Nice-Premium: The Children of Rock Grow Up in Nice. The 6th edition of this festival will take place on May 30 and 31 next. Can you remind us of the original concept and how did The Children of Rock come about in Nice a little over two years ago?
Patrice Bouchon: The initial observation is simple: there are more and more good bands in Nice and its surroundings. Unfortunately, they cannot all play regularly.
As there are very few venues that allow bands to play their own compositions around here, and the opportunities to play are consequently quite limited, we started with the idea of trying to rotate a line-up of bands in several venues.
At the start of the project, in August 2006, I wanted to organize rock nights with bands from the department.
We started at Volume, scheduling Maupity and In Vitraux, two groups already accustomed to playing in local pubs.
So, initially, the Children of Rock was a touring thematic evening. I had not yet thought of making it a real festival… We had the “return match” at Ajm de Monaco, mid-November 2006. Result? A total flop. Almost no one came, except the musicians’ girlfriends, and a few rare friends of the two bands…
The following week, we scheduled 4 local bands (Maupity, In Vitraux, Amadeus Tappioka, and My Diet Pill) at the Salle 700, made available to us by the General Council of AM. Almost 400 people turned up.
So, the concept needed improvement…
NP: Did you then imagine being able to bring Axel Bauer, Blankass, Matmatah, or even Louis Bertignac?
Patrice Bouchon: The basic idea of booking departmental bands has remained the same from the beginning. However, it is true that by the end of 2006, I thought that the best way to help and “highlight” all these bands was to schedule them in a real concert hall (Nikaรฏa, Thรฉรขtre de Verdure…), opening for a headline act.
In March 2007, the Children of Rock 4 at the Salle 700 welcomed Eiffel and gave Maupity and Solid State the chance to share the same stage.
Then, as I’ve been lucky enough to work in this industry for a few years, I was already very regularly in contact with the majority of agents and producers. Therefore, when I called them and told them that the Children of Rock was turning into a real festival, and moving to the Thรฉรขtre de Verdure in Nice, they were very interested and immediately offered their rock artists.
I didn’t really have any trouble bringing Matmatah and Louis Bertignac for the 5th edition of the Children of Rock. Matmatah’s agent trusted me almost immediately. As for Bertignac, it was a bit of a fluke. I was wondering if we could organize a festival over two consecutive days, with a headline act each evening, and I was visiting a lot of artists’ websites. When I got to Louis’s site, I saw that he wanted to extend his tour (even though he was not supposed to tour in 2007). So, I called his production who didn’t take long to convince him. Louis had already come with Tรฉlรฉphone and had very fond memories of the Thรฉรขtre de Verdure.
Let’s face it, in addition to my contact book, the location that now hosts the festival counts a lot.
Many artists and agents know the Thรฉรขtre de Verdure in Nice, which hosted the best of international rock and variety in the 80s. And for the few who don’t know it, just mentioning that the Mediterranean Sea is nearby is enough to make them hurry!
NP: Present to us the artist choice for 2008. How was the choice made for Kaolin, Blankass, Mademoiselle K, and Axel Bauer?
Patrice Bouchon: When I started thinking about the lineup for the 6th Children of Rock in June 2007, I didn’t yet know how many bands would be scheduled. However, I absolutely wanted Mademoiselle K.
I knew she was due to release an album in 2008, as I was already in contact with her production. Additionally, the last time she came to Nice, in February 2007 at the Forum Nice Nord, I was working with the association that organized the concert. I really liked her quirky universe, and it took me a few days to get over it. I had received her at the Printemps de Bourges in April 2007, and she had already come a long way since then.
I therefore contacted her production almost 1 year ahead, and it worked. When they set up the tour, they kept a spot for Nice. I had done the same for Matmatah for the 5th edition of the festival…
For the other artists, it was a bit different. Indeed, when you schedule a festival, you take options on as many artists as possible, with two major imperatives: the musical style (rock) and the date.
For the 2008 edition of the Children of Rock, I had set the period more than a year before: it would be the last weekend of May. Many agents tried to get me to change the dates, but I didn’t give in. In 2007, I had made the mistake of organizing the festival the same weekend as the Monaco F1 Grand Prix and the closing of the Cannes Film Festival, which had caused me very serious problems in accommodating the artists.
When I called the agents, they sent me a list of artists who would be touring in 2008.
Then, we launched a survey on MySpace. The audience could vote for the artists (French and international) they wanted to see. More than 500 people responded. This helped us a lot, as trends emerged.
I then chose the rock artists that I would like to schedule and/or that the audience would like to see, and I contacted the agents to find out if such and such artist was available on the festival dates, and to negotiate the financial and technical conditions.
In the end, I had placed an option on almost all the French rock bands on tour in 2008, to have a maximal choice.
For Axel Bauer, I had worked with his production on other artists they represent. When I saw that Axel would be available, I didn’t hesitate. For me, he is one of the best French guitarists. Plus, his hits were part of my youth. Many did not understand this programming choice. But I stand by it.
As for Kaolin and Blankass, I thought about it for a long time. Not that I question their artistic interest, but as I already had Mademoiselle K headlining the first night, and Axel Bauer the second night, the fact of scheduling them in addition meant there would be 2 headliners per night. And then, you see things a bit differently! After much reflection, there will therefore be 4 groups per night: 2 headliners and 2 “locals”.
I really like Kaolin. I discovered them with the album “De retour dans nos criques” in 2004, and I had been struck by their sound. At the time, they told me the band would never work… Two years later, they were playing on all the radios with “Partons Vite”. Even though this title reflects only partially what they are capable of doing on stage. They have often come to the department for concerts, but at times when the local audience did not have the opportunity to see them: either in the summer in Juan with Superbus, or during the Midem in Cannes. It will be the first time at the Thรฉรขtre de Verdure.
As for Blankass, I think everyone remembers “La croisรฉe” or “La couleur des blรฉs”.
They had just changed tour operators, and signed with the same as Matmatah! Chance works in mysterious ways. Even though the band has had an up-and-down career, they still have a considerable number of fans, and their music is still as good. The current media exposure makes it seem like when an artist is no longer talked about, they are believed to have ended their career. However, Blankass has never stopped touring and making music.
Moreover, I knew that the band was releasing a live album in 2008, so that was timely. I recommend the live album, it’s excellent.
NP: Same question for those who will precede them on stage: Esperanza, The Human, In Vitraux, and Pascal Mono?
Patrice Bouchon: For the departmental groups, I wanted to innovate. The choice went through the MySpace network. The groups had to apply only through MySpace, and send us a link to their page.
I no longer wanted to receive hundreds of demos that we no longer have time to listen to.
The advantage of this method is that all the groups are on the same level.
When I arrived on their page, I had everything in front of me, and in my ears: a few representative tracks, some video, a presentation, links. In short, the artistic aspect took precedence.
Indeed, I didn’t want to schedule a group just because it had already played in a Zenith or on a large stage, or because it had a 25 cm thick press review, or because it knew someone… In short, all the reasons that sometimes lead a programmer to choose one group over another.
We received more than 100 requests from groups. We immediately eliminated those who had never performed concerts. To be scheduled at the Thรฉรขtre de Verdure, you must be used to the stage. I know that may seem like a vicious cycle, but when I listen to a group that sings compositions with an approximate English accent, who has done only 2 concerts in their life, and can’t even tune their guitar, I’m doing them a favor by not scheduling them. That’s what I tried to explain to some groups who had applied. I think they understood.
This allowed me to discover a good dozen quality groups living in the department or the region. I’ll schedule them very soon, but they don’t know it yet…
For the 2008 edition of the Children of Rock, we selected Esperanza and Human ET for the first evening, and In Vitraux for the second. I had already seen the 3 groups on stage. I knew it could work.
The case of Pascal Mono is a bit different. Although he lives here, he doesn’t have the same background as the other departmental groups.
I had discovered him last year, at the Les Nuits Guitare festival in Beaulieu. I had liked his style and his voice. Since I don’t watch all the TV nonsense, I had heard that he had participated in the Thing Academy, but I hadn’t seen him.
So I discovered him on stage, so I scheduled him based on artistic interest.
However, a little something had caught my attention. In our survey to help us choose the headliners, the public could suggest the artists of their choice. And many had suggested Mono. It’s crazy to see the power of TV!
So I officially added him to the survey, just to see. He scored well! Whatever happens, I already wanted to schedule him before launching the survey. That reinforced my choice.
NP: A few words about the other concerts organized by Ivoire Music. What are the next notable dates that readers of Nice-Premium should mark on their calendars?
Patrice Bouchon: Even though the Children of Rock festival represents a large part of Ivoire Music’s activity, I try not to limit myself to one musical style. The festival will have proven that rock can perfectly have its place in Nice.
Besides that, we hope to see you on April 26 at the Salle 700, with the Blรฉrots de Ravel and Chinaski, or on Friday, July 11 at the Thรฉรขtre de Verdure with the Rabeats, the best French tribute band to the Beatles. The atmosphere changes the next day with the Psy 4 de la Rime, one of the best French rap groups.
I’m working on the programming of the Autumn concerts. For now, I’m not saying anything…
NP: Finally: Is a 7th edition already planned?
Patrice Bouchon: I would gladly say yes. But it depends a lot on the success of the 6th edition, but also on the artists who will be touring in 2009. Some tour periods are already defined, but most will be decided in a few months.
However, I sincerely hope to establish this festival in the heart of Nice, at the end of May. I even already have some programming ideas…
