The “crazy week” continued last night with two new headliners (Lilly Wood & the Prick and Yodelice) and an excellent opening act (Blofeld) made in Nice. Among these first three evenings of the festival, this was undeniably the one that filled the Théâtre de Verdure the most. With the lovers of the handsome Maxim Nucci, we expected it a bit.
The festivities thus began with a local band, Blofeld, surprising indeed. We were struck by the thick, reddish hair of the solo guitarist whose instrument seemed like an extension of his arm (or soul). The singer, with a rapper look and a metal voice worthy of Zack de La Rocha (Rage Against The Machine) swaying to funky riffs, fired up the audience right from the start. Fortunately, he sprayed them with his water bottle a little later to prevent them from literally catching fire. A truly great discovery on our azure shores—didn’t I tell you yesterday that rock was not dead in Nice? (cf concert report from July 20)
Then comes along a band with a completely different style, with a Lilly, or rather a Nili (Hadida is her real name) whose jazzy voice falls somewhere between the sultry tones of Norah Jones and the fiery inflections of Courtney Love. Far from the heavy rock’n’roll instruments of the previous band, Lilly Wood and the Prick offer fresh music, with an English accent hinting at their French nationality, even though the miss lived in England and California before moving to Paris. At 25, Nili, who barely looks 18, and her partner Benjamin Cotto with a Hawaiian look who seems no older, share their compositions with evident enthusiasm from the crowd. With a “public revelation” trophy at the music awards and tracks chosen for brand ads like Guerlain (fragrance Idylle) and Virgin (TV ad campaign), the group, and especially the singer, exude great confidence on stage with phrases that, in my opinion, lack sincerity and meaning: “we love you”, “nowhere in France are they as good as you, Nice”… Okay, young lady, we know you say the same thing in every city. But beyond this somewhat commercial, even overdone aspect, we understand their success thanks to this warm and perfectly tuned voice and the motivation of these young musicians who truly enjoy playing. It works. It’s refreshing. The audience appreciates it, and since they are always right, okay, we agree. The mix of the group’s overly hyped media presence and the audience’s excitement suggests that their success will not end here, making them a band to watch closely.
Oh, I hear in my earpiece that the hearts of the young girls in the audience have stopped. What’s happening? Oh, there they go, catching their breath and managing to scream “Maxiiiiiiiiime”. Mr. Nucci, aka Yodelice with the teardrop drawn on his cheek and the feather… on the hat, is causing a stir, as he usually does. It’s in the dim light that he arrives, with a small group this time (not like at the Théâtre Lino Ventura where half the audience was shouting “Simone” for Marion Cotillard who was doing backup vocals), accompanied by 3 musicians who rock hard. Because while the artist’s success is mostly due to his pretty face, sensual voice, and original compositions, it’s also worth mentioning that the musicians deliver impressively. Each one made up, in a stage trip where gestures and moves (especially Maxime’s) are equally important, the 4 men throw down their sound amidst a forest decor after making us hear some crickets hidden by a canvas where “Yodelice” appears in a style reminiscent of “The Nightmare Before Christmas“. Atmosphere, atmosphere!
All the new tracks will be played tonight, and it’s funny, but even without knowing them, we feel like we do! Several of them are becoming hits on our airwaves (phew, there’s still some good music on the radio, it’s rare, but it exists), our subconscious absorbs them and voila, we find ourselves humming along without even realizing it. The energetic songs make the “adolescent” masses dance and jump while the ballads are listened to with closed eyes, appreciated by all, and even by everyone. As it turns out, there’s more than just the leader’s looks that matter. With the staging being regularly readapted, there’s little chance of experiencing the same concert twice when Yodelice returns to our cities. And that’s a good thing. For the audience, but also for the artists who likely enjoy reinventing themselves more than performing a preformatted show long-term. For just one album then, the tours change. That’s why, after filling up the TLV just a few months ago, Yodelice fills (or nearly fills) the Théâtre de Verdure again for a festival that keeps growing.
See you at the “Crazy Week !!!” again tonight and tomorrow for Cocoon, Aaron and many others.
More info: https://www.ivoiremusic.fr/crazyweek/index2.html
Photo credit: Flora Doin
