Rover: the discovery of Crazy Week!!!

Last night, at the Théâtre de Verdure, it was time for discoveries. One above all: Rover. Three guys who gave the audience goosebumps, worthy of having made the trip.

The evening started with Dallas Frasca, an Australian singer with powerful rock, playing to an intimate crowd. We could have guessed it. As soon as something isn’t on repeat on the radio, it doesn’t draw crowds. Unfortunately… Because the evening had some nice things to offer.

Second came Jil is Lucky, in espadrilles. A band that started locally, even though the name is starting to be heard regularly, among other things for their “The Wanderer” used in the “Flower by Kenzo” advertisement. Jil Bensénior, singer-songwriter-performer, is accompanied by his older brother, Julien, better known as “Bensé” to handle certain bass lines, guitar, and vocals. Four other musicians follow: keyboards, guitar, drums, everything’s there. Except for the shoes that the lead singer tosses behind him in the middle of the concert. During their set we learn that Jil loves playing at home, not coming back to “the country” very often. He tells us about his memories of prom where he swam, met people, got into fights at slightly too late hours, leaving old Nice. He asks us if we know Garibaldi Square and the climb to Cimiez. Just in case there are really lost tourists… 😉 True to his cap, he still reinvents himself in live performances, changing studio versions of his compositions from one concert to the next.

Then, attention attention, here comes THE discovery of Crazy Week this year: Rover. Timothée Régnier spent his childhood in New York and so quite naturally chose English as his preferred language. He arrives on stage, dressed entirely in black, sunglasses on his nose, to start a concert with something like Elvis. And there, it’s a shock. A magical voice. It grooves, shifting from crooner in the low notes to diva in the high notes with a humble attitude and kindness that jumps right out at you. Singer and guitarist of his project, the leader is accompanied by a drummer whose velocity we’re still amazed by when we wake up, and a bassist whose instrument dominates most of the tracks. A very particular style, music that goes off the beaten path, urgent listening: www.deezer.com/fr/artist/406186

The audience hoped to buy an album at the exit but the group hadn’t brought their merch stand. One more reason to love them: they’re not commercialists. They come, they play, they share, they enjoy the present moment, even noting the alignment of the moon with the statue on the forecourt, improvising fresh transitions adapted to the setting. A real heartfelt discovery. Both artistic and human. “Tonight,” we savor having made the trip, not in great numbers, but quality is better than quantity, isn’t it?

And finally, here come the Concrete Knives, a group of young people, eccentric, jumping everywhere on stage, coloring the setting with their outfits (not with lighting, too sparse) going so far as golden/sequined shoes for the singer/guitarist in a red cap, shifting from genteel pop at the start to quasi-metal sounds the next instant. And of course, as their name suggests, they sing in English here too. You have to say that getting French to sound good in rock melodies isn’t something everyone can manage. We know a few who do manage this feat though… 😉

In any case tonight, it will be sung in French: meet up with Raphaël and Olivia Ruiz for a double bill, preceded by Clarcèn in the opening slot. Festivities kick off at 7:30 p.m. at the Théâtre de Verdure. The wild week continues!