This year’s Milhões de Festa boasts an ever-excellent line-up, with a number of acts across various different genres and disciplines set to come together under the Portuguese sun.
Among those set to play this year are Hieroglyphic Being, Sly & The Family Drone, Graveyard, The Gaslamp Killer, Mehmet Aslan and a whole host more, with many of those playing as part of pool parties making full use of the festival’s sunny setting.
One of the year’s undoubted highlights at the festival though is the first-time live collaboration of faUSt and GNOD, which will be presented at the festival as a one-off exclusive this weekend. Ahead of that, we caught up with Jean-Hervé Péron of faUSt and GNOD’s Paddy Shine below to talk about what the show will involve and their experiences of each other’s music.
Milhões de Festa takes place from July 20-23 and you can find more information, including ticket links, here. Read our 2016 review of the festival here.
When did you first come into contact with each other’s music?
Jean-Hervé Péron: Very recently indeed, through the upcoming collaboration. I am not sure who proposed this collaboration first – probably Regina Greene, our agent and friend, who booked us for the festival. A great idea!
Paddy Shine: I’d say around 15-18 years ago, then when I saw [faUSt] live for the first time in 2007 I was in love.
How did the idea come about for GNOD and Faust to collaborate on a live show at Milhões de Festa?
PS: Ha! I don’t know Jean-Hervé but it makes sense. We seem to be brother/sister in soul, following a similar path where art is put down to work on a social level, more than just entertaining.
JHP: The vibes at Milhões are right so it’s just a case of it being the right time for the thing to happen.
What preparations for the set have taken place so far and how have preparations been going?
JHP: I am leaving from Hamburg tonight [July 18] with Zappi, heading for Portugal and we will meet GNOD for the very first time. We have exchanged a few mails and, it seems to be "sympathy at first read". We have sketched a few ideas, very roughly. As we are in for a five-day residency, we prefer to leave it to spontaneity and go along with what comes our way. GNOD have very strong lyrics and crazy ideas. I listened to some of their music, but not too much so it is fresh and new for me. We will share a house and a rehearsing room from the 18th to 21st [July], offering workshops for people who would want to get closer to our approach to music and art in general, and we will share the stage on the evening of the 21st. What will happen? I’d rather leave it all to the very moment where the first tone flows and take it from there – men make plans, Gods laugh.
PS: Gnod have been preparing for this forever, we’ve done a bit of ground work I guess you could say.
Can you tell us a little about what the live show will entail? Will there be a lot of improvisation?
PS: Energy, lots of energy and love. Maybe some angle grinders and a chainsaw if we can get hold of them.
JHP: Loads of bass tones, field recordings, electronics, tools and machines, thundering drums. we might cover some of our songs just for fun, who knows?
Do you think festivals should be offering more first-time, potentially one-off live collaborations like this show?
PS: Yes, why not, and to be honest there are lots of festivals already on that tip. A good example is the most recent Supersonic Festival – that was predominantly based on collaboration and it worked a treat. It works and it’s a bit more interesting than getting some band to reform to play their best album from start to finish which seemed to be a bit of a festival craze for a while. More collaborations I say, especially ones that seem like they shouldn’t happen.
JHP: Totally, yes. I believe a festival is a joyful place where not only the audience meet but also artists, performers. In fact, at the festival we organise here in Schiphorst [Avantgarde Is Happening], we have a large space equipped with amps, drums, projectors etc., totally self organised by whoever wants to jam. The audience loves it. So yes, all festivals should think about this issue which would generate loads of good vibes and good sounds. Thanks to Milhões de Festas for making this possible.
