"With your masks, I don't really see if you smile, yawn or sleep. But I hope you will be pleasantly disappointed. He is a little feverish, Martin Luminet, but he does not lack humor. This young singer from Lyon is testing his young songs this Tuesday afternoon without a microphone in front of twenty spectators who do not know him. They discover each other in the singular setting of "The house of enigmas" and a discovery of La Rochelle secret on foot.
An unusual and erudite two-hour stroll that stopped in a church yard with the very young pop-rap shoot Sally, in an old convent with the frail guitarist Chien Noir and in a hotel courtyard with Fils Cara, sa poetry and his brother at the piano. "It's great to discover new talents and the city at the same time," says Eric, who came at the invitation of local friends. It's a great way to experience the Francos anyway. "
This is one of the novelties of the "Francos dans l'air", this 35th edition of the "Corona-compatible" Francofolies which started on July 10 and ends on July 14. It symbolizes the will of the flagship festival of French-speaking song to offer, despite the pandemic and the ban on gatherings of more than 5,000 spectators, a stage for young artists supported by its site (Editor's note: its training center) and a boost restaurateurs, hoteliers, merchants ...
"I wanted us to be there anyway," says Gérard Pont, director of Francofolies. As soon as the festival was canceled, I talked about it with the mayor and we imagined a more modest but free and creative version. And from our constraints were born positive things. "
"I didn't hesitate a second to come"
The Francos have innovated by creating their own radio. A nod to their founder, radio man Jean-Louis Foulquier, a wealth of concerts and archives and an open microphone for the twenty artists present ... Radio des Francos only broadcasts for one week on 92.6 FM and on the festival website. Gérard Pont hosts his afternoon show there between Mélanie Bauer and Didier Varrod, from France Inter. Their metal caravan with a breathtaking view of the port has become one of the obligatory passages for these new Francos.
The Francos have also discovered a new beating heart, the Bobinec garden, a charming little park between the station and the port, which hosts evening screenings of unpublished documentaries and mini-concerts in front of masked spectators seated in deckchairs. They are 700 maximum. Very far from the 15,000 spectators usually welcomed at Saint-Jean d'Acre. "Despite the help of private partners, we are a little in debt, but we will make up for it next year", philosopher Gérard Pont. Bobinec opens at 8:30 p.m. Pauline Croze played the first evening, Miossec the second, Gaëtan Roussel and Raphaël in a new duet this Monday evening.
"They both came from Brittany just to play together eight titles and paid a union minimum," enthuses Gérard Pont. "I'm here out of loyalty," smiles Raphaël. Les Francofolies was my very first festival, twenty years ago. And this summer, they watch festivals, like a lighthouse keeper. They call me, I come, even to cook. "I'm not on tour this year, but I didn't hesitate for a second to come," says Gaëtan Roussel. We have already worked together with Raphaël but we have never shared the stage. It's great that something is happening, it's precious. "
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This Tuesday, the Francos will put on their festive clothes. At 8 pm sharp, the people of Rochelais are invited to commune in a huge karaoke on "Another World", the anthem of Telephone. Then, 1,200 privileged people - who have already withdrawn their ticket - will meet in the Bobinec garden for the final concert with eight artists from the Site and a few guests. Again, the Francos promise surprises ...
