News Preview: Festival Trans Musicales de Rennes

Think France, and your mind will probably conjure images of cheese, revolution, and impossibly chic people. New and exciting alternative music though? Absolutely. The Festival Trans Musicales de Rennes, now in its 34th year, boasts a stellar line up of the new, the exciting, and the upcoming, spread over four days and no less than eleven venues – and that’s before you consider the concurrent Bars en Trans, a fringe festival that makes full use of the city’s numerous watering holes.

Formed in 1979 by Jean-Louis Brossard and Béatrice Macé in a pretty corner of Northwestern France, the festival has remained true to their original philosophies; to discover new music and styles, showcase originality and give a platform to emerging talent from all around the world. Previous artists who’ve enjoyed exposure include Beck, Dizzee Rascal, and Massive Attack, and with more than 30,000 attendees this year, it’s the perfect chance for those chasing success and recognition in 2013 to lodge themselves in people’s consciousness and play live before a discerning audience.

There may be no mud or shoddy facilities to deal with, but DIY will still have plenty of ground to cover in tracking down the highlights. Who to see? Aside from more familiar acts such as Madeon, Kwes, Lianne La Havas, and Melody’s Echo Chamber, we’ve been intrigued by the dark Americana of Danish rockers Get Your Gun, the sunburst pop of Gomina, and The 1969 Club, a French punk rock outfit in thrall to The Stooges and the MC5. Night owls and those who prefer their music with a harder edge are also well catered for, with an impressive array of DJ’s and producers headed by Sinjin Hawke and rising stars TNGHT – a curious yet revelatory collaboration between Hudson Mohawk and Canadian beat maker Lunice – ensuring that sleep will be a precious commodity over the coming days. Add in acts whose name alone compels you to seek them out – Zeds Dead, Hot Panda, and the rather awesome Clockwork Of The Moon – and our schedule for the weekend looks pretty packed. We hear we might even get to meet the Mayor. Vive la musique!

The Festival Trans Musicales de Rennes takes place this weekend, 5th - 9th December. Find out more at the festival website.