The members of the group Louise Attaque are back on stage to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut album. A disc that has sold more than 2.5 million copies. For a whole day, on April 26, 2022, they will replay all the songs from the album, in six free concerts and by reservation, at the Elysée Montmartre in Paris. They look back on their journey, but above all on the stage, a source of oxygen for this legendary French rock group, which after a moment of absence only dreams of one thing, finding its audience.
franceinfo: Arnaud Samuel and Gaëtan Roussel, you are members of the rock group, Louise Attaque, created in 1994. It was in 1997 that your first eponymous album was released. Finally, your group was built on stage thanks to a receptive, attentive, bewitched public despite the absence of radios at your beginnings…
Gaetan Roussel: It’s true that at the beginning, there were no radios, they arrived later. There was no media as a rule. Well, it happens and it doesn’t matter. The proof, we, we trudged on stage especially.
Hundreds of concerts, millions of spectators. This first disc is, still today, one of the best-selling albums of all time in France in the history of French rock. It was 25 years ago and yet it feels like yesterday as your songs have never ceased to accompany us. Your songs haven’t aged a bit. Haven’t you yourself taken a wrinkle in the soul, in the heart, in the energy?
Gaetan Roussel: In energy, we hope not!
We didn’t lose energy because we continued to make music together and also elsewhere.
Gaëtan Roussel from Louise Attackat franceinfo
The energy is found, the vases being communicating, it is found here and there. But in any case, we will go back on stage to play his songs for the 25th anniversary with great pleasure.
Did you understand very quickly that what was inside this album and the energy of this band were going to give something?
Arnaud Samuel: Anyway, we didn’t know what it was going to be like when we recorded it at the time, but we were pretty proud of ourselves because we felt like we recorded the album we wanted. all do. So we weren’t too worried about that. Afterwards, of course, we had no idea what would become of him.
And I would even add that recently, I was at a concert of Gaëtan in solo, at the Parisian scene, and in the room, there is a gentleman who approached me and who said to me: “You would not be the violinist of the group Louise Attaque?“I said yes, and then he continued: “But you know, sir, really well done because your band is part of our lives“. And that’s really something that touched me a lot because it was direct, I didn’t expect it and nearby, my comrade was on the stage. And I think that also sums up the impact of this album. So obviously, afterwards, we made others, but I think that this one made an impression and earned us this kind of compliment today. It’s very touching.
It is true that the spirit of the group has never been affected. There were, of course, solo and duo projects, the Dragons, Tarmac and great collaborations like with Alain Bashung, but Louise Attaque remains a space of freedom.
Louise Attaque is a space of freedom, it’s a backbone.
Gaëtan Roussel from Louise Attackat franceinfo
Gaetan Roussel: We are used to saying: a group, we only have one, that does not mean that we cannot forge musical and other links with others, and that is what we did. I think that even sometimes, at certain periods of our lives and the life of the group, it has been life-saving. It was sometimes a little stretched then it came back. Us, when we were little, we didn’t know what would happen to us what happens to a lot of groups is that all of a sudden, one of the members would no longer be part of the team. It happened. The architecture has changed. I believe that today, Louise Attaque’s space is even more a space of freedom than at a time when we were cramped for a thousand reasons and that’s normal, 25 years is a long time. When we started, we were kids, but today, it’s true that it’s a space of freedom.
It was 25 years ago, in your album, Louise Attackthe titles : Your invitation, I bring you with wind, Parisian nights well you’re going to replay everything on stage and in the order of appearance of the songs on the album! It’s still strong! And this morning, at 10 o’clock, the invitation fell: You invite all listeners and spectators to attend six free concerts that you are going to give.
Gaetan Roussel: When you celebrate your birthday, the least you can do is invite people. Here, then, we made this choice to be with as many people as possible and to do this live stream at 7 p.m. on April 26, 2022, so that those who could not come or who did not have tickets, can see, if they also want to, this disc, played today.
Arnaud, is the stage your life, the lung, the heart of Louise Attaque? An eye-to-eye sharing?
Arnaud Samuel: Yes it is certain. We were born with it and we have always shared with the public. It cannot be otherwise.
Is that also Louise Attaque, four people who occupy the same place in the group?
Arnaud Samuel: Yes. And the character of Louise, which Robin (Feix) drew and which is a bit of the four of us, represents a bit, not only the sum, but a different element which is the summary, which is a bit our collective proposal represented by a young woman who discusses with the public, dialogues with the public. a synthesis and someone different who is a bit beyond us.
Finally, Gaëtan, to attend these free concerts, do you have to book?
Gaetan Roussel: One must reserve. There is a link that is on our social networks that you can find. It’s very simple, click on it and register. If you have seats, it’s good. We want people to want to come and that we share that moment, with this little central stage, so that we can be as close as possible to everyone. It’s a room that doesn’t usually have this configuration and so we hope people will rush to this link!