from The Blaze to Tame Impala, relive our favorite concerts from the third day of the festival

After a first day under the sign of shrill riffs and English rock, a second half-opening the doors to an extended musical family, the third day of the Rock en Seine festival at the Domaine de Saint-Cloud was an opportunity to invite a large number distant cousins ​​of rockers. Dreamlike pop, nostalgic electro, sweet rap, and psychedelic rock: this Saturday, August 27, we offer you the favorites that surprised, rocked, and delighted our ears at Rock en Seine.

The November Ultra bubble

5:45 p.m. More noise in the crowd. On the intimate stage of the Bosquet, all ears are riveted on an angelic voice, adorned with a fine piano melody. The lullaby nostalgia / ultra is delicately heard. No resistance possible: the melodious embrace of November Ultra will captivate the hearts of festival-goers for the next 45 minutes. “Hi Rock en Seine! If someone had told me that one day I could say that.” The 33-year-old French singer is alone on stage, moved and attacked by a blazing sun. However, the “bedroom pop” of Nova (his nickname) irremediably attracts the public to his musical haven.

Whether on Gretsch guitar or synth, November Ultra stretches its padded bubble around thousands of conquered festival-goers. open arms, the end, the carousel (Where “Household chores” as the Americans say according to her)… Then her tube soft and tender : all the pop-folk of his first album Bedroom Walls (released in April) offers a suspended moment at the festival. In the front row, some let shivers (and even a few micro-tears) invade their bodies. Surely touched by the accuracy and spontaneity of an often joking singer. Nova’s smile radiates: “We are among friends, aren’t we?

The Communion of The Blaze

While some won’t leave Jamie XX’s quasi-techno jolts on the big stage, others are slowly starting to drift away. Head to the Cascade stage and The Blaze. The choice of the party rather than the club. Rising to the heights of electro since their first album dance hall in 2018 (rewarded with a Victoire de la Musique), the two French cousins ​​face each other. Solemn keyboards, warm light spots, male choirs, then effective bass and kicks. In a few moments, the pit vibrates to the rhythms of the sometimes house, sometimes electro-pop, and always catchy notes of Guillaume and Jonathan Alric. She, Runaway, Seats… Transported by the musical communion, thousands of people let go.

Some even prefer to keep their eyes closed,like Mael, “comforted” by the melodies “nostalgic” of the duo. Others let themselves be carried away by a journey making the visual and the auditory inseparable. Behind the cousins, half a dozen screens swivel according to the images and the dances of lights, supporting each piece. Clip excerpts, black and white drawings, incandescent color palettes… Their undeniable talent for video (expressed for example in the clip of the hypnotic piece Virile) is transposed into the scenography. After the visual epic of Kraftwerk, and with the dazzling ring of Tame Impala to come, Rock en Seine’s electricity bill is starting to add up. But the show is worth the candle (or the bulbs).

Lala &ce or the blow of sirocco

Fifteen minutes of waiting, and still nothing. “Ah well that’s the rappers huh, don’t be in a hurry”, strangles in our ear a photographer visibly tired of waiting for the arrival of the rapper Lala &ce. The public doesn’t seem to be complaining about it, much too ambienced by the DJ who is busy above his mixing desk. A silhouette arrives on stage with a confident gait. Platinum blonde mane, leather mini skirt and latex thigh-high boots, the rapper announces the color. After the breath of fresh air brought by November Ultra, Lala &ce is in danger of causing a sirocco blast on the Bosquet stage.

Like his last album SunSystemit opens on Good time, carried by the singing of a few fans in the front rows. “Show me some love”, she asks, in a voice made up of auto-tune, which we would have liked more raw during her interactions with the public. Whether on control Where wet, Lala &CE proves once again that her scorching lyrics are cut to bring bodies together. Difficult for us also to resist the call of the sensual Nectarbut the psychedelic rock of Tame Impala at the other end of the estate draws us in like the siren song.

The Wizards of Tame Impala

“Kevin, Kevin, Kevin”. Having the ribcage compressed against the barriers does not prevent the true fans from having the breath to cheer Kevin Parker, thinking head of the Tame Impala formation. On stage, a huge ring floats above the keyboards and strings. Its usefulness is obscure, but knowing the universe of the artist, one suspects that the machine which dominates the scene is a happy omen. The lights go out, the delirious crowd screams. At the back of the stage, a video broadcasts the message of a young woman with a sanitized look, which deliberately recalls that of a bad pharmaceutical ad. The screams cover the speech, but from the little that we manage to hear, we understand that we are about to experiment with a whole new treatment. Gradually, the host’s face becomes distorted, his speech slows down. “What is this madness, it looks like a bad trip”we hear in the assembly.

Kevin Parker appears, jeans, T-shirt and floral shirt on the back. With folded hands, he greets as usual an audience thirsty for his psychedelic verve. At his side his musicians including the French drummer Julien Barbagallo, “the best drummer in the world” according to the Australian, visibly at ease in French. The kind of ring-flying saucer lights up and throws a reddish light on the faces of the festival-goers. Kévin’s youthful voice springs and transcends us from the first notes.

Breathe Deeper, Elephant, Eventually, Feels Like We Only Go Backwards, Runway, Houses, City, Clouds, The Less I know the Better, Some Old Mistakes. For an hour and a half, these magicians play their biggest hits and go back in time to the artistic creation of their albums, from the last The Slow Rush at Innerspeaker. Rain of confetti, lasers, smoke machines: we understand better why seven trucks were mobilized to transport the equipment for this breathtaking scenography. This enjoyable cocktail between sound and light manages to intoxicate the festival-goers crowded near the main stage. The atmosphere is magnetic, cabalistic. We tell you: Tame Impala took us on a dreamlike journey, which in fact grants them the place of the best concert of the day.

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.