Set in the green, green heartland of Normandy, France’s Festival Beauregard promised “the intensity of live music, the majesty of nature, comfort and celebration,” and one that helps its guests “share every emotion, and discover every kind of music”. We can’t deny that they certainly did that. Check out our beautiful photos of the best bits from the weekend below.
Check out our review of Saturday with IDLES, Mac DeMarco, The Hives and more here, and what we thought of the closing Sunday with Cat Power, Tears For Fears and Interpol here.
Night time hits Festival Beauregard
The moonlight hits the Scene John stage
The stage by the Chateau Beauregard
What the world needs is more festivals next to castles please.
Here’s IDLES
“Thank you very much for making us feel safe and welcome in your country,” IDLES frontman John Talbot told the crowd during their blistering Saturday set, before adding: “Long live France and long live the European Union.”
They’re coming for you
It was just a few bars into opener ‘Heel/Heal’ when IDLES’ first crowd invasion began
A circle pit for IDLES…
…the first of many
It’s your turn…
Here’s one lucky fan who got to play guitar with IDLES from the crowd
UNITY!
This is what an IDLES crowd looks like
Tickled pink
People seemed to really love this weird performance art troupe, who seemed to copy all the antics of a chosen leader, move-by-move.
Weird and wonderful
We hope they come back next year.
Meet Clara Luciani
She’s a French singer-songwriter whose sound takes in a wide spectrum from searing desert rock to pure disco bops via some heavy-hearted sultry ballads and a post-rock breakdown or two. Lovely stuff.
Catching some rays
The sun-soaked music fans take it all in.
Beauregard loves to party
It’s true, they really do.
Jammin’ with Ben Harper
Mr Harper’s soulful sounds saw us into the sunset on Saturday night
Up in the clouds
Check out the stunning view from the top of Festival Beauregard’s big wheel
Bow down to your Slacker King
Some sick mic skills from Mac DeMarco
“As classy as he is daft”
Reviewing Mac’s Saturday night show, NME concluded: “Aside from impressive microphone juggling and an failed attempt to blow-up an inflatable alien, DeMarco relents on the goofy antics and just chills his way through 14 laissez-faire gems. Tonight, he’s as classy as he is daft.”
Here comes the night time…
Ain’t she a beaut?
A midsummer’s dream
Revellers chill under Beauregard’s fairy-lit sky.
It’s The Hives
“We don’t need language,” squawks The Hives frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist as Saturday evening winds down. “All we need is ‘YEAH’. Can you say ‘YEAAAH’?”
Suit up
Time for some good old fashioned fun.
Lookin’ good.
“Does my hair look good?” Pelle coyly asks the crowd at one point, dragging a comb through his quiff. “It’s hard to look this good and rock this hard”. No doubt
Time for another?
“How do you feel about one more?” Pelle asks. “How do you feel about two more? How do you feel about 100 more? Alright, we are gonna play 100 more songs”. They don’t, but they make the closer ‘Tick Tick Boom’ last for as long as good taste allows.
“HATE TO SAY I TOLD YOU SOOOO….”
“…NOW IT’S ALL OVER YOU KNOW”
Saturday night’s alright for post-rock royalty
Mogwai Fear Satan. France Love Mogwai.
Here we go.
Absolute scene for the apocalyptic rave of Modeselektor. You love to see it.
Taking it easy
More of the beautiful people on Normandy.
This is Bror Gunnar Jansson
Think ‘Tennesse blues with a Swedish twang, or in his own words: “a sleek drugstore cowboy, the missing link between Lightnin’ Hopkins and Kopparmärra”
The gates
Got a bit of gothic Wayne Manor vibe about it all, don’t you think?
Jeanne Added is really great
If you like infectious electro-pop delivered with some real industrial rock menace, then look no further. By far our favourite French discovery of the weekend.
Lazy time
The chilled-out vibes at Beauregard were just the post-Glasto tonic that we needed.
“I can see my house from here”
Another reveller gets caught up in that Beauregard spirit.
PLK in the house
There was a lot of French hip-hop being showcased at Beauregard, but BLK was certainly the best of the lot that we caught
Dive in
Reviewing PLK’s set, NME concluded: “While, rapping in his native tongue, there’s an urgency to his flow and air-raid banger backing that’s arresting enough to make anyone dive headfirst without any forethought into the whirlwind circle pits erupting.”
The crowd shows love for PLK
So much love.
Cat Power comes home
At one point, Charlyn Marie “Chan” Marshall recalls the first time she came to France 25 years ago, and “you accepted me and it changed my entire life”. It feels like nothing has changed.
Shout, shout, let it all out
Tears For Fears bring a cavalcade of ’80’s power-pop bangers (and a surreal cover of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’) to Festival Beauregard 2019
He don’t speak French, so he lets the funky music do the talking
Tears For Fears’ Curt Smith has co-frontman Roland Orzabal use his exquisite French to translate his gratitude to the crowd before things go a little… south. “I have a sweaty bottom,” he smirks, to Orzabal’s silent refusal. “I’m afraid I might have crabs”. Silence again. “I see there’s a limit to his French too”. Fair enough.
We spies, we Slow Hands…
Reviewing their Festival Beauregard set, NME wrote: “Their core driving force is atmosphere. On this final night of their run of European summer festival shows, Interpol drink in the vibes of this open-air, late night set surrounded by the forests of Normandy, to deliver something truly one-off.”
Interpol’s Paul Banks there…
Cool AF.
Turn On The Bright Lights.
The glitterball blooms during ‘Public Pervert’
Some magical antics.
Interpol masterfully use limited elements to mystify – and do it all in silhouette.
‘Avin it with Disclosure
A relentless barrage of bangers to end on.
Thanks for the memories, Festival Beauregard
We had a really good time.
Until next year…
Merci beaucoup!