Friday’s line-up was a perfect example of Paléo’s eclecticism and tendency towards pleasing various tastes. The main stage saw a trio of explosive and chaotic punk-rock bands deliver their crazy show, starting with the French Skip The Use and Shaka Ponk, before The Prodigy. At Les Arches on the other hand, the crowd was a few generations older, as Maxime Le Forestier and Bernard Lavilliers sang all of their old classics.
The first concert of the evening was-according to this Living In Nyon reporter- the best concert of the year. Musical geniuses and incidentally brothers and sisters, Les Ogres de Barback enchanted the crowd at Les Arches with their amazing mix of touching lyrics (written by Freddo, the singer) and beautiful music. Celebrating the 20th year of the band this year – when they started, the twin sisters were 16 years old, playing in venues they were technically not allowed into- they decided to bring along some of their friends, the Fanfare Eyonlé, a brass band from Benin. Most of their songs were rearranged to be played with 10 African musicians, and the additional oomph was great. It is always a great pleasure to see Les Ogres, as they really look like they’re happy to be here with the crowd, sharing a moment of musical bliss and joyous dancing. They finished the concert in style, coming down from the stage and playing acoustically through the whole crowd before disappearing down a side-entrance.
Just as the concert finished and the crowd started drifting apart, it started pouring with rain, taking the festival-goers by surprise. Rain at Paléo always makes for funny sights, as you can see people running through the mud bare-chested, or huddled together under one of the tents. One of the bars became the scene of an impromptu concert, as one of the troupes from La Ruche, a brass band, took refuge under the cover of the tent and played standing on the bar, for the pleasure of the dozens of bedraggled onlookers. The morale was high, the rain failing to dampen the spirits.
Skip The Use did most of their concert in the rain, but the die-hard fans and intrepid festival-goers stayed and pogoed despite the apocalyptic weather. The band’s high-voltage music made it impossible to stay still in front of their enthusiasm. They finished with a reference to the political situation in France, chanting”La jeunesse emmerde le Front National”, the crowd following with passion.
Later on on the main stage, Shaka Ponk’s outrageous show rocked the Asse, as the extravagant singer played with the crowd and made everyone forget the shitty weather. Their delirious mix of punk, electro, pop and rock was accompanied by an impressive visual show. This is another band that the Front National dislikes, calling their music “degenerate”. All in all, I agree with that labelling. But what’s the problem with that, right?
Meanwhile, Fills Monkey delivered their weel-crafted mix of comedy and impressive drumming skills. The two members of the band are both professional drummers, and their show is really impressive. You can see them again tonight (Saturday, 21:30) at the Détour.
After the warm-up, it was time for The Prodigy on the main stage. It was packed, and people were jumping around to the onslaught of sound from the cult band. Pogoing in front of the main stage is part of the Paléo experience, and I would not have missed it for the world. It is always a very interesting place to be, and it is nice to see people show solidarity with one another, picking each other up, or creating a space to help someone try and find their glasses (they did, and in one piece however improbable that seems).
Mustering the remaining energy left over from Prodigy, part of the crowd headed to Les Arches, to check out Carbon Airways. A brother and a sister from France, these two kids (they are 17 and 18 years old!) do an amazing trashy electro, electrifying the crowd with their powerful music. Curious at first, I was very quickly impressed by the show, both of them completely at ease and exploding with energy on stage.
Paléo doesn’t necessarily finish after the last concert, and the camp-site is a good place to continue partying until dawn. A group of punks had brought a guitar and drum-set, and played through a good part of the night, finishing things off in beauty, with an authentic punk feel.
If you want to see what’s going on at anytime of the festival but can’t be bothered to get off your couch (especially with this weather), Paleo has installed a webcam with a live feed on the main stage. (You can currently enjoy watching a few wet volunteers run through the rain to get to shelter)
Due to Yesterday’s heavy rain, ALL the car-parks are closed today. The cars will be redirected to Nyon, where buses will take everyone up to the grounds.
