-year-old professionals. I understand the growing interest in this young group of four artists.
We continue with a slightly more groovy scene, the French Federation of Foncka 90s band more commonly known as FFF. Futuristic bezel on the nose, displaying FFF in the K2000 way, they take out their guitars, it goes straight to some good rock riffs. The rain did not stop the public, responding as soon as we heard the notes of AC2N and Barbès, titles which made the fame of FFF. After half an hour of show, Marco Prince (to vocals) interrupts the music; it seems that the social security is overzealous while the public is fired up to the rhythm of the funky riffs and the calls for jumps of Marco. We’re here to party! The show resumes, we shouldn’t stay on a negative note.
We take the opportunity to sit in front Lophophoraon the crash barrier. The show begins and the angry pogo atmosphere quickly builds. Sound-wise, I don’t really know what to think about it. I find it saturated, difficult to appreciate. Maybe I should have been in the pogo den to appreciate the show. This time again, the singer interrupts the show, he is a little more violent than Marco for once since it insults security. Of course, the public is angry but that’s a bit of the group’s concept. On the other hand, when there is suspicion of harassment, I say thank you to the social security!
In both cases, I will avoid any judgment without knowing the context. I saw the social security very on the lookout for potentially dangerous behavior, asking kids to avoid going too far in front of Concrete Block Paper while the atmosphere was far from angry. It’s difficult to find the right balance and make the most of the party.
I don’t like ending this article on a negative note, so let’s take a step back from this day, or even this weekend. The Fires of Summer remains, in my opinion, a reference in the punk rock festival, which deserves to be better known. A growing reception capacity since this year the stages no longer face each other but sideways, and the stands are reorganized. It is easier to get refueling since the drink and food are well separated and better distributed. You have to hydrate the punk! So we move around better, there are fewer queues on the toilet side, but we still have to educate the punk. Peeing along the barriers, even close to the stages, is still too common. And in terms of sound, it’s great! An increasingly varied program but while keeping its punk soul, the perfect balance for a family and festive festival!
About Author
Dorine Renaud
Columnist, old-fashioned babacool, punk bimbo: If Dorine was still proving herself in 2013, we can now officially declare that her trial period is over. At the beginning, the Nantes woman tried to put aside her high school years during which she only had eyes for Ace of Clubs, Merzhin and Green Day, but the past caught up with her. Dorine once again devotes a cult to Celtic, gypsy sounds and everything you listened to when you skipped classes rather than revising the annals of the BAC. Of course, we stick to him from time to time with an album with electric guitar, but his dirty Vendée character (pleonasm) encourages us to leave him the cover of the next Fatals Picards.
