Neil Young, Santana, Blur, Arctic Monkeys, Nick Cave, The Smashing Pumpkins, Patrick Bruel, Phoenix, -M-, Tryo, Sigur Rós, Saez, The Bloody Beetroots, Keny Arkana, Sophie Hunger, the line-up for the 38th Paléo is strong on rock music, from legends to magnificent new talents. The Village du Monde will be navigating in the crystalline waters of the Indian Ocean and parading the cultural riches of this lush region. Festival tickets and passes will go on sale at midday on Wednesday 24 April on www.paleo.ch and at all usual sales outlets.
To each evening its legend! Neil Young on Tuesday, The Smashing Pumpkins on Wednesday, Santana on Thursday, Nick Cave on Friday, Blur on Saturday and Patrick Bruel on Sunday: whatever their ages, these stars still shine with the intensity of their brilliant youth and promise to light up the Asse plain. Throughout their careers, they have inspired generations of artists with their perpetual musical exploration, some of whom will be sharing the Festival’s stages with them. From the Arctic Monkeys to Beach House, from Phoenix to Sophie Hunger, from Sigur Rós to Crystal Fighters, from -M- to Etienne de Crécy, from Benjamin Biolay to Saez or from Raphael to Bastian Baker, these artists have joined the legends at the top of the bill.
At their sides, the new generation is blooming. In the front row, the amazing voice of Asaf Avidan, the catchy folk of the English group Alt-J – lining up on the new Arches stage –, the hard rock of Danko Jones, the cajun’n’roll of the Geneva-based Mama Rosin, the tormented blues’n’roll of Two Gallants – on the bill at the newly transformed Détour –, the French rock of Saez, the Frenchy coldwave of Lescop, the indie garage of Palma Violets, the French pop of BB Brunes, the rock soul of The Animen, or the kraut rock of Bombers.
Electro, a loquacious genre in its own right, is in constant evolution. Whether with The Bloody Beetroots and their aggressive electro punk, or the electro funk of Breakbot, the sombre techno of Gesaffelstein, the high-voltage Portuguese outfit Buraka Som Sistema, the dubstep of Dirtymadsound feat. Oxsa or the down tempo of Bit-Tuner, the Asse site will be vibrating until the early hours. The elegant Germans of Brandt Brauer Frick will be gratifying the audience with their samples of classical instruments in an intimate electro set.
With Protoje & The Indiggnation, rising stars of the new Jamaican generation and The Skints, newcomers on the original English ska scene, reggae will be digging the groove at the Festival. In a soul spirit inspired by James Brown, the Trinidadian Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band will be chanting their prose to a backing of African brass and percussion. Hip-hop will be electrifying the Festival, notably with the grime of Dizzee Rascal, the crazy rappers of Stupeflip, the French rap revelation Gaël Faye, the powerful lyrics of Youssoupha and Oxmo Puccino, a slammer who plays poetically with the French language.
Speaking of the French language, there’s Tryo, an acoustic reggae formation, but also Benjamin Biolay and his classy, English-style pop rock, Raphael, in a regenerated pop vein, and the Valais-born Marc Aymon, who will be bringing a few of his own special guests.
Full steam ahead for the Indian Ocean!
For its 11th edition, the Village du Monde will be cruising the waters of the Indian Ocean, between the East coast of Africa and the neighbouring islands, including Madagascar, Reunion, Mauritius and Mayotte. It will be celebrating the region’s cultural, gastronomic and musical talents, presenting an array of artists, who integrate rock, rap, electro and dubstep into their creations. Right up front there will be the South Africans of Skip&Die, with their mix of traditional music and reggae dubstep, Shangaan Electro and their high-voltage new-wave dance music, the electro punk of Jagwa Music and the Mahoran hip-hop of Bo Houss. With them, the Afro-fusion of Mokoomba, the Ethiopian Mulatu Astatke, considered to be the father of Ethio-jazz, Nathalie Natiembé, off-the-wall singer full of punk spirit and Christine Salem, with her deep vocal timbre and her raw, committed Maloya. Deba, an ensemble of Mahoran women inspired by Muslim cultural practices, will be presenting their a capella singing and graceful dancing.
On Sunday, the honour of performing the Festival’s traditional classical music concert goes to the extraordinary French clarinettist, Paul Meyer and the Lausanne-based string ensemble, Le Concert Européen. They will be playing works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, including the Concerto for clarinet K. 622.
With Michael Gregorio, the extraordinary French impersonator, the Festival will be ending on a highly comic musical note, as he imitates a selection of singers and artists, who are not usually the target of this kind of pastiche, from Vincent Delerm to Jacques Brel, and including AC/DC, U2 and The Clash.
Tickets and passes will be on sale from midday on Wednesday 24 April (reduced prices available until 30.04) on www.paleo.ch and at all the usual sales outlets.