Days Off Festival

Text: Aidan Mac Guill    Image: Kevin Westenberg

It's summer, it's (finally) hot out, everyone is experiencing a strange and overpowering urge to drink beer from a plastic cup, it can only mean one thing: it's festival season. Of course the French have not immediately warmed to the charms of the festival: drinking the equivalent of a small vat of alcohol before breakfast, sun-burn, tents, UV paint, over-priced under-cooked burgers, waking up beside total strangers, and short-term memory loss. Indeed they've even attempted their own version of the music festival, which leaves out all of the above, and puts the focus instead on something called “music”. Case in point, the 'Days Off Festival'. Over eight nights a diverse array of groups will be performing in the beautiful Cite de la Musique at Parc de la Villette, and at the Salle Pleyel.

One of the highlights promises to be The Fitzcarraldo Sessions, a collaborative night of music and the brainchild of members of Paris based band Jack The Ripper. Their album 'We Hear Voices' featured the likes of Tindersticks' Stuart Staples, Joey Burns of Calexico, Phoebe Killdeer from Nouvelle Vague, Moriarty, Archive's Craig Walker and a joyous clamor of fiddle, oboe, drum, guitar, banjo and bass. Performing on the night will be Dominique A, Moriarty, Abel Hernandez, Walker and many more. Support comes from the excellent Patrick Watson and his Wooden Arms and the new wunderkind of French chanson Arnaud Fleurent-Didier, who's had critics name-checking Benjamin Biolay and Serge Gainsbourg in reviews of his latest 'La Reproduction'. Fleurent-Didier will perform a piece written especially for the festival.

Modern-day Keats/tiresome self-destructing songwriter/dangerous junkie (delete as appropriate) Pete Doherty's show is certain to be a sell-out. Doherty is afforded the status of a demigod by certain Parisians obsessed with British music, fauxhemian values and skinny jeans. It seems these days he actually bothers to show up to his gigs (there is a recession on), and with the promise of special guests (and given that Doherty is due to reunite with old band The Libertines for the festival circuit this summer) it might be worth popping along in case Julian Barat & Co show up. If so, you might be lucky enough to catch a fleeting glimpse of the old Libertines magic. If not, another messy installment of sad self-parody awaits. Support comes from Sing Tank, which is a solid name for a band.

Marking the 40th anniversary of The Beatles' 'Let It Be' a special performance of the album will take place under the direction of former member of The Pogues and esteemed producer David Coulter. A host of artists including Camille O'Sullivan, Lonely Dear and Yael Naim amongst many others will be performing on the night.

Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas takes time off from whoring himself to multinational footwear companies and getting fat to bring his solo show to Paris. His new album isn't very good but hopefully he'll play some of the old Strokes classics. Support comes from big label-backed French pop upstarts Candy Clash, who sing songs about girls in adorably broken English.

Cerebral Irish songwriter Neil Hannon's output may have diminished in quality over the years but the former Divine Comedy frontman still boasts a remarkably lengthy back catalogue of pop perfection. Much feted by the French, who admire the Brelian quality of his oeuvre, he's collaborated in recent years with Air and Charlotte Gainsbourg. He'll be supported by outstanding Californian folk-singer Alela Diane, who'll be performing alongside her dad, possibly keeping good on a New Years resolution to spend more time with her family. Meanwhile French singer and electronic composer Emilie Simon will be performing tracks from her last album 'The Big Machine', alongside assorted invited friends.

Should be a wonderful week and a bit, and this writer will be on hand every night in the VINGT Paris festival tent to provide UV paint, burgers, plastic cups and powerful hallucinogens to all.

Days Off Festival

July 02 - 08

Cite De La Musique

221 avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019

Metro: Porte de Pantin

Salle Pleyel

252 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008

Metro: Ternes