Oh tra la, was it good for you?

[SaligoBay]

The Fête de Musique last night.   The earth certainly moved for me, and I floated back home in a state of bliss under the werewolfy moon.

REAL music, a group of young guys with long messy hair tied back, some with cute beards, baggy t-shirts or topless, and every single one of them 100% bourré de talent.   And the guy on the violin, talk about half-man-half-fiddle, I could have EATEN him.

NO Edith Piaf to spoil things, just a hugely inspiring mixture of Celtic, reggae, rock, loud and vibrating and full of energy.

Miniature humans running around enjoying themselves, babies for me to cuddle, church behind floodlit, it was un moment de vrai bonheur.

[zeb]

Ours was good too and it was brill to see so many people in the village and loads of yoof! Local bands, bands and singers from further afield and an English Coldplay-style outfit who turn up every year and are enthusiastically welcomed by all. Lots of food, drink and revellery in a little village which is normally very quiet and shuttered up.

Ended in tragedy though for a youngster doing a drunken wheelie with his mates in the small hours. So sad, funeral (which the whole village will turn out for) apres midi.

[Coco]

Did anyone go into Saint Lo (50) last night?  Our friendly "Cave" man told me about it yesterday but as OH is still locked in the attic I didn't think it was fair to go without him.

[SaligoBay]

Merde, zeb, there's just too much of this happening, so many young lives stupidly wiped out, it's horrible.

Tee hee, who's got a long memory for forum trivia, who can remember how I spent last year's Fete de la Musique....... in neighbour's garage, searching for his sawn-off finger and thumb!    So this year's HAD to be better!

My own little tragedy last night was letting Mr SB loose, and he started doing Parent Dancing!!!!      Son tried valiantly to stop him, but he's a big bloke, so son's efforts were in vain, so son quickly decided it was better to distance himself from the spectacle, and disappeared into the crowd.    I know I promised for better and for worse, but this was pushing it to the limits! 

[Alexis]

We had nothing.  Not even an accordian.

There was a big do on Saturday night at a nearby village and there was a choral or organ recital in the Church here on Sunday but blow me, we missed it.

I'm beginning to get concerned about Monsieur.S.B.  Have you stopped drugging him?  All this started when you foolishly allowed him out with money in his pocket.

Next thing you know, it will be a mid-life crisis.  Young girls. . .

[Hoddy]

"and he started doing Parent Dancing!!!! "

It gets worse SB.

We now do Grandparent Dancing.

Hoddy

[Deby]

No Fete de la Musique round these parts - very gutted.  Thought of going to Bordeaux, but dragging two kids in would have been a pain.

I miss these things. The festivities in Grenoble were fantastic.  I remember my last one the one of the canicule which had temperatures of 30+ (bit like last night) - I still think we are in for another heatwave.

Deby

Charente Maritime.

 

[Missy]

Oh! Lucky you all in France!...

My last Fêtes de la Musique was in Paris in June 2000. I was staying with my brother and his wife in Paris. With their friends we had a picnic on the esplanade at the Bibliothèque Nationale (La Grande Bibliothèque) and just wandered through the streets until the wee hours of the morning! It was just wonderful! Saw Oasis FREE of charge on the Place de la République, had an inpromptu salsa lesson near St Germain des Prés (posh for adult dancing!!) We were offered, by other merry revellers, very large glasses of champagne near Place de la Concorde.

A night I will never forget indeed!!

In UK, my Fêtes de la Musique consisted of watching Film Four on Channel 4 and a showing of 'The Last Waltz' by Martin Scorcese. Featuring the very last concert of the group called 'The Band'....Real good 70's music and sod the kids but I did my adult dancing!! Then went to bed (with bottle of Champagne! ) and listened to 'France Inter' broadcasting all the street concerts everywhere!

Ooohhh! I so wanted to be there!

Oh well! there is always next year... Holidays are booked already!!!

[Jon 1]

S.B.

 

Funny the different experiences or perceptions!

Last year we quite enjoyed it.  This year we had a totally different experience and negative feelings.

There were many of the ingredients that you mentioned.  However, it was significantly more congested this time.  The bands in my opinion were very lack lustre.  There was what I would describe as contemporary French oompah, tuneless head bangers, S. American style tympanic which blew your brains out, albeit with a compelling rhythm, Robbie Williams imitators, and one or two others which I find difficult to pigeon-hole.

The very large numbers of youth with the spiky hair etc, and the way they milled about was quite intimidating.  Even more so was the ‘boys in the hood’ dress and hand gestures, of a minority.

There also seemed to be a preponderance of pretty rough looking males and females sporting stubble, studs and tattoos. (possibly in that order)

Although non smokers, we must have inadvertently inhaled quite a few cigarettes because of numbers and proximity.

Due to a fairly chaotic melee my wife was barged (without apology) and consequently experienced the re-activation of a shoulder problem.

Most of the time we were edgy because we kept waiting to have either our own drink spilled over us, or the food and or drink of a clumsy Frenchman/woman/child.

It was also very much a cattle market with the young parading and scanning each other, mobile phone and drink in either hand, interchanged with the ubiquitous cigarette.  There were also socially inept alpha males with pent up aggression practicing karate moves and kicks on each other.

We left the proceedings at midnight, feeling somewhat disjointed in time and space.  I hasten to add that we are not fuddy duddies, but we felt totally alienated from the event.     

On a positive note, there was no observed violence up to the time of our departure.  Whether anything kicked off later, I don’t know, but the following morning we noticed a smashed window and extensive possibly anti-Semitic graffiti along the length of one office unit.

We will possibly give it a miss next year!

[SaligoBay]

Where did you go, Jon?

We went into Montpellier for it a few years ago, but with 2 small children it was just too crowded, too hot, too jostly, and really not 100% pleasant experience.

So now we stay local, we walked into the village, had a drink, had some chips from the van, talked to people, listened to the music, then left again just after midnight, nice atmosphere, no trouble, no dreadlocked SDFs hanging about with their mutts, no police.   Son met up with a few pals from his old school (in the village), he enjoyed his chips, got embarrassed by his dad's dancing antics, and all in all it was just lovely.

So maybe stay small next time?

 

[Jon 1]

Narbonne, S.B.

It was more enjoyable last year, probably because the numbers were smaller.  However, like your experience of Montpellier, it was too crowded, and possibly too dominated by youths, although there were numerous young families in evidence.

The Latino Festival with salsa etc has commenced and the Latino dancing is most enjoyable to watch, and participate in ,if you can dance.  I hope it does not go the way of the other night.

[Jo53]

REAL music, a group of young guys with long messy hair tied back, some with cute beards, baggy t-shirts or topless, and every single one of them 100% bourré de talent.   And the guy on the violin, talk about half-man-half-fiddle, I could have EATEN him.

Oh god, SB, I've recently caught myself looking at young whippersnappers like that and it's SO depressing when I realise they are literally half my age!! It just makes me feel so goddam whistful. A few years ago I would have just thought they were callow. Now they seem cute. Why IS that?

Jo

(Mid-life crisis, moi?)

[SaligoBay]

Next thing you know, it will be a mid-life crisis. 

Mr SB may not live long enough to have a mid-life crisis.   He's just cycled off to work in distant Montpellier (yet again) WITH MY CAR KEYS. 

LOL Jo53, it's awful, isn't it?   Gavin Essler did it for me - I realised I was getting old when I looked at him and thought "Oh bless, bet his mum's really proud of him".   Why him?   Goodness knows, just another mystery of life.