Sapphic Fairytale 4 All in the City of Love – Rock En Seine Day 1 – Review

Photo Credit: Louis Comar

‘City of Love’, ‘City of Light’– there are so many ways Paris has been described as and it is no wonder artists long to play on Parisian stages, with the city gathering some of the most passionate audiences on the globe. Rock En Seine Day 1 mirrored this exact love.

With an all-women-led lineup the day began with Sophie Morgan Howart (Luvcat) taking the East Stage in pin-up glory. With a new album on the horizon, ‘Vicious Delicious’ (out 31st October), she expressed her love for the city, mentioning how surreal it was to make it all the way from Liverpool. Luvcat is an astute singer-songwriter and her dark-pop storytelling held the crowd’s attention, even the most distracted.

As Suki Waterhouse took the same stage later on, it was clear why she has cemented herself as one of the most versatile artists in the industry. She can do it all – acting, singing, modelling – with commanding confidence and stage presence. “It has always been my dream to play here,” she told the crowd as it grew, before playing hits such as ‘Moves’, ‘Good Looking’ and even a cover of Oasis’s ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’.

Concurrently, Sunday (1994) played for a dedicated audience at the Horizons Stage. Lead singer Paige Turner wrapped the crowd in the nostalgic dream-pop aura the band has grown its fanbase accustomed to, with a mix of songs from their self-titled EP and their newest ‘Devotion’, released earlier this year.

As the sun came down London Grammar took the stage, with Dot Major, the band’s drummer, introducing the trio in perfect French. It is safe to say lead singer Hannah Reid has one of the best voices in the industry and the seminal album ‘If You Wait’, released in 2014, is still reaching new audiences. In a candid moment the band played a stripped-down version of ‘Fakest Bitch’ as Reid explained, “this is how songs are written.” From ‘Wasting My Young Years’ to the viral ‘Baby It’s You’ to ‘Hey Now’ it was clear that all their success was warranted.

As support acts finished it was also clear that the festival had nailed the basics with great mobile service and accessibility throughout – no more losing your friends at festivals is a standard we can definitely get by.

Once in a generation there comes an artist who transcends boundaries in an almost inexplicable way. Every time I open an app after a Roan concert it’s hard not to miss the cascade of comments describing her as “everything” and “the artist of a generation” from fans, casual listeners and newcomers alike. This phenomenon isn’t hard to explain; seeing Chappell Roan is seeing the journey – hers, yours and those around you, hardships included. Not long ago she was dropped from her record label, working at a donut shop in cutthroat LA while giving herself one more shot – and how lucky are we that she did. 

The devotion was obvious throughout the day, from the effort put into outfits and signs to the cowboy and cone hats dotted across the park. As we waited we spoke to someone who wore an outfit that could have easily been on stage, as they reworked part of a child’s costume into a butterfly headpiece. And despite the relentless rain, the joy persevered in true queer joy fashion.

Roan arrived in a green butterfly costume, alluding to 70s–80s sci-fi glam. A meticulous production tied to the tour theme ‘Damsels and Other Dangerous Things’, which felt far more intricate than her previous solo shows and nodded to her VMA performance of ‘Good Luck, Babe!’. In a reimagining of a traditional fairytale into an avant-garde extravaganza, there were dragons, the moon, pyro, castles, a raised platform, and an all-female band which amplified every moment. The theatrics and care reverberated through the audience who sang every word. During ‘Hot To Go’ Roan laughed about the viral dance: “even the boyfriends that came along with their girlfriends and were trying to understand if they like me are dancing along!” she said.

“Thank you for being here, thank you for understanding after I had to cancel last year,” Roan confessed, referring to last year’s cancellations following her meteoric rise and struggles with mental health. In a heart-to-heart moment Roan mentioned she almost scrapped ‘Kaleidoscope’ from the setlist that evening but decided against it. This made for a beautiful moment as flashlights lit up the park. “I hope you can be yourself, just know that I cherish you for who you are exactly in this moment, you are cherished,” she told the crowd. The highly anticipated ‘The Subway’, whose studio version and video were released last month, felt like a collective therapy session as the crowd roared: “Well, fuck this city, I’m moving to Saskatchewan” – a Canadian province which has amusingly seen a rise in tourism since the song’s release.

‘Good Luck, Babe!’, a song about facing one’s queerness, created the best main character moment of the day as the sky opened during it, as if it knew the cathartic relevance.

As the set drew to a close Roan asked everyone to bring something pink so she could see the crowd from atop the stage. The audience followed suit in the loudest moment of the evening with ‘Pink Pony Club’ – “You might be my favourite audience,” she said as she strutted up and down the stage.

Roan’s set was a reminder to us all of the power of live music and that love is all we’ve got. Seeing a sea of queer women deeply relating to Roan’s lyrics, holding their friends throughout, was a reminder of the importance of healthy representation. It truly makes the heart soar to think young queer women won’t have to scramble to find themselves mirrored in a major pop artist like previous generations once did. Until then, I hope we never forget to meet at the ‘Pink Pony Club’ from time to time.

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WORDS BEATRIZ VASQUES