The 38th annual Trans Musicales festival took place again this year in Rennes, France, and was spectacular as ever.
I was there during the three main days of the festival (December 1-3, 2017), checking out bands 'til the wee hours of the morning (my latest night went until about 5am!). Artists came from all over the world to be part of a festival that showcases new comers in the field of music, from an array of genres and styles.
Day One had me on the move, traveling directly from Vancouver from the previous day. Two plane rides, a train, and a shuttle bus to the festival site got me there just in time for my first act, Trad.Attack from Estonia!
The rest of the evening saw Il Est Vilaine from Paris, British musician Anna Meredith, HMLTD from London, and Yuksek from France.
After catching up on sleep, I was ready for Day Two. (Side note: I was also taking portraits for Noisey - which you can see by clicking here.)
The second evening at the Parc Expo started off with Fai Baba of Zürich, followed by my first venture into Hall 9 (the HUGE electronic hall) for Con Brio (also from the West Coast, San Francisco), followed by the tag-team DJ duo of DJ Fly/DJ Netik.
Next up was The Barberettes, a doo-wop trio from South Korea (I know, right?!), and continuing the female-led band trend (which Trans is VERY good at representing), the punk rock duo Nova Twins, from East London, PACKED their hall full of people.
The only Canadian in the show, Das Mörtal, was playing the large, sweaty, dance-party hall, and I finished off my night with one of my favourite discoveries of the weekend, New York band PWR BTTM.
The final day was short and sweet for shows (I did a TON of portraits that days), but I managed to catch Helsinki's, Talmud Beach, and then got my brass band fix by the incredibly energetic band Lucky Chops (out of New York). Seriously, check out the full video of the show by clicking here (makes me want to go pick up my saxophone).
I ended my evening with one of my most anticipated acts of the festival - Reykjavíkurdætur. The name literally translates to Daughters of Reykjavík, and they're an all female rap collective from Iceland - and were exactly as spicy and entertaining as I hoped they'd be, even with the language barrier.
I took WAY more photos than the few in the slideshow above - so check them out on our Facebook page by clicking HERE.
Thanks again to Trans Musicales for having me and introducing me to so many more new, and especially international, artists.
