The Back to the lockdown festival.

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M.Libert / 20 Minutes

  • During the second confinement, two secondary school students from Lens organized a virtual music festival, the Back to the lockdown festival.

  • They were able to convince about fifteen regional and national groups to participate in the second edition, on April 24.

  • The concept combines recorded sets, live sessions and the broadcast of artist interviews.

Profitable confinements.

Due to the coronavirus crisis, the culture sector has been on hiatus for a year now.

Concerts canceled, festivals postponed… La bamboche is over.

In fact, not quite.

In its columns,

20 Minutes

has already spoken of initiatives by artists who, for lack of a venue and a live audience, have taken the initiative to perform on the Internet.

Last November, in Lens, in the Pas-de-Calais, two college friends organized their own online music festival, the Back to the lockdown festival.

The second edition will take place at the end of April.

At 14 years old each, Louis and Victor could very well have taken advantage of the successive confinements to stay glued to their sofas playing Play.

But it is not in the temperament of these Lensois college students, passionate musicians.

“At the end of the summer, with Victor, we set up our group called 'No pressure'.

But in November, we couldn't rehearse because of the confinement so we looked for something to do, ”explains Louis.

The teenager remembered a virtual concert organized in the United States that he had seen during the first confinement.

On a whim he called his mate and said: "Hot, we're organizing something like this".

About fifteen groups for 7 hours of live

In less than a month, by dint of emails and messages on social networks, the two young people managed to convince about fifteen groups and artists from the region, but also from the whole of France to participate in their festival, November 21.

"We hosted 7 hours of live on Facebook and YouTube, alternating the broadcasting of songs recorded by the groups, lives and interviews", details Louis.

In all, 25,000 spectators stopped for more or less time to follow the Back to the lockdown festival.

“We had a lot of technical difficulties before we started and the parents really helped to keep everything going for the big day,” admits the teenager.

Galvanized by this first experience, and because we are undergoing a new confinement, the two friends decided to do it again, on April 24.

“The same, there will be about fifteen groups and a few guests,” promises Louis.

For the programming, we wanted to be more eclectic, going from pop-rock to punk via rap ”.

The concept will remain the same, mixing recorded sets, live sessions and artist interviews.

And as for the first edition, a fund will be put online and donations will be donated to a charity.

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  • Music

  • Coronavirus

  • Teenager

  • Festival

  • Confinement