We want to “unite the tribe”. Together, we are dynamite!
Breaking Barriers, the festival that reminds us yearly that punk is not dead, is not only inviting punk pioneers like Steve Ignorant and UK Subs this year, but also a cult band from France, or should we say Brittany? Les Ramoneurs de Menhirs are connected to that other French cult band, Bérurier Noir, via their guitarist, and are causing a stir with their original mix of punk and folk. Breaking Barriers organizer Malcolm Nix asked them about their music and their ideals.
Les Ramoneurs de Menhirs are a very well-known band in the alternative scene, but almost exclusively in the French-speaking world. It's a bit surprising, because you don’t even sing in French, but in Breton. Why did you choose a language that most people don’t speak?
Our songs are not only in Breton. There are a few songs in French, precisely so that French-speaking people can understand the spirit of the band. We also cover traditional Punk-Rock in the original language, most of the time in English.
Singing in Breton is a cultural resistance. We are for diversity at all levels.
From time to time, you play in Belgium, but not very often. Are there other countries or regions outside of France where you have success?
We play everywhere where there are Bretons and Punx. In French-speaking countries like Quebec, Switzerland and Belgium, but also throughout Europe.
Success is obviously a debatable concept. For some, it’s a bank account full of millions, for others, it’s the adoration of young fans or, in our digitalized times, clicks on Instagram. What is the goal that Les Ramoneurs want to achieve? At what moments do you feel that you have actually achieved something?
Indeed, we don’t really like the phrase “being successful”. For us, as musicians, our role is to unite the tribe. Our concerts are ceremonies where people are united with their differences. It’s a beautiful demonstration against the single-track thinking and withdrawal that fascism represents. Bringing families together around values such as sharing, solidarity, conviviality and living together is achieved at each of our concerts.
It’s always difficult to achieve a goal without the help of other people. Do you consider yourselves as a part of a bigger scene? And how would you like to describe this scene?
It is obvious that strength comes from unity. We are part of the traditional Breton scene and the independent and alternative Punk-Rock scene. The strength of the Ramoneurs de Menhirs is to unite families and young people. At our concerts, there are often four generations, the young children that we bring on stage with us, the older brothers or sisters, the parents and the grandparents. That is the concept of “Uniting the tribe”. Together, we are dynamite!
You clearly present yourself as a Breton group. Where does this fascination with Celtic culture come from? Is it a reaction to certain elements of French society that you consider incompatible with life in Brittany?
We are indeed a Breton separatist group. We reject the “Jacobin” dictatorship of France. For us, France as such does not exist. We defend diversity, which is the complete opposite of Jacobinism, which imposes a single culture for all by force. France should have been a federation that respects its cultural diversity: Ch'ti, Alsatian, Occitan, Catalan, Corsican, Kanak, Basque, Savoyard, Gascon, Gironde, Vendée, Norman, Berry, Provençal, Burgundian, Landes, Gallo and Breton... Otherwise, the Celtic matriarchal culture obviously has nothing to do with the patriarchal culture of the Franks.
Nowadays, we must of course be careful with thoughts and words about popular identity, because in many regions, there are nationalist movements with far-right ideas, especially in our country in Belgium. Is the situation different in Brittany?
In Brittany, tradition does not belong to the Nazionalists. We do not leave our music and dances to them. We believe that people who live in harmony with their roots are also open to the roots of others. Racists are people without roots who cannot stand the roots of others.
Nationalism is a very popular discourse in contemporary politics. We have seen the results of the European elections on June 9. Do you understand the success of the extreme right? Where does this frustration and the desire to recreate a romanticized past that never really existed come from?
In fact, apart from inbreeding, the extreme right has nothing to offer. The success of the extreme right is due to the incompetence of political parties in general. Politicians only think about their personal interests and their career plans. We defend the self-management of the people for a real associative and voluntary policy, managed by collectives and not leaders. We sing for an independent, fair, united Brittany, respectful of “Mamm Douar” (Mother Earth), libertarian and mixed.
Another element of your music is the surprising choice of instruments. There is a guitar, but there are also traditional instruments, and then, to confuse people even more, you also use electronic rhythms. How did you arrive at this original sound?
Les Ramoneurs de Menhirs are a total fusion between traditional Breton music and Punk-Rock. The obvious link between the two is the spirit of insubordination. Originality is the result of the mixture of the two, which generates a very beautiful osmosis. On one side, we have Loran with his guitar and his old drum machine who sings in French, and on the other the historical channel with the couple of sonneurs, bombardes and binioù and the songs in Breton. The originality of a group is essential. One of the primordial ideas of the spirit of Punk-Rock is nonconformism.
The presence of the drum machine of course takes us to your past in Bérurier Noir. What is, in your opinion, the main difference between the Punk scene of the 80s and the contemporary scene?
The difference is obvious. The spaces of freedom are melting like the ice floes.
Do you see a renaissance of Punk or anarchist groups in France? There are countries where the scene is rising, lit by a new wave of young anti-patriarchals. Do you also see these people at the Ramoneurs concerts?
If the songs of groups like Bérurier Noir are still, or even more, relevant, it is because unfortunately we are totally regressing. We are only a handful left, but we exist and we resist… The Anarchists.
Finally, do you have any advice for young musicians or alternative groups who do not have your experience and who have yet to discover how it works in the world of music?
Light the fire of your passions… it is up to the youth to create the world of music, not the major companies… Long live Free Rock!
