#Nostalgie Beach Festival | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

autourdelatable · 3 years

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NOSTALGIE

Je suis ici, je suis ailleurs. Je suis ailleurs quand je suis sur Zoom, quand je suis dans ma chambre étudiante... Je cherche à m'évader mais je ne peux pas. J'essaie de me concentrer sur mon travail mais tout me ramène à ces moments où j'étais là bas, où j'étais bien.

La brioche vendéenne me manque, je crois qu'il n'y a rien de plus réconfortant au monde. Savez-vous qu'à l'origine on la préparait pour les fêtes de Pâques ou pour les noces ? C'était un gâteau de fête. Cela fait il me semble une éternité qu'il n'y a pas eu de fêtes comme on l'imagine, avec une tonne de monde rassemblé au même endroit, dans la joie et la bonne humeur. En ce moment le seul endroit où les gens se rassemblent c'est dans les centres commerciaux.

Les Flanneries par exemple, on peut rester là bas toute la journée il y a tout : divertissements, vêtements, cafés... A proximité le cinéma, les restaurants, d'autres grands magasins... Quand on a rien à faire on va aux Flanneries comme ça on ne fait rien, mais aux Flanneries, c'est déjà mieux.

Mais les centres commerciaux, on s'en lasse vite, c'est vite anxiogène. Souvent je me demande, quand la crise sera finie et qu'on pourra à nouveau circuler librement, qu'est ce que je ferais ?

J'irais au Puy du Fou ! Tellement de folklores et d'Histoire rassemblé en un seul lieu. En voilà un lieu à ambiance festive ! Le Puy du Fou est une vraie fête. La fête, la chaleur humaine, voir les gens qui s'amusent, voilà ce qui me manque le plus en vrai.

J'irais à Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie après. Un port de pêche paisible où se promener, c'est très bien après l'agitation du Puy du Fou. Peut-être que j'apprendrais à pêcher la sardine. Prendre du bon temps à la station balnéaire, le nez au vent ( ce qui aujourd'hui veut dire sans masque ). Saviez-vous que Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie est situé de part et d'autre de l'embouchure d'un fleuve qui s'appelle la Vie ? La Vie ! Quand la pandémie sera finie je naviguerais en toute liberté sur le fleuve de la Vie, jusqu'à 20H !

Puis j'irais aux Sables-d'Olonne, je visiterais le château de la Chaume, je monterais tout en haut du phare de l'Armandèche, j'irais voir les marais d'Olonne sur Mer, puis je me promènerais sur le Port Olona, l'un des tout premier port de la côte Atlantique qui accueille de nombreux évènements nautiques comme le Vendée Globe.

Et quoi de mieux que le Vendée Globe pour s'évader ? Prendre le large en voilier, quoi de mieux après l'enferment du covid ? En vrai je ne sais pas si je ferais le Vendée Globe, mais partir en bateau pendant quelques jours, ou quelques semaines j'aimerais bien.

Nostalgie, c’est tout ce qui me reste en cette période. Une période où je me retrouve prisonnier de mes pensées, mes envies. Le pire pour moi c’est de savoir que je suis loin de mon pays, le Bénin. Avec ses villages lacustres.

Ganvié est un village particulier construit sur le lac Nokoué, à une heure au nord de la ville de Cotonou, la capitale administrative et la plus grande ville de la République du Bénin, un pays en Afrique de l’Ouest. Le village entier se dresse sur des pilotis dans le milieu du lac. Il est probablement le plus grand village sur un lac en Afrique et en tant que tel est très populaire auprès des touristes. Les populations mènent toutes leurs activité sur l’eu et y vivent. Comme cette dame en image, on voit des vendeurs ambulants qui circulent avec leur pirogue. Je rêve d’y être en train de partager une calebasse de ma bière préférée, tchakpalo.

Le Tchakpalo est une boisson locale faite à base maïs fermenté : il s'agit d'une bière, légèrement sucrée, que l'on retrouve principalement dans les régions du Sud Benin. Il faut l’avoir une fois bue pour comprendre le sens de ma nostalgie.

Le Bénin, c’est aussi, et avant tout le Vodou. Il est pour le Bénin, ce que le christianisme représente pour l’Europe. On ne peut donc parle de ce pays sans abordé cette thématique mais je vais pas m’aventurer sur ce sujet qui risquerait de prendre des heures… Le vodou, au delà de sa dimension spirituelle et culturelle, c’est aussi des danses et spectacles. Mon préféré est celui des Egoungoun.

Encore appelé ‘’ Egoun’’, le Egoungoun est le symbole de l’esprit de la mort, supposé revenu d’entre les morts, pour se manifester aux vivants. Vous vous posez certainement la question de savoir si cela est vrai. Il faut être initié pour avoir de réponse à cette question. De toute façon, le Egoun ne sort que pour des événements précis (naissance, décès, fêtes traditionnelles, etc.) du clan auquel il appartient et avant sa sortie, il est important voire obligatoire de faire au préalable des rituels dont la consultation du « Fâ ». Au delà de sa fonction principale, résoudre les problèmes de sa communauté, il est aussi source de joie à chaque fois qu’il fait son apparition. Aller au bénin sans voir les Egoungouns, c’est comme visiter Paris sans passer par la tour Eiffel. L’histoire de Vodou, c’est aussi en partie l’histoire de Ouidah, berceau de plusieurs divinités avec ses multiples temples. Le plus visité est celui des pythons.

Le temple des Pythons est un sanctuaire vaudou situé à Ouidah, dans un lieu où l'existence d'un culte du Serpent est attestée depuis la fin du XVIIᵉ siècle ; une forme particulière du vaudou. Ses pythons sacrés vivants constituent l'une des attractions touristiques majeures de la ville. La légende raconte que la population de cette ville a une histoire, je l’ignore, avec le python. Elles portent, jusqu’à ce jour, des traits de scarifications au visage, communément appelées ‘’deux fois cinq’’, qui seraient des marques présentes sur la tête des Pythons.

Je suis surprise de voir/ à quel point cet endroit me manque, un an après y être allée.J’étais assise sur mon lit, en train de contempler le bracelet que j’avais ramené de Thailande. Je touchais du bout des doigts les clochettes qui l’ornait, et je n’ai pas pu m’empêcher de repenser au temple que j’avais visité à Krabi, le temple du Tigre. En Thailande, deux religions co-existent : l’islam, et le bouddhisme. Je n’ai pu que visiter les temples bouddhistes et la première chose qui m’a marqué la bas, c’est l’état de séréinité, de spiritualité, que je ne retrouvais pas en France, mais aussi la beauté du décor, des structures ornées de dorures et de pierres. La légende raconte qu’il y a très longtemps, un tigre géant serait apparu au sein de ce temple, et aurait cohabité avec les moines qui l’auraient dompté. Je me rappelle avoir été très intriguée par ce qui se trouvait derrière ce portail doré,// mais ma question est restée à mon grand regret sans réponse, car il s’agissait d’un lieu réservé aux moines initiés, interdit au grand public. En parlant de ce temple, je me demande bien encore comment j’ai pu gravir 1237 marches. Il s’agissait apparemment d’un parcours d’initiation pour les moines, qui en montant tout en haut de la montagne, se rapprocherait du ciel. Il faisait une chaleur de plomb, les marches étaient abruptes; c’était un véritable parcours du combattant, à tel point que j’ai encore l’impression de ressentir la douleur de l’effort dans mes jambes; et pourtant je n’aurais voulu être nul part ailleurs. Arrivée là-bas, j’avais l’impression de toucher le ciel, comme les initiés devaient avant moi le ressentir. J’avais une impression de grandeur, de plénitude, comme quelque chose d’accompli, qu’aujourd’hui je ne ressens plus vraiment, enfermée au même endroit toute la journée devant l’écran de mon ordinateur. Ce qui me manque finalement c’est les grands espaces// comme cette plage des îles Similan près de Phuket. J’y avais ramassé quelques coquillages, que je peux encore voir exposés dans la boite posée dans mon bureau. Nous avions dû escalader les rochers pour pouvoir prendre cette photo. Elle offre une vie imprenable sur l’île, et surtout sur l’eau cristalline de la mer ou l’on pouvait explorer les fonds marins et les coraux. Si je pouvais me téléporter à un endroit là maintenant, ça serait probablement sur cette pirogue thai. Ça a longtemps été mon fond d’écran d’ailleurs. Je me souviens encore des belles couleurs des colliers de fleurs qui l’ornaient, et qui contrastaient avec le bleu de l’océan. J’ai souvent vu ce type d’image sur Instagram avant de pouvoir le voir de mes propres yeux, mais la réalité était encore plus belle. Nous nous dirigions vers Monkey Beach, une plage habitée uniquement par des singes, un endroit qui aujourd’hui est marqué par le tourisme, mais qu’on tente de plus en plus de conserver. Le restaurant après la plage, voila quelque chose qui je pense manque à l’ensemble d’entre nous. C’est en scrollant sur mon téléphone toutes les photos de mon voyage que je suis tombée sur celle ci, celle d’un plat Thai traditionnel, le Ananas Bowl. Il s’agissait d’un mélange de riz frit, de poivrons le tout dans un ananas, agrémenté de quelques touches de piment. C’était à la fois un moment de découverte, et de convivialité, et c’est cela qui me manque vraiment.

https://youtu.be/NEBOSjdsN2M

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rollingstonemag · 6 years

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Un nouvel article a été publié sur https://www.rollingstone.fr/la-playlist-de-la-redaction-15/

La Playlist de la rédaction #15

Ce week-end, on trace la route en compagnie de Beach House, d’Anémone, des aventuriers psyché TOY ainsi que de Tim Prespley aka White Fence, de retour en solo. Et comment ne pas avoir envie d’une dose de jazz assurée par Charles Bradley…

Beach House – Alien

On vous présente un leftover du dernier album du duo de Baltimore, 7, sorti cette année. Malheureusement pas retenu pour figurer dans la tracklist originelle, on le regrette. Comme d’habitude, Beach House parvient à tracer un paysage qui lui est propre et nous invite dans un voyage peuplé de rêveries. L’argument majeur, c’est bien ce final, qui taille la part de lion à un solo de guitare étourdissant. À écouter à la nuit tombée…

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TOY – Sequence One

Le grand retour d’un groupe si peu remarqué – à tord. Après avoir annoncé leur signature sur Tough Love Records, TOY annonce aujourd’hui leur nouvel album Happy In The Hollow dont la sortie est prévue le 25 Janvier. Avec « Sequence One », le groupe introduit une nouvelle ère moins « fouillie » que la précédente, plus aérée, donc aérienne (donc planante). Le groupe, plus assuré, assume d’autant plus son penchant pour les sonorités psyché. Assez irrésistible. On prévoit de grands jours pour la bande à Tom Dougall, dont la coupe au carré ne vrille pas d’un millimètre. Très beau clip à la clé :

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White Fence – Lorelei

Décidément, à l’image de son compère Ty Segall, Tim Presley, alias White Fence, est difficile à suivre. Cette année fut majeure, pour le musicien, qui a sorti deux albums collaboratifs (DRINKS, puis Joy). 2019 marquera son grand retour en solo, avec le disque I Have to Feed Larry’s Hawk – suite directe à l’album For The Recently Found Innocent paru en 2014. Nouvel extrait ; l’épuré « Lorelei », qui laisse de côté le double diabolique de Presley adoubé au punk rock. « J’ai quitté les Tentations de Los Angeles, et ai trouvé un appartement à San Francisco. Je vis désormais dans une rue remplie de personnages flous et d’humain clouds errants » a déclaré Presley dans un communiqué. Tant que lui – et sa musique – sont en paix, c’est le principal. Nous, on l’est et c’est naturellement grâce à :

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Anemone – Sunshine

Petite touche (qui fait toujours du bien) de psych-pop montréalaise assurée par le groupe Anemone. Depuis la sortie de son premier EP, la formation promet un album pour le 15 février via Luminelle Recordings. Coloré et honnête, « Sunshine » est un single qui nous ramène surtout quelque temps en arrière, à l’âge d’or du shoegaze. Une période si peu représentée (et dépoussiérée) de nos jours que cet effort nous fait beaucoup de bien. À applaudir sur scène le 31 octobre, lors de l’une des soirée de l’Avant-Garde du Pitchfork Music Festival.

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Wasterman – Outside sublime

Westerman sort son nouvel EP Ark le 9 novembre via Blue Flowers, et en a partagé un extrait tout chaud. « Outside Sublime » suit le précédent single « Albatross ». À propos de cette jolie balade, Will Westerman s’est confié : « Je voulais écrire un mot à un ami en difficulté. J’espérais que ce serait une épaule pour quiconque aurait des difficultés. Je voulais qu’il se sente joyeux et puissant à mes côtés. »

Charles Bradley – Can’t Fight the Feeling

Pour finir, on reste au chaud au coin du feu, accompagné d’un jazz de salon comme on ne fait plus. Le soulman Charles Bradley aurait eu 70 ans en novembre. En hommage, Black Velvet, un album posthume, se prépare – prévu pour le 9/11, via Dunham Records.. Nouvel extrait, « Can’t Fight the Feeling », une pépite groovy où Bradley se déchaine, accompagné de son groupe. L’ensemble trépigne, vibre comme jamais et, petit à petit, nait dans ce fondu final un sentiment de nostalgie et d’amour, pour cette musique des plus organiques.

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#Anemone #beach house #charles bradley #playlist #Toy #Wasterma #White Fence

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ashtonreports · 2 years

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weareweagain · 6 years

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Simon Tellier - Pet Shop Boys/Gloria Gaynor/Charli XCX/Taio Cruz

There's an air of effortless grace and composure that the French bring to the table. They even invented the name for it; a certain je ne sais quoi. A certain thing that is hard to describe, and harder for the non-french to imitate. These are qualities that I think of when I think of Simon Tellier, certainly one of the most talented and yet humble drummers I’ve ever worked with. And he is indeed, very French.

I've known him since I was eighteen. He later told me that when we first met, I spoke much too fast for his new understanding of the English language. We met attending the same music College - Tech Music schools where Simon had landed himself a scholarship to come over from France to study. Eventually we learnt to communicate, and I’ll never forget teaching him the word ‘cobbles’ on the streets of Edinburgh.

A year or so after we met, we both auditioned to join an in-house band at the successful pop production house Xenomania. We got the gig, and it was the most unusual entrance into the music industry for both of us. It was a very structured job - 10am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. Every day, we travelled forty minutes outside of London to a gorgeous house in the country, where our rehearsal space was in fact the pool house by the pool in the vast garden. A wonderful Spanish cook prepared a feast for us all once a week and we were on a salary (although we were not extraordinarily well paid, to have regular money for our first jobs as session musicians was a huge comfort). It was very bizarre, and it's probably safe to say neither of us will work a job like that again.

Everyone in our school knew what a fantastic drummer Simon was, and working with him 5 days a week for many months in that job meant I really got to see it first hand. He had certainly put a lot of work into it, playing drums since he was 4 years old and doing shows with his musician parents around France. He was the youngest endorsee of Mapex when he joined them in 2005. After he embarked on his move to London to attend the music school, and his stint with Xenomania he went on to play with many high profile acts, such as Tinchy Stryder, Taio Cruz, Christophe Willem, Charli XCX and Gloria Gaynor. He’s most recently been busy touring with the legendary Pet Shop Boys. I got on the phone with him one Saturday afternoon to ask him for the details of his tours, past and present…

V: You’ve worked with a string of great artists. I’m so interested to hear all of your stories, especially about working with Gloria Gaynor…

S: Yeah, I’ve done a few shows with her. I was working with another artist who had the same MD (musical director) as Gloria, so she put me forward when they needed a dep drummer. They asked if I could read music, which I could. It was all the original band apart from me, and there was no rehearsal, so I met them all at sound check. The gig was on this beautiful beach in Italy. I started to set up and organise my charts on my laptop, but I realise I had forgotten to bring a foot-switch so I could turn the pages of the charts during the show. I ended up having to have a very sweet local crew guy sit next to me for the entire show, turning the pages on my laptop every time I nodded at him, all whilst my snare was smashing his ear drums.

V: It just shows you’ve gotta be nice to your local crew, they’re worth their weight in gold! You never know what you might need to ask of them!

S: Yeah, luckily he was happy to do it, but it was really funny. My next show with her was a Russian wedding, in Greece. After a horrible long journey there, we eventually turned up to a beautiful resort. All our rooms had balconies, it was beautiful. I had greek coffee for the first time. The whole place stunk of money, and the audience didn’t really seem to care when we played. Of course everyone got up for ‘I Will Survive’ but it was a shame. The most glamorous show we did with her was at an artist’s (who won’t be named!) end of summer private party in St. Tropez. It was in a club with a tiny stage, and there wasn’t even a line check before the show. The party was crazy; it was like a champagne spraying contest in there. It was filled with A-list celebs; I even saw Simon Cowell there. There were girls walking round in nothing but lingerie, handing out cigars and cigarettes that we could smoke inside.

V: Wow. And what is Gloria like?

S: She’s great, really lovely. And all her gigs were kind of like that. We played a yacht designers birthday party at the yacht club in Monaco which was nuts.

V: Fair enough, I’m sure she’s only going out for the right money and shows. Those all sound like fun, glamorous shows. What other shows from your career have been some of your favourites?

I really loved playing with Birdy, and the French artist, Christophe Willem. It was nice to be in France so much, and playing with him was surreal as I watched him on TV when I was sixteen, winning Pop Idol. Fast forward five years later, and I’m playing shows and getting drunk with the guy.

V: Yeah that must have been really strange. It’s funny how music can put you in those scenarios; it can elevate you from being at home watching someone on TV, to then being on stage with them. What other moments have been surreal for you?

S: I remember when Taio Cruz had his big hit, ‘Higher.’ Myself and my girlfriend at the time would always be singing it, almost in parody as it was on the radio and being played absolutely everywhere. Then the MD, Kojo, gives me a call and asks me to come audition for him. It was funny. The Gloria Gaynor gigs were always surreal too. Obviously ‘I Will Survive’ was such a big hit, but I knew so much of her music from listening to it at my grandmothers house growing up. She would always be played on this french radio station called ‘Nostalgie.’ Of course, my current shows with Pet Shop Boys are surreal. Every time we play ‘West End Girls’ it’s really great. It’s such a good track, I never get bored of it.

V: Yeah, to be playing tracks you’ve grown up to, with the artists themselves must feel so great. How has it been with touring with Pet Shop Boys, since they are such an established act?

S: It’s been really great; the venues and crowds have been amazing. The craziest bit for me was the second South American leg we just did. It was mostly festival shows, and we played at ‘Rock in Rio.’ It’s the biggest festival and stage I’ve ever seen. When you’re playing, you can’t see where the sea of people ends. There were 150,000 people there.

V: That’s amazing. I find playing to big crowds so addictive. It’s such a buzz. Do you crave big crowds or prefer smaller venues?

S: I love the adrenaline of the big crowd, but it’s fun to play in small clubs too, and have that close proximity to a crowd. You can actually see the people’s faces. Sometimes there’s more energy in the smaller clubs too. But the audiences were great in South America. Pet Shop Boys are big in Brazil, but it can be a dangerous country, so they had to make sure everything was a safe as possible. We flew by private jet a lot, which was obviously amazing. One night when we were in Brazil, Chis and Neil invited the whole crew out for a big dinner at a Brazilian BBQ restaurant - which is the best food ever! We were eating, when I noticed there were two big, intimidating looking guys sitting near to us. I didn’t think much of it, but when we got up to leave the restaurant, they got up too. We walked to a petrol station next to our hotel to get some drinks; in Brazil the petrol stations are a place to drink and socialise. There’s seats outside, and people pull up their cars and play loud music. It’s a bit shitty honestly, but it has great vibes. It’s warm, and people are in a great mood. The two big guys follow us there too. We go back to the hotel and everyone is in the lobby saying goodnight, and I notice the two guys are sat at the hotel bar. Everyone but myself and two others have gone to bed. I go out for a cigarette and one of the guys follows me. I’m getting really worried now. He comes up to me and says ‘hey, you must be Simon.’ I’m assuming he must be a big fan or something… it turns out he was our security guard.

V: What a weird way to be acquainted with your security! You think he would’ve been introduced to you...

S: I guess he didn’t wanna intrude, and wanted to find the right moment to say hi. They decided to get security because they got mugged before in Rio. By drag queens. It was in the Daily Mail the next day.

V: Wow, well that’s a story! How did you get on with your security after that introduction?

S: I had really funny but awkward experience with one security guard. I had met this girl in Brazil. She wanted to hang out with me after our show, so I suggested grabbing some drinks from the petrol station next to the hotel. What I didn’t realise was that Victor, the local security guard had to come with me to meet this girl. Everyone else had gone to bed, so he was free to monitor me. So, all three of us go. He sat on a table next to us whilst we tried to talk and have a date. Every time I went to the bathroom he had to come with me. I felt bad; I told him it that he didn’t have to, but he said it was his job and he had to. After a while it just got too weird and we just invited him to join us. The thing is, he was a really attractive guy, and it turned out he went to the same school as this girl and they were starting to really get along.

V: Did he poach your date?!

S: No, but I caught her looking at him! Eventually, she hinted that we should go back to my hotel room to be alone… but he had to take us up the elevator! He finally left us at the door, thankfully! That was definitely awkward.

V: It sounds like an eventful tour.

S: It was a great year touring with them, but after that year of working really solidly, I wanted to go home. I’ve never had that before, but I was just so tired. I got sick in Brazil too, which made it harder. You’re just with the same people all the time. You can’t really write music. I missed my friends and family. You’re sick of airports, cars, hotel rooms. You feel like you don’t have your own space, and nothing is yours. It gets really strange. And strange because it was the first time that I had ever felt like that. I was getting pissed off for no reason. At the peak of my frustration, I had a situation with airport security when they took my drum key away. I just kicked off at them, and that’s not like me at all.

V: Do you prefer to be at home then?

S: Well, I’m creating and inventing the other side of my career when I’m at home. I want to be both touring and spending time at home; it’s about getting the balance. I love touring, but I love writing too. Ideally, I can be comfortable enough to choose where I put my focus and not just take gigs just because I need the money.

V: Yeah, I think it’s great if you can strike a balance. So what music are you producing when you aren’t touring?

I compose a lot of library and advert music. For the last three years I’ve been doing a lot of it. My housemate Sarah (DeCourcy - Musical Director) got me into it and has been helping me so much. She said to me, “you know, you’re making music in your bedroom and you’re not making any money from it.” I thought, “fair point!” Every quarter its nice to get that PRS cheque. It’s really good for when I’m not touring… since touring can be so sporadic, writing is the regular thing. It’s not always instant money, especially to begin with, but it’s a good investment of my time.

V: Where did you learn your production chops?

S: I’ve been producing for a long time but only recently started taking it seriously. Sarah taught me a few things, and I learnt from videos and things online. I’m not really a mixer, but it’s important to have some mixing skills to get something simple sounding good.

V: Yeah, I guess job one is getting the programming and live recording right, because well, you cant polish a turd! You can’t mix it to make it sound good if it wasn’t in the first place. Do you use Logic?

S: Yeah, and a little bit of outboard gear. I use a Fat Man compressor. I would love to get some Neve preamps, but it’s two grand for a little piece of gear… it’s a lot! Honestly, I don’t really have anything fancy, I’ve got one mic - an SE G3500, and I’ve got my bass and guitars. The rest is all in the box. I learnt how to use synthesisers properly, what they actually do rather than using presets and just hoping for the best. Producing library music really changed the game for me. I just talk to lots of other people who give me tips. The musical director with the Pet Shop Boys is a producer too. I always call him up to ask questions. I would also love to release my own music, and make my own animation movies to accompany it. I guess it would be like Gorillaz; I don’t want to be the face of it. I’m still searching for my sound and who I am musically. I’m not sure which direction I will go, but its part of the process. I’m not going to release anything until I know what I am.

V: Is there anything else you like to do when you come off the road?

I do love going out and being social.

I’ve been thinking about drawing a lot…I would love to design my own clothes. The Pet Shop Boys have a wardrobe designer, Jeffery Bryant who has really inspired me. He dresses Duran Duran, Lady Gaga - everyone. He’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. He can make an outfit out of anything. We were at a festival in Spain, and he took a table cloth from catering and made me a jacket out if it. I wore it for some photos that night. He really inspires me.

V: I remember you telling me the team were really into your natural style and ‘look’ for the band. Weren’t you also dressed in cloaks or something strange for the show too?

S: We have a big plastic helmet we wear at the beginning of the show, and we put back on later.

V: How do you find it performing in that?

S: It’s not easy, we have to sing and play in them, and you can’t really see very well in them. On some songs we have to sing and walk, so you have to be careful where you’re going! We got used to it though.

V: Have you ever had embarrassing moments on tour that spring to mind? Or a time where things went wrong?

There was this one time during a Christophe Willem show in France. We were playing Amneville Arena. It was going great, and it was the middle of the gig during the acoustic section, where it’s just a pianist and Christophe. I go off stage to get my usual sugar rush, eat a chocolate bar or something. All of a sudden, it all goes dark and there’s a power cut. The generators should have kicked in, but the power had cut a while ago and they had already been keeping the show going for a while and ran out of juice. So, we decide to go and grab the acoustic guitar. The crew took their torches and lit up Christophe’s face. The audience, all 25,000 of them, start shushing and we play a few songs like that until the power came back. It was a technical problem, but it made the show really special. I think that should be part of a show one day, a fake power cut!

V: That sounds amazing. Did you have any big learning curves on tour, or learn any big lessons quickly? I always remember on our tour together opening for Paolo Nutuni, I learnt quickly to respect the headliners space. I passed the band quickly in the corridor whilst they were waiting to go back on for their encore and the tour manager really told me off later for ‘getting in their way.’ I think in reality, he was much more strict than most tour managers, but I certainly learnt my lesson quickly…

S: I’m always prepared for the worst, as anything can happen. During a show with Birdy, the metal parts of my kick pedal broke. It was an acoustic gig, so it was really obvious. Luckily, I was also using drum triggers, so I quickly programmed a kick sound that I could trigger with another pedal. I feel like you always need to have two snares with you. If the kick drum skin breaks, you can always turn it. It was good lesson, to always have some kind of back up pedal. I also learnt not to do too many stick tricks when I started working with Xenomania. I remember missing the ‘1’ a few times because of them, so I stopped doing that quickly!

V: Do you have any fan stories you can share?

S: I have a big fan who created a website about me, a big Christoph Willem fan. She lists current projects and posts things regularly; it’s a really professional site. I should be paying her!

To find out more about Simon visit his website: https://www.simontellier.com/

Or if you’re the curious type, visit Simon’s fan site: http://oh-stelliers.tumblr.com/

Vicky Warwick

#drummer #sessionmusician #sessiondrummer #french #je ne sais quoi #petshopboys #charlixcx #gloriagaynor #iwillsurvive #tinchystryder #t

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topfygad · 5 years

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Top places to visit along The Garden Route, South Africa: A mini guide

South Africa was the last country we visited in Africa and it was always our plan to see the Garden Route. This famed region known for its rugged coastline and sensational scenery, is a favourite with road trippers. That’s because the N1 Highway is in tip-top shape, is clearly signed and is super easy to drive.

When people tell you, ‘you must do the Garden Route’, there’s good reason behind it.

Robberg National Park

Where is the Garden Route?

The Garden Route runs along the southern coast of South Africa in between Storms River in Tsitsikamma National Park, in the Eastern Cape, and the town of Mossel Bay in the Western Cape. The route by road is around 800km.

It’s easy to navigate, has some absolute gems to explore and is absolutely stunning.

Here’s a mini guide to what to do during a road trip along the Garden Route to (hopefully!) help inspire your travels.

Robberg National Park

How much time do you need for a road trip along the Garden Route?

How much time you put aside for a road trip along the Garden Route really depends on what you want to do.

If you want to really get to know each of the picturesque coastal towns here at a relaxed pace, you could easily spend 10 days to two weeks exploring the region. However, if you don’t have that long, that’s completely fine too. We spent around 6 days here, and managed to see 3 or 4 coastal towns, take several day trips and take a detour to the town of Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo.

So you can tailor-make your road trip along the Garden Route depending on what you want to see.

What are the top towns to visit along the Garden Route?

The key towns you will want to consider visiting along the Garden Route are Jeffreys Bay, Storms River Mouth, Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, Wilderness and George with a possible detour to Oudtshoorn – the ostrich farm capital in the Klein Karoo (do it, you won’t regret it!)

I didn’t manage to explore all of the towns along the Garden Route – you’d probably need a good few weeks to do that – but here are the ones I did see and can recommend.

Robberg National Park

Plettenberg Bay

Why: Young and trendy town with a gorgeous, far-stretching beach and chic boutique hotels and shops

Tips: Have fish and chips in The Fat Fish or Off the Hook and have a drink at The Lookout – if you have good eyesight, you might spot dolphins and whales from the beer garden!

Can’t Miss: Hiking Robberg National Park.

Empty beach at Robberg National Park

Knysna

Why: Quaint and charming town home overlooking the spectacular Knysna Lagoon and incredible cliffs known as The Heads. It’s also famous for its annual Oyster Festival but you can enjoy oysters on the waterfront year-round.

Tips: Check out Drydock and 34 Degrees for oysters and walk the disused railway line that crosses Knysna Lagoon. For gorgeous sunsets, head to Brenton on Sea.

Can’t Miss: A day trip to the waterfalls of Jubilee Creek Nature Reserve.

View of Knysna

The Heads in Knysna

Brenton on Sea at sunset

Wilderness

Why: A laid back town home to a brilliant long stretch of beach, interesting restaurants and heaps of nature. Great whale-watching from July to November.

Tips: Stop to see the staggering Kaaimans River Bridge where you may spot the famed Outeniqua Choo-Choo – one of the last remaining passenger steam trains in Africa.

Can’t Miss: Kayaking the Touw River to Wilderness National Park. As you hike through the forest you’ll follow a boardwalk that hangs scarily high above the woods. It’s worth the vertigo when you reach the most incredible natural rock pools. Bring your bikini!

Kayaking the Touw River

And finally, if you have time, take a detour to:

Oudtshoorn

Why: This traditional town in the Klein Karoo is surrounded by desert and dramatic mountain ranges and will offer a sharp contrast in scenery to the Garden Route.

Tips: Visit an ostrich farm, see the Cango Caves and drive the hair-raising Swartberg Pass (it’s worth it for the incredible views and to stop at incredible waterfalls along the way. The high street in Oudtshoorn is dotted with interesting bistros and shops selling all sorts of animals skins (which may put you off) and gifts made from ostrich feathers.

Can’t Miss: Ostrich salad at Nostalgie. The best thing you will ever taste.

The Swartberg Pass

Views from The Swartberg Pass

And before we finish, time for some essentials!

Road tripping along the Garden Route: The Essentials

How do I get to the Garden Route?

We started our road trip along the Garden Route by first flying into Johannesburg and then taking an internal flight into Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. From there, we joined the N2 Highway. Port Elizabeth is a touristy seaside town and is definitely worth visiting for a night’s stopover to get your bearings. We stayed at Sir Roys at the sea – a very lovely guesthouse.

You can also fly into George Airport in the Western Cape, or drive from Cape Town. There are of course, international flights into both Johannesburg and Cape Town.

When is the best time to visit the Garden Route?

We visited during the summer when the temperatures were in the high 20s and everything was green and lovely. But it’s possible to visit The Garden Route all year round. If you visit between July and November you’re also going to have the best whale-watching experience.

Have you been to the Garden Route in South Africa and if so, what did you think? Feel free to share your stories and comments.

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Exactly one year since I saw OMD at the Nostalgie Beach Festival 😍

#it was such a perfect night #ugh i love that band so much #can't wait for december

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Adventures With A Wheelchair 1 : Bryan Adams Get Up @ Nostalgie Beach Festival 2017

Hy guys and welcome to a new segment on this blog : Adventures With A Wheelchair! These posts will be written by me and my friend Shannona as we go to events all over Belgium (and maybe abroad) with a lot of courage, enthusiasm, hopefully good weather and of course her wheelchair. Here’s a bit information on why Shannona uses a wheelchair from time to time: So umm, because of my physical…

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topfygad · 5 years

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Top places to visit along The Garden Route, South Africa: A mini guide

When people tell you, ‘you must do the Garden Route’, there’s good reason behind it.

Robberg National Park

Where is the Garden Route?

It’s easy to navigate, has some absolute gems to explore and is absolutely stunning.

Here’s a mini guide to what to do during a road trip along the Garden Route to (hopefully!) help inspire your travels.

Robberg National Park

How much time do you need for a road trip along the Garden Route?

How much time you put aside for a road trip along the Garden Route really depends on what you want to do.

So you can tailor-make your road trip along the Garden Route depending on what you want to see.

What are the top towns to visit along the Garden Route?

I didn’t manage to explore all of the towns along the Garden Route – you’d probably need a good few weeks to do that – but here are the ones I did see and can recommend.

Robberg National Park

Plettenberg Bay

Why: Young and trendy town with a gorgeous, far-stretching beach and chic boutique hotels and shops

Tips: Have fish and chips in The Fat Fish or Off the Hook and have a drink at The Lookout – if you have good eyesight, you might spot dolphins and whales from the beer garden!

Can’t Miss: Hiking Robberg National Park.

Empty beach at Robberg National Park

Knysna

Tips: Check out Drydock and 34 Degrees for oysters and walk the disused railway line that crosses Knysna Lagoon. For gorgeous sunsets, head to Brenton on Sea.

Can’t Miss: A day trip to the waterfalls of Jubilee Creek Nature Reserve.

View of Knysna

The Heads in Knysna

Brenton on Sea at sunset

Wilderness

Why: A laid back town home to a brilliant long stretch of beach, interesting restaurants and heaps of nature. Great whale-watching from July to November.

Tips: Stop to see the staggering Kaaimans River Bridge where you may spot the famed Outeniqua Choo-Choo – one of the last remaining passenger steam trains in Africa.

Kayaking the Touw River

And finally, if you have time, take a detour to:

Oudtshoorn

Why: This traditional town in the Klein Karoo is surrounded by desert and dramatic mountain ranges and will offer a sharp contrast in scenery to the Garden Route.

Can’t Miss: Ostrich salad at Nostalgie. The best thing you will ever taste.

The Swartberg Pass

Views from The Swartberg Pass

And before we finish, time for some essentials!

Road tripping along the Garden Route: The Essentials

How do I get to the Garden Route?

You can also fly into George Airport in the Western Cape, or drive from Cape Town. There are of course, international flights into both Johannesburg and Cape Town.

When is the best time to visit the Garden Route?

Have you been to the Garden Route in South Africa and if so, what did you think? Feel free to share your stories and comments.

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topfygad · 5 years

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Top places to visit along The Garden Route, South Africa: A mini guide

When people tell you, ‘you must do the Garden Route’, there’s good reason behind it.

Robberg National Park

Where is the Garden Route?

It’s easy to navigate, has some absolute gems to explore and is absolutely stunning.

Here’s a mini guide to what to do during a road trip along the Garden Route to (hopefully!) help inspire your travels.

Robberg National Park

How much time do you need for a road trip along the Garden Route?

How much time you put aside for a road trip along the Garden Route really depends on what you want to do.

So you can tailor-make your road trip along the Garden Route depending on what you want to see.

What are the top towns to visit along the Garden Route?

I didn’t manage to explore all of the towns along the Garden Route – you’d probably need a good few weeks to do that – but here are the ones I did see and can recommend.

Robberg National Park

Plettenberg Bay

Why: Young and trendy town with a gorgeous, far-stretching beach and chic boutique hotels and shops

Tips: Have fish and chips in The Fat Fish or Off the Hook and have a drink at The Lookout – if you have good eyesight, you might spot dolphins and whales from the beer garden!

Can’t Miss: Hiking Robberg National Park.

Empty beach at Robberg National Park

Knysna

Tips: Check out Drydock and 34 Degrees for oysters and walk the disused railway line that crosses Knysna Lagoon. For gorgeous sunsets, head to Brenton on Sea.

Can’t Miss: A day trip to the waterfalls of Jubilee Creek Nature Reserve.

View of Knysna

The Heads in Knysna

Brenton on Sea at sunset

Wilderness

Why: A laid back town home to a brilliant long stretch of beach, interesting restaurants and heaps of nature. Great whale-watching from July to November.

Tips: Stop to see the staggering Kaaimans River Bridge where you may spot the famed Outeniqua Choo-Choo – one of the last remaining passenger steam trains in Africa.

Kayaking the Touw River

And finally, if you have time, take a detour to:

Oudtshoorn

Why: This traditional town in the Klein Karoo is surrounded by desert and dramatic mountain ranges and will offer a sharp contrast in scenery to the Garden Route.

Can’t Miss: Ostrich salad at Nostalgie. The best thing you will ever taste.

The Swartberg Pass

Views from The Swartberg Pass

And before we finish, time for some essentials!

Road tripping along the Garden Route: The Essentials

How do I get to the Garden Route?

You can also fly into George Airport in the Western Cape, or drive from Cape Town. There are of course, international flights into both Johannesburg and Cape Town.

When is the best time to visit the Garden Route?

Have you been to the Garden Route in South Africa and if so, what did you think? Feel free to share your stories and comments.

Pin Me

Like this:

Like Loading…

from Cheapr Travels http://cheaprtravels.com/top-places-to-visit-along-the-garden-route-south-africa-a-mini-guide/ via http://cheaprtravels.com

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