Arctic Monkeys, Idles, Yungblud and Fontaines DC, one-day ambassadors of English (and Irish) rock in France

All that was missing was a fish & chips and we were there. Thursday August 26, Rock en Seine festival-goers traveled musically across the Channel, piloted by rockers from England (and Ireland). After a first stop in the United Kingdom guided by the clownish Yungblud and the electrifying guitars of Idles, the spectators stopped over in Dublin alongside the mesmerizing Fontaines DC Before returning, you have to go to the high mass of the Arctic Monkeys. We were there.

“Are you ready to get f*ckin crazy?!” (“Are you ready to go completely nuts?!”). Scruffy howl, school uniform, wall of Marshall amps… Tunes from AC/DC’s latest tour. But the make-up, the hyperactive 25-year-old’s red hair dye and the audience of raging teenagers (and a few parents) don’t lie. For this first late afternoon of the festival, the predicted storm is coming straight from the industrial north of England. And it has a name: Yungblud, aka Dominic Harrison.

For 60 minutes, the energy of the Generation Y punk rocker permeates and then unleashes the crowd. Gone are the pop accents of his studio tracks, the hard rock riffs of his drummer and guitarist serve as a metronome for bandleader Yungblud. Dom’ (his nickname for his fans) jumps, his fans jump. Dom’ asks for a pogo, the public convulses. Dom’ bawls the chorus of his anti-discrimination hit Parentseveryone resumes in chorus.

In the pit, the incessant choirs on The Funeral, Memories… And the few black hearts of the Black Hearts Club (his fan club) drawn on the cheeks do not lie: the French love Yungblud. And the Briton gives it back to them. Between his fewLong live France” and his “I like you“, or the gift of his new piece Tissueshe summons the French YouTube rockstar: Waxx, to jam on flea bag. “France is proud to be Yungblud’s best audience”, the latter thunders. General applause. Farewells seem hasty, but they are only goodbyes. Yunbglud smiled his infectious smile: “We play at the Zénith in March”. And his next album comes out on September 2.

Since 2018, the park of Saint-Cloud had not vibrated to the rhythm of their guitars. This Thursday, August 25, four years later, the British group Idles was back on stage to electrify the lawn of the big stage of the festival. After tuning their instruments in front of an audience hanging on their notes, the punk band opened the concert with flamethrowers. The first three titles have not yet passed that guitarist Lee Kiernan leaps from the stage to join the crowd, guitar in hand. A ritual heralding a frenzied show.

On stage, Joe Talbot enters a trance and continues in his hoarse voice the pieces of the polyptych Brutalism (2017), Joy as an Act of Resistance (2018), Ultra-Mono (2020) and Crawler (2021). To his side, Mark Bowenguitarist in a flowery dress at who is hard not to smile. “This dude makes me trip! The combination of a hermit’s beard and an old woman’s dress is just excellent”launches a spectator between two sips of beer. The energy is dark, animal. On the public side, the temperature is around 90°.

From the first notes of Motheriimpossible for some fans to resist the call of pogos and slams (practical in rock, punk or metal concerts where a person lying down lets himself be carried by the crowd). “Thank you Bo-fucking-neck”loose at micro Joe Talbot between two pieces. A way to thank (in its own way) a French public visibly delighted to have sweated with the bad kids of Bristol.

Small detour to the Cascade, where the young DC Fountains are about to start their concert. Time is running out, because the end of the Dubliners’ performance nibbles away at the start of the highly anticipated Arctic Monkeys, scheduled at the other end of the park. In the audience, everyone has their own technique so as not to miss the two performances. “Well, a few minutes before the end, we sprint for the Arctic”orders a teenager to her friend.

The name of the group plastered in the background lights up. Irish flags wave in the crowd. Four months after the release of their third album, Skinty fia, the enigmatic Grian Chatten and his acolytes arrive on stage. White tank top, black jogging with three white stripes for the leader. Not a word. As if imprisoned in a bubble, the young post-punk band attacks with the urgency that is so characteristic of them. Eyes closed, microphone stand welded in hand, the singer activates his vocal cords, as if inhabited by the ghost of Ian Curtis by moment (singer of Joy Division), and won’t let them rest all the time.

Screaming guitars, steamroller drums, the crowd vibrates at an increasing intensity. Jackie Down The Line, Boys In The Better Land, I Love You… The saturated deluge grips the guts. The songs released are becoming more and more hits, and Grian Chatten more and more restless. His presence, his raw energy was worth falling behind the Arctic Monkeys.

A new album (The Car) announced the day before for October 21. A last visit to France in 2018. And a post-pandemic recovery of Rock en Seine sold out. To close the first day of the festival, all the lights were fluorescent green on the side of the Arctic Monkeys. More than an hour before the return of the princes of English rock. The incessant waltz of the “AM” T-shirts slows down its tempo to invade the lawns of the main stage. William, 26, has already pre-ordered all the goodies from The Car. In the dark night, stars dance in his eyes. More than a few minutes before his fifth concert with Alex Turner (singer of the group). His confidence is unwavering: “They always know how to reinvent themselves”.

Seven silhouettes glide across the stage, like senators. One shot, two shots, three shots… Bass drummer Matt Helders launches the band’s most listened to question: Do I Wanna Know? Four years since the more pop and steeper turn of their last album (Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino), the tone is set: the Arctic Monkeys seem to have put on their rocker clothes again. Blue jeans, white shirt, the crooner Turner bursts the two giant screens suspended from the stages. The storm Brianstormthe gentle breeze Cornerstonethe zenith knee socksthe eclipse 505… If there was a ‘best hits’ compilation, this would be the one the Brits released tonight. By adding a new surprise track, bathing between funk and soul.

Alongside William, Yoann’s ears come out satisfied with the temporal epic in the band’s discography. “I was really happy with all those classic sounds, tells the fan. Let them come back to earth after the odyssey of the last album.” However, “the impression that they were not at the bottom” tickles him. Throughout the hour and a half, the Arctic Monkeys indeed unroll sometimes mechanically, often statically, and always wisely. Is it the fault of an audience already conquered in the middle of karaoke? Or the attitude of thirtysomethings to the music smoothed out from some of its early rock roughness? It will be necessary to wait until October 21 to obtain the beginning of an answer. But in the meantime, the urge to repeat Alex Turner’s own words is too strong. “Awfully thank you man“.

Rock en Seine in Paris from August 25 to 28, 2022 (see the complete program), with a selection of (re)broadcasts of concerts on the france.tv platform with Culturebox at this address.