Preview: We Love Green Is A Parisian Fantasy Made True

Clash looks at our eco-friendly Gallic fave...

Since 2011 Paris’s We Love Green has consistently come out with forward-thinking, diverse line-ups and this year’s no different.

On the first weekend of June it counts Tame Impala, FKA Twigs and Future among its headliners. And at a time when ‘climate emergency’ is on everyone’s lips, its unparalleled commitment to being green makes it another reason to cross the channel (without flying, of course).

Across its four stages there’s Yves Tumor, Kali Uchis, Courtney Barnett, Rosalía, Sleaford Mods and Idles, with a safe three and a half hours between them…) Woven in are French acts like indie figurehead Flavien Berger, Ed Banger-affiliated SebastiAn and Booba, a massive rapper whose tunes you’re likely to hear blaring out of cars and shops on a summery day.

‘Le rap français’ can seem a bit hermetic and it’s often pitted against its American or British variants, but there are plenty of chances to see how it’s thriving. See also Hamza, a bullish Belgian upstart who worked with Christine and the Queens (also performing) earlier this year. 

The Lalaland stage is infinitely better than the 2016 film, with Marie Davidson, crate-digger Nicolas Luz and Peggy Gou among others. The Think Tank also transforms into a stage entre chien et loup (‘between dog and wolf’, or at night). It takes places as it has done since 2016 in the Bois de Vincennes, the city’s biggest green space, so it’s unlikely to be beset by the teething problems or overcrowding that London festivals like Field Day have encountered – remember when Four Tet got ‘shut down’ last year?

Emerging artists – and there’s not a lot of room for heritage acts – include Johan Papaconstantino, who brings his electro-tinged spin on Rebetiko, and Lolo Zouaï, a Franco-American singer who managed to get Blood Orange to feature on a track of hers.

Tame Impala will bring things to a close on Sunday, which will be an occasion since Kevin Parker has a special connection to the city – ‘Lonerism’ being part-recorded there and its cover taken in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It’s set to be a dynamic, high-energy affair; if you need some time out, you can listen to talks masterminded by Le Monde, watch a documentary or film, take a gander at some art or eat some seriously good-looking food.

Sometimes these sorts of things feel a bit tacked on, but the programme looks comprehensive. It opens at 1pm so you have the morning to stroll along the Seine, go to a bakery or whatever.

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We Love Green runs between June 1st – 2nd.

Words: Wilf Skinner

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