When they launched the first edition of Freak Frequenz, Black Speech Production warned that the event would not necessarily return every year on a fixed date... In fact, it only took six months for a second edition to be held, still in Nantes and its marvellous Ferrailleur on the banks of the Loire. As with the first edition, the line-up, co-organised with Devilicious Couture, focused on industrial music, with this year's selection skilfully combining more or less emerging French artists with projects never before seen in France. It's a real editorial choice in favour of quality, but also a risk-taking one: while we complain more and more about the non-renewal of festival headliners in general, what happens when we move away from bands that have been seen and seen again hundreds of times? Well, there are fewer people. That's the sad fact: despite a great line-up, this Freak Frequenz attracted fewer people than the last one. So you can support Black Speech Production via donations (over here) if you'd like to encourage them to organise a third edition.
Before walking through the doors of the venue, we noticed a trend: the first day promises to be filled with more wriggly dances than the second, with a much darker programme. So let's get wriggling!
OGEZOR
We recently told you about the great third album from OGEZOR, an industrial metal band with a cinematic universe inspired by science fiction in general, from cinema to video games (review). On stage, the live line-up includes Sylvain on guitar, who is also the chairman of Black Speech. Six months ago, he told us (in an interview - in french only) that playing and organising at the same event was a perilous business. Good news: he's reconsidered. So much the better! Hailing from Nantes, OGEZOR played to friends and family and received a warm welcome.
As on album, OGEZOR's great strength lies in their ability to bring their universe to life with highly successful atmospheric parts that draw on both synthwave and film music, providing breath and dramatic progression between two guitar-led assaults to move some necks. Add to that a show supported by futuristic costumes, a singer with the voice of Darth Vader (but a little friendlier) and a screen that visually enhances the performance and you've got a great start, both catchy and unique. Perhaps the only thing the band lacks is more dates. They seemed a little reserved at first, but the audience's warm reception and the cheers from the pit gradually helped them to let go. Let's hope there are more, and if possible, with the same reception!
V2A
Seeing V2A when Mad Max has just made its return to the silver screen is a delightful cosmic coincidence. Led by the duo Drone and Mechanized, V2A are slowly approaching twenty-five years of existence but have never before unleashed their post-apocalyptic universe in France. It's about time the band, who came as a trio this time, unleashed their furious anthems. Their supercharged electro-punk-industrial-aggrotech mix gets even more energetic live thanks to the goodwill they put into it and a generous show, which easily makes up for the certain repetitiveness that can be found on their albums.
Toxic, Hail Hydra, Freak Show or that kamikaze War Boy with hints of Fury Road... The hits are there for all to see, and they come thick and fast. V2A interact with their audience, waving flags, playing with masks, chrome sprays and laser gloves: their sympathy and heart are a pleasure to watch. Perhaps the only regret is the absence of a live guitarist to give the sound an extra density and make the texture of the rusty, dusty metal more palpable! For the rest, this turbulent post-apocalyptic circus was a joy to behold.
HORSKH
Following Horskh's evolution and growth over the last few years has been a rewarding adventure: after having supported a number of big bands (Igorrr, Carpenter Brut, Ministry...), we've now had the pleasure of seeing them headline again... and seeing that the band attracts its fair share of fans. We don't know if this is the case in every city we've visited, but in Nantes, as in Paris last month (report), the audience is present and boiling.
Brioux and his monumental strike, the drummer who looks like a distant cousin of Rob Zombie's Captain Spaulding and whose mimicry is a spectacle in itself (if you can make it out in the smoke), gives Horskh a tenfold live impact. Bastien (vocals) and Jordan (guitars and machines) have free rein to put on a show and send the audience into an irresistible energy frenzy. Turbine On, Do It, Damaged Ropes, Mud in my Wheels, Victim... the tracks go by at breakneck speed, the choruses are easy to remember and made to be bellowed out in this great cathartic, aggressive industrial metal chaos whose danceable rhythmic approach has that formidable, universal effectiveness. Horskh manage to combine the clubbing frenzy of something made to sweat with a sincere visceral rage that gives the storm its soul. It was madness all over again: if the trio hasn't yet fully achieved the fame it deserves, it is one of the most exciting bands to have emerged from the French metal scene in the last ten years. The next ten are shaping up nicely!
BAK XIII
BAK XIII is an unidentified cult object that has been playing with codes and trampling on the boundaries between genres for over twenty years. With its blend of indus metal, EBM, punk and pop, the project can be seen as a precursor of the genre-busting that's been fashionable in ‘dark’ music in recent years.
Biting riffs and bittersweetly ironic choruses, scowling energy bordering on the grotesque and cute melodies: BAK XIII are constantly on the move, demonstrating a taste for fun and villainy but also a certain sensitivity. The start of the concert on Weak sounds like a note of intent: it's going to be hard-hitting, but we're also going to be able to sing about our mediocrity with glee. On stage, as usual, the lead singer puts on a show of wild dancing, grimacing and boundless energy. We're not sure if he's joking or genuinely hating us (probably a bit of both), but who cares? We're here to dance like idiots and celebrate the agony of a world that's finally dying thanks to our bullshit. We told you at the start of this article that the first day of Freak Frequenz would be the most festive yet!
