Five good reasons to go to the Days Off Festival in Paris, from Jarvis Cocker to Camille, and from Celeste to Benjamin Epps

With each edition since its inception, Days Off has demonstrated that it is a different festival. Created by the Philharmonie de Paris for “open wide the doors of this institution often identified with classical music to contemporary music“, he offers “a popular but demanding programming, with an international focus“, summarizes the programmer Vincent Anglade.

Above all, it offers a high proportion of new projects, real creations made for the occasion, therefore unique, with beautiful bridges between pop and classic, which allow Days Off to distinguish itself with class from the big festivals with rowdy posters that are held in Ile-de-France at the same time. Another feature that sets it apart: there’s no need to rush from one stage to another at Days Off since everything takes place in the cozy comfort of the halls of the Philharmonie.

Inaugurated by two concerts of The Smile, the new project of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead for which the festival had to “push back the walls“as a preview at the beginning of June, the 12th edition of Days Off is spread over ten days from July 2 to 13, with a dense program full of surprises. We asked Vincent Anglade to detail it for us by giving us five good reasons to come.

To see Jarvis Cocker revisit nuggets of French song

“Since the beginning, Days Off has been developing creations and pushing artists to step out of their comfort zone to present original projects. This year, we have a creation by Jarvis Cocker, the former British singer of the group Pulp, which needs no introduction. On his latest album, he who was a Parisian for a long time by adoption, pays homage to the French song of the 60s and 70s which influenced him so much. This disc is a kind of parallel soundtrack of The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson, recalls Vincent Anglade. In the film, a beloved French crooner named Tip-Top sings Aline, Christophe’s hit, and Jarvis Cocker lends him his voice. “This made Jarvis want to go further, slipping into the skin of this crooner to pay tribute to the entire French pop scene of the 60s and 70s that he venerates, on an album called Tip-top boredom songspublished at the end of 2021.” The Brit includes nuggets from Christophe, Gainsbourg, Nino Ferrer, Jaques Dutronc and even the duo of Alain Delon and Dalida Words, words. “As soon as I had this disc in my hands that makes you smile, I wanted to put it on Days Off”, recalls Vincent Anglade. “He accepted on the condition of having his whole group and an extra string formation. On stage, there will be about fifteen musicians. It’s a fairly unique moment of the festival for us, which represents the DNA of this festival, that is to say to give the possibility to artists of this dimension to think outside the box, to offer something unique and to accompany them in this process. »

Jarvis Cocker plays”Tip-Top Boredom Songs” – Saturday 2 July at 8 p.m. (Grande Salle de la Philharmonie)

Among the other creations on the menu : the string quartet Wooden Elephant offers a bold reinterpretation of the album Kid A of Radiohead (Sunday July 3 at 7 p.m.), the Japanese pianist Koki Nakanovery inspired by dance, and whose work is at the crossroads of art music and popular music, comes to play accompanied by the dancer and choreographer Marion Motin (Wednesday July 6 and Thursday July 7 at 8 p.m.) and the American Andrew Birdviolinist, singer and whistler, delivers his scores surrounded by the National Orchestra of Ile-de-France (Sunday July 10 at 7 p.m.)

Because the Philharmonie is an exceptional place

“Coming to Days Off is first and foremost for me an opportunity for the public to discover the Philharmonie, to enter this impressive building from the outside and which inside turns out to be a real cocoon to welcome the public and the artists“, explains Vincent Anglade. “It is also an opportunity to hear artists in one of the most beautiful halls in the world, let’s not be modest, as fabulous acoustically as it is architecturally. A successful show is the meeting between the artist, the place and the public.“But everything is gathered here for the magic to work. One of the highlights of the remarkable architecture of the Philharmonie, designed by Jean Nouvel, is to be experienced on the roof of the building during the Toi, toi mon Toit evening of the festival. “Every year, this meeting takes place on the rooftop at aperitif time, between 6:30 p.m. roof is located 50 meters in height“, boasts Vincent Anglade. “It is reached by a kind of hiking trail traced by the architect on the building. Arrived up there, we have an incredible 360 ​​degree view over the entire East and North of the capital, an unusual and rare point of view from this district of Paris..”

Toi, Toi, Mon Toit, Concert-aperitif on the rooftop of the Philharmonie – Wednesday 6 July at 6.30 p.m.

For both hip-hop nights

This year, this famous evening on the rooftop (known as Le Belvédère) was themed around hip-hop, in a nod to the exhibition Hip Hop 360 which runs until July 24 at the Philharmonie de Paris. A concert by Edge, a revelation of French rap with introspective lyrics, will be framed by the prowess on the turntables of the young DJ Andy 4000 and Solo, producer, cult DJ and historical figure of hip-hop within the group Assassin. The next day, the Hexagone evening, a set made up of four representatives of the young guard of French-speaking rap, will drive the point home. “This set is a real highlight for us this year with the idea of ​​opening up to all types of music. We welcome as headliner Benjamin Epps, a rapper whom I adore because he refers to the great hours of American hip-hop while bringing modernity with his pen, his brilliant production and his mastered flow”. enthuses our guide. “And because there are not enough women in rap, we are delighted to have Chilla, who is one of the artists engaged, with her powerful messages for society and for the youth, of which we have more than never need.”

Toi, Toi, Mon Toit Concert-aperitif with Andy 4000, Edge and Solo – Wednesday 6 July at 6.30 p.m. (on the roof of the Philharmonie)
Hexagon Evening with Benjamin Epps, Chilla, Bamao Yendé & Friends, Vicky R and Sheldon – Thursday July 7 at 7.30 p.m. (Salle des concerts de la Philharmonie)

Because the singer Celeste is giving her first real Parisian concert there

Celeste is first and foremost a voice. A rare voice, both fragile and powerful, cracked and limpid, which sends shivers down your spine from the first listen, especially live. In 2019 at Rock en Seine, the singer born in the United States and raised in England, still had only a few songs to defend between soul, jazz and R&B, but was already making a lasting impression: we felt that she was here to stay. Since then, Celeste released in early 2021, in the midst of a pandemic, a magnificent album, Not Your Musewhich snagged several singles at the top of the English charts (Love is Back, Stop This Flame), and won him the prestigious Album of the Year award at the Mercury Prize. The author and composer also won the Oscar for Best Original Song for Hear My Voice, who is in the movie The Chicago Seven. “It is therefore haloed by all these successes, with a new status, that she comes to perform at Days Off, this time headlining her own concert.“, underlines Vincent Anglade. “A new story opens for Celeste, and this exceptional voice, we want to hear it at the Philharmonie.” The singer, prevented from presenting her album on stage for many months, is looking forward to “discover the faceof his audience.

Celeste – Wednesday July 13 at 8 p.m. (Grande Salle Pierre Boulez)

To sing with Camille in a giant choir

The Philharmonie welcomes all audiences, including families and the youngest, throughout the year. Days Off is no exception. The participatory concert-performance LALÀLIVE by Camille, presented at 104 a year ago, where children (from 8 years old) are welcome, was perfect. “We know that Camille loves to involve the public during her concerts. This is the stage above because the public really becomes part of the concert and its success“, details Vincent Anglade. “Camille is placed in the company of a few a cappella singers in the center of the device, with the public all around her in 360 degrees. At the start of the concert, she quickly divides the participants (250 people maximum per performance) into different groups of sounds, according to age and range of voices. Then each group is coached by a professional singer. It is a creation in situ live according to the energy of the moment. Everyone can participate in this kind of giant choir, no need to know how to sing, it’s ‘come as you are’. The more the public gets involved, the more they feel included, the more successful it is.” With this free and sharing singer, playful and benevolent, there can be no wrong note.

Camille LALÀLIVE – Saturday July 9 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Philharmonie Studio)

The Days Off festival, from July 2 to 13, 2022 at the Philharmonie de Paris
Consult the whole program (also with Kings of Convenience, St Vincent, Kae Tempest, Leonie Pernet, Lucie Antunes…)