Indochine no longer wants to play Déferlantes if it is in the city of Louis Aliot
Things are rocking in Les Déferlantes. The announcement of the transfer of the prestigious Catalan festival from Céret to Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales), a town managed by Louis Aliot (RN) since 2020, has made some waves. Indochina opened the ball of protests.
The group, presented on July 8, indicated that it would be pure and simple to cancel their concert, if the Déferlantes really put their barnum in the capital of Pyrénées-Orientales, in front of the city’s Parc des expositions. “We were presented with a fait accompli”, faced with a change of location, scolds the formation, on Twitter. “We will openly ask the management of Les Déferlantes to move this festival to another location, otherwise we will cancel our visit. »
“The management regrets that music and politics are so related”, deplores the festival
In a press release, published this weekend on Instagram, the Déferlantes team said they pointed out the band’s position to Nicola Sirkis, noting “with sadness and amazement that the pragmatic choices that have recently been made to change the location in order to improve public acceptance and to ensure its safety has caused various controversies and violent reactions”. “We remind you that Les Déferlantes is a non-political festival whose only purpose is celebration and sharing (…) The management [des Déferlantes] it’s a pity that music and politics are so related! “, misses the celebration.
If at this moment, the members of Indochine are the only artists who reacted to the move of Les Déferlantes, the festival attendees also expressed their displeasure. And not just for political reasons. “Even if there is no political choice, the decision to go to Perpignan is really a shame and incomprehensible”, confides one of them, on Instagram. “It’s not just a political question! The venue is ugly,” another wrote. “I don’t want to hold a festival in a paved parking lot! “, complained one user. “Courage in the organizing team, however angered another festival-goer. You will tear everything apart. Anywhere. Because sometimes at the festival site, whether we are near the vineyards or the sea, all we want is to listen to the beautiful sound. »
“Going from a castle in the middle of nature to a parking lot, there’s nothing worse”, regrets Lukas, at the source of a petition
On the Change.org platform, an Internet user even launched a petition, entitled “No to the Breakers in Perpignan”. Again, this is not for political questions, but for plot. “Going from a castle in the middle of nature to a car park, there is nothing worse than that! “, laments Lukas, at the source of the petition, which has almost reached 1,000 signatures.
In a press release to festival-goers, published before the Indochina tweet, the Déferlantes team explained why they decided to leave Céret, where concerts were held last summer, in the open countryside, in the middle of vineyards. It was because of the travel and parking galleys that the event moved to Perpignan. “Our teams, as well as local authorities and State services, have done everything possible to find solutions and improve this point for the 2023 edition. However, the responses described to us do not seem to match everyone’s expectations and safety. This is why we decided to move Les Déferlantes to a place better suited to your comfort and the ambitions of the festival. A central place, easier to access, offers different means of transportation. A place in the middle of the main urban area of the Pyrénées Orientales where more than 50% of our average festival visitors live. »
So outside the Parc des expositions de Perpignan, “opposite Canigou”, the Déferlantes set their sights. A site “that will be unrecognizable to regulars because our scenography efforts will increase tenfold”, assured the festival. After this wave of protests, will the Déferlantes take place, as planned, in Perpignan? A press conference is, tentatively, scheduled for January 16, to confirm this choice.
