By Writing Saint-Malo
Published on
The Rock Road presents its 17e winter collection, from March 7 to 11, in Rennes then in Saint-Malo. The opportunity to discover the international cream of the electro, pop and rock scene of the moment, with a poster mixing emerging and established artists. The festival begins in Rennes, at the L’Arvor cinema, with a screening of the film by Caroline Catz on Delia DerbyshireBritish pioneer of unconventional electronic music, “never recognized for her true worth except for the composition of the theme of the series Doctor Who in 1963″.
An evening will follow under the sign of musical experimentation with the solo project of Ben Shemie, singer and guitarist of the group Suuns, and the “electronic, hovering or industrial landscapes” of Christophe Bailleau. All at the Rennes Conservatory, Wednesday March 8 from 8:30 p.m.
Direction L’Antipode the next day with the DJ set of Constance Rosa Vertov, then two pop-rock concerts with the Parisians of En attendant Ana and the English of The Cool Greenhouse.
Two evenings at La Nouvelle Vague
It is of course to The New Wave of Saint-Malo that the festival will conclude with ten groups in two evenings. Headlining Friday, March 10 is the reunion of two longtime friends: Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) and Sonic Boom (Peter Kember). After occasional collaborations, they released their first joint album in 2022, Resetan exploration of “the sweet sounds of American doo-wop and rock’n’roll of the 50s and 60s”.
Don’t miss, on Saturday March 11, the Scottish duo Arab Strap, made up of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. Their last album, As Days Get Dark, is “a clever blend of post-rock, subtle electronic music, resonant strings and the unmistakable half-sung, half-spoken voice of Aidan Moffat”. In another genre, the guitarist and singer of Sonic Youth, Lee Ranaldo, will also be on the Saint-Malo scene “accompanied by his acoustic guitar for an intimate concert, featuring the music from his recent album In VirusTimes, an entirely instrumental acoustic work”.
As for Christophe Brault’s quasi-traditional conference, it promises a “psychedelic journey
around the world”, Saturday March 11, at 3 p.m., at La Grande Passerelle. It’s free.
Note that the festival will offer a new vintage of its organic beer Indie Way at L’Antipode and La Nouvelle Vague.
The ticket office is available on www.laroutedurock.com
The program at a glance
- Tuesday March 7 – L’Arvor (Rennes) – 8:15 p.m. Film screening Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and The Legendary Tapes. From 3 to 9.7€.
- Wednesday March 8 – The Rennes Conservatory – 8:30 p.m. Ben Shemie/Christophe Bailleau. 10€
- Thursday March 9 – L’Antipode (Rennes) – 8 p.m. – Waiting for Ana / The Cool Greenhouse / Constance Rosa Vertov. From 11 to 14€.
- Friday March 10 – The New Wave (Saint-Malo) – 7:45 p.m. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom / Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek / Forever Poppy / Nathan Roche / Heimat. 1-day ticket: €25 to €27 / 2-day pass: €45 to €48.
- Saturday March 11 – The New Wave (Saint-Malo) – 7:45 p.m. Arab Strap / Lee Ranaldo / Death Valley Girls / Malik Djoudi / TH da Freak. 1-day ticket: €25 to €27 / 2-day pass: €45 to €48.
- Saturday March 11 – La Grande Passerelle (Saint-Malo). 3 p.m. Lecture by Christophe Brault, Psychedelic Journey around the World. FREE ENTRANCE.
www.laroutedurock.com
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