Hubert Lenoir, his red eye and his conquest of Paléo

Paléo Festival 2019 - Amélie Wauthier

This Wednesday evening, July 24, 2019 at 8:00 pm, Hubert Lenoir performs on the Dôme stage. The name doesn't ring a bell, and I'm having trouble remembering it - at the same time, some days I'd forget my own first name if it wasn't on my identity card. Still, I'm curious to discover the universe of this artist, whom Paléo defines as «glam pop fulgurance»!

A few minutes before the start of the concert, a man lays out a number of sponge towels in the four corners of the stage. Behind him, «hubert lenoir woo» is spray-painted askew on a large square cloth. I have a feeling that this concert is going to be crazy, and so much the better! 

Six musicians of all ages take to the stage, accompanied by a short, peroxide-blond man with smoky eyes. On his yellow jersey, an inscription: «obtain my consent first please». I have a feeling I'm going to like him. A capella, the young man hums the words of a song in his deep, suave voice, then falls silent. The calm before the storm: the instruments explode, Hubert vociferates, jumps around, sways. Now I understand why there are SO many towels: this young man is on fire!

For those who don't know him yet, Hubert introduces himself - thank you! He comes from fucking Canada! Quand il a du temps libre, Hubert va en studio. Il nous demande si l’on veut écouter une de ses nouvelles chansons, une chanson dédiée à tous les pères: «Fuck les pères, j’déteste les pères», nous annonce-t-il. Je repense à Xavier Dolan: est-ce une habitude nationale au Canada de détester l’un de ses parents?

Pour ceux qui ne l’auraient pas compris, Hubert Lenoir a la révolte en lui et compte bien laisser exploser sa rage! Sur scène, il se montre sensuel, joueur, provocant. Il n’a pas froid aux yeux, n’hésite pas à escalader les piliers du Dôme. Du haut de ses vingt-quatre ans, ce Canadien imprévisible obtient le silence de son public – conquis – avec plus d’aisance qu’une institutrice de l’école primaire. Hubert est exigeant, joue les divas et les sales gosses capricieux, mais tout le monde semble adorer ça.

After a few songs, the young man finds himself shirtless, with only his large chain around his neck. Underneath his punk Hubert is also very concerned about the well-being of his audience. «Stay hydrated everyone, it's hot.» Secondly, Hubert «really likes us». With humor, he tells us about his red eye: «Have you seen my eye? I'm going to die tonight.» That's if he doesn't die sooner by breaking his neck in the middle of an acrobatic maneuver - Hubert has started climbing the Dome again, with a leaky water bottle in his back trouser pocket - or get caught up in his fans, The crowd is in hysterics as he throws himself into the crowd. 

Finally, after forty-five minutes of show the concert draws to a close with a frenzied riffs by Nirvana. Hubert Lenoir, who had just burned a paper lying around, survived. He lets out a last cry: «My name is HUBERT LENOIR», He did a pirouette, curtsied and left. It was crazy, extravagant. Hubert, I'll never forget your name. The only downside was that I didn't understand any of your lyrics, except for a few. motherfucker close. 

Write to the author: [email protected]

Photo credit: © Paléo / Anne Colliard

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