Dynamite Shakers

Nightclub is a dizzying whirlpool of a song. The band’s passport—Dynamite Shakers. A track inspired by an evening in a Paris club, surrounded by trendy clones of Pete Doherty. The gaze of rock-obsessed kids who come to Paris and confront a form of superficiality and cynicism typically Parisian. There is also a game of seduction at play. Bodies that seek each other, initially composed on a terrace in acoustic guitar mode. It was first written in English and ultimately sung in French. Youth speaks to youth. Eyes in eyes. There are many nuances, an explosive chorus, liberating saturation; it is a faithful identity card of what the band is.

Synthesis of a forthcoming second album for Barclay, produced by Lionel des Limiñanas and tracked at ICP in Brussels. The mix was entrusted to Englishman Caesar Edmunds, already Grammy-recognized (Beach House, Wet Leg, Queens of the Stone Age, PJ Harvey, The Killers, St Vincent, Foals, The Last Dinner Party, Ride...). It is also a track blending unbridled electricity with tattoo-like melody, one that clings to the brain and heart and won’t let go.

The gathering of Elouan, vocals and guitar; Lila-Rose, vocals and bass; François, drummer; and Calvin, guitarist, with an average age of 23, all from Vendée, resembles a scene from a John Hughes film. Elouan, still in high school, loves rock, especially its origins—the Sun Studios era. The mystique of sepia-toned images of visceral original rock ’n’ roll fascinates him. François, meanwhile, listens to the Stray Cats. The magic of adolescence between two rock enthusiasts who crossed paths at the Conservatoire in 2018 works its spell without delay. They compare their records, trade ideas. They feel they are family, the same crew. During the first rehearsal, the two new friends reprise Eddie Cochran.

Calvin and Lila-Rose met by chance while taking their driving test. Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin—the two listen to the same records. They too form a band, a covers band as well. One evening in a Vendée bar, Calvin stumbles upon a Dynamite Shakers concert. After lockdown, he joins the group, followed by Lila-Rose. The adventure can begin. Dynamite Shakers suits them well.

At their first concert, they didn’t even have a name. They asked the audience to drop ideas for a band name into a hat. And they finally chose Dynamite Shakers. A first album appeared in 2024, Don’t Be Boring (PIAS), produced by Jim Diamond (White Stripes). Raw, untamed rock and roll, recorded all together in the same room, always with that Sun Records spirit dear to Elouan.

With Dynamite Shakers, the stage is non-negotiable. Playing every day, playing again and again could be their motto. In the beginning, they played mainly in summer. They haunted the campsites of Vendée. They began with covers from the 50s–60s before playing their own compositions. Then they moved on to bars, venues, festivals. A first support slot for Sum 41 and then The Offspring at the La Défense Arena, in front of 40,000 people.

When the four talk about music, it flows, it vibrates. Gun Club, The Fleshtones, The Cramps, Sonic Youth, Johnny Thunders, The Sonics, Pixies—the names roll by, and one senses an insatiable appetite, the desire to write the next chapter. It isn’t about being absolutely innovative but about being sincere, exalted, generous. To draw from the past, to know it already, to better write the present, even the future.

It’s Michael J. Fox in the first Back to the Future when he plugs into the enormous amp designed by Doc. Summon the spirits of rock so the ritual never ends. To their abrasive rock from the outset they added organs, Farfisa, piano, synths, other atmospheres. They open up, experiment, explore. There is more relief, more strata. They knew they did not want to repeat themselves. It was about evolving.

On this forthcoming new album, they have slowed the tempo here and there. Their universe has gained in diversity, in intensity, in mystery. Shakespeare’s tongue now sits beside Molière’s. French is better for gaining depth. They see themselves playing again in the campsites, heads full of hope and dreams. Playing someday in Paris, in iconic venues. Recording their own albums. They are there. They know they were lucky. They know they have worked hard. They do not forget that the road ahead is long and that they will have to give a lot. They ask for nothing else.