Investigating “the new underground trends of French Music”….I realised how much the printemps de Bourges brings to the French Youth. For the 33rd anniversary of the festival, the weather was ideal and the variety of musical talent was immense. There were 66,800 tickets sold, 40 shows, 800 professionals, and a global frequentation of 220,000 people. The first note of music rang out and signaled the beginning of a Printemps in its new form. Grace, Piers Faccini and Ben Harper opened the festival and 6,000 people attended. It is important to keep in mind that music is a very personal matter and everyone experiences the same artist or musical trend differently. This intimate perception depends on one’s personal history, taste and culture. The fact that each individual approaches a performance differently is what makes a live show so unique and special.
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Piers Faccini – “A home away from Home”
“Tearing Sky”, Piers’s voice reminds of Nick Drake, his poetry. Piers came to the festival with his latest album “Two grains of Sand”, and allowed me a filmed interview and a song “A home away from Home”. Filmed in the Palais Jacques Coeur, the small ITV that follows the song reveals the warm soul, and the talented musician he is.
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Senor Holmes – Harry et Quito @ home
Senor Holmes toured almost 10 years now with their “Roots Caraibean music”… The rythm of Harry’s Jumbe and Quito’s guitar is at the border of many influences from Afro-Latino to Rap, reggae and ballads…
Beautiful melodies and yet undiscovered from the main stream music scene (they auto produced their 2 first albums), Senor Holmes is one of the many jewels that you can run into if you come to Bourges that year.
This little clip was shot with Martine Garrel before their concert. The first song comes from Guy Conkuete “Tous ensemble” followed by a short ITV in French of the 2 musicians and a live version of “Jacko” another great song from their second album …
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Carmen Maria Vega – Rock France
2009 was Carmen Marie Vega’s second year in Printemps de Bourges and the launching of their first album. They performed at “Les trois petits cochons” in 2008 in front of a energized audience and Maria, the lead singer, was electrifying.
She came back to Bourges a year later, at the “Scène des Tontons” for a special evening with Guests. Carmen Maria Vega is a 3 person’s band Max Lavegie, Alain Arnaudet and Carmen Maria Vega. Carmen has an strong stage presence and a theatrical voice, the lyrics and melodies composed by Max transforms the group into a spectacular venue. Carmen is pretending to be a liar, or that she is “misogyne” in Woman hater. At the border of “Musette”, she makes fun of the world we live in by making fun of herself, pretending characters.
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Coeur de Pirate – Folk Canada
The one and only, beautiful, extraordinary «melowoman», Béatrice Martin, alias «Coeur de Pirate», signed her first album that year and came to the Printemps with her label. A very talented artist, a gifted pianist, a charismatic singer with a fairy voice. To listen without moderation. She recently won the 2009 French music award.
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Bonnie Prince Billy
Printemps de Bourges 2009 – Folk USA –
The legendary Will Oldham alias Bonnie Prince Billy or Palace, has delivered over 20 albums. Right after “Beware” a beautiful album, the inventor of Post country neo neo folk Psycho blue grass brought us his sublime music to the printemps this year. Here, he is performing with Susanna Wallumrod a Norwegian voice.
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Matthieu Boogaerts
Matthieu Boogaerts and Piers Faccini have both signed with the same music label “Tot ou Tard“. I met Matthieu for a few minutes the day after his great performance that year in Bourges.
Matthieu came to the festival with his latest album “I Love you”, hard to describe and not to feel the memory of the intimacy of the new music of words that Matthieu excells in. The brilliant artist plays with words, feelings and melodies like a bee on a flour, he mesures every step and the result is absolutely astonishing. Judge for yourself by going to his latests videos and samples on line.
In the meantime, here is the short stolen interview of Matthieu in between two performances.
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I want to finish this small review mentioning Misja Fitzgerald Michel for its guitar work on Nick Drake, I was blown away by the talent of this great musician. My last concert of the festival was at the «Living», the Dandy Freaks : costumes, energetic music, vitality with a scenic presence.
Official Festival :
1- Grace – Pier Faccinni – Ben Harper and relentless7
18- Sammy de Coster – Victor Demé – Matthieu Boogaerts
22 – Mansfield Tya – Emily Loizeau
11 – The Von Bondies – Stuck in the sound Lucy and the Popsonics
19 – Frida Hyvonen – Larin Grimm – Sophie Hunger
3 – Arthur H – Anais – Ayo – Amadou et Mariam
27 – Misja Fitzgerald Michel – Kyrie Kristmanson – Mélissa Laveau – Jouyaté – Keziah Jones – Toots and the Mayals – Patrice
14 – 80 Kidz – Battant – Shini Osawa
28 – Coeur de Pirate – Luciole – La grande Sophie
21 – Scary Mansion – Susanna Wallumrod – Bonnie Prince Billy
5 – Rock’n Beat Party – Izia – Birdy Nam Nam – Laurent Garnier – Miss Kittin and the Hacker – Solange Lafrange
Festival «off» :
Senor Holmes @ “Home”
Carmen Maria Vega @ “la scène des tontons” in the garden-
Funky town @ “Espace découverte du Printemps” –
L’herbe Folle @ pub des jacobins-
Lenny et l’horchestre Tournée générale @ dans une sombre ruelle –
Dandy Freaks @ Living
