From the first croissant bite on that bridge heading into Paris to the last drops of wine as Queens Of The Stone Age absolutely demolished the main stage, Rock En Seine 2025 just proved why European festivals hit different…
Words & photo by Felix Bartlett (@bartlettfelix4) | Aug 26, 2025
Where do we even begin? From the first croissant bite on that bridge heading into Paris to the last drops of wine as Queens Of The Stone Age absolutely demolished the main stage, Rock En Seine 2025 just proved why European festivals hit different. Like, REALLY different. Five days of pure musical chaos in the most beautiful setting imaginable, and honestly? We’re still not recovered.
Paris in late August is basically festival heaven on earth, all hazy sunshine, endless wine, and the Seine providing the most ridiculously gorgeous backdrop for what turned out to be an absolutely mental celebration of everything we love about live music. The Domaine National de Saint-Cloud might look all fancy and proper, but for five days it became our sweaty, beautiful home.
Queens Of The Stone Age – Grande Scene
Download Festival in 2024 just wasn’t enough for this lot, so when they rolled up to Rock En Seine with the daunting task of closing Paris’ biggest festival, expectations were sky-high. But the question remains, how do you close a festival like this? Well, you obviously let Josh Homme and his slicked-back villains do it with the biggest smirk and swagger imaginable. From ‘You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire’ to the closing fury of ‘A Song For The Dead’, this was a stunner of a setlist. This wasn’t just all belters, though. “The Vampyre of Time and Memory” and “Kalopsia” gave us long-time fans a taste of tantalising deep cuts that rarely grace the setlists. This was all woven through hits like ‘No One Knows’, ‘Make It Wit Chu’, and the sheer menace of ‘Sick, Sick, Sick’. As that final feedback screech echoed into the Parisian night, closing the weekend, we fans were left resting easy with news that the Cali Kings will be back in Paris this autumn for another live show at the Grand Rex.
Luvcat – Grande Scene
Okay, but moving away from headliners, can we talk about this absolute star moment? Opening the main stage at any festival is always a daunting moment, but opening for Chappell Roan, there was definitely magic in the air as the crowd descended to the festival site for the Liverpudlian goddess Luvcat. Everyone there knew they were witnessing something extraordinary. This was pure alt-rock perfection – shimmering hooks, effortless cool, and stage presence that made you believe in music again. ‘Sour’ and ‘Lose My Number’ became instant anthems that had the whole crowd singing along like they’d known these songs their entire lives. Having claimed to have run away with a Parisian circus on the eve of her 16th birthday, it’s evident that she picked up a few tricks along the way and kept them up her sleeve for this moment…
Provoker – Scène Horizons
Magic. No, not just the set, like literal magic, that’s what you can expect from a Provoker show alongside an absolute belter of a darkwave performance that feels like it crawled out of some dystopian 80s nightclub. Right off the bat, these Cali legends came for our souls, and we absolutely let them have them. Their anxiety-riddled coldwave is basically what a panic attack would sound like if it were sexy and we were absolutely here for it. Christian Petty’s voice cutting through that humid air on ‘Spellbound’ was pure dark magic, so thick with reverb and dread we genuinely thought the ground might swallow us whole. Talk about setting the bloody mood.
Mk.gee – Scène Revolut
If you’ve ever wanted to watch an artist completely lose themselves in their craft (whilst also getting lost yourself), this was your moment. The man is quite literally a guitar wizard who uses his axe to cast spells, and watching him work that baritone-strung Fender Jaguar was like witnessing some kind of musical alchemy in real time. Standing almost statue-still, shrouded in thick smoke rather than spotlight, he treated his guitar like an extension of his very soul, coaxing out the most beautifully warped, glitched-out textures that had the entire crowd hypnotised.
The beauty of Mk.gee live is in that mysterious, almost anonymous presence he cultivates. He invites interpretation while shrouding his onstage persona in a cloak of anonymity, making every moment feel like a secret you were lucky enough to witness. For those willing to surrender to the sonic journey, this was absolutely transcendent stuff.
Kneecap – Scène Bosquet
ABSOLUTE. FUCKING. CHAOS. And we mean that as the highest possible compliment. These Belfast rap legends have been blazing a trail across the festival circuit this summer, despite some controversial setbacks along the way. The tracksuits are basically a cultural reset button, and their set was riotous, hilarious, and fiercely brilliant all at once. Rapping in Irish Gaelic over pounding beats with punk rock ferocity, they turned that field into a joyous political mosh pit. The crowd roaring back ‘Get Your Brits Out’ and ‘C.E.A.R.T.A.’ was pure electricity paired with the message that’s become synonymous with festival sites this summer…
Last Train – Scène Revolut
Sometimes you just need some proper, no-bullshit rock and roll, and Last Train delivered it with French swagger that had us questioning why we ever doubted the power of pure rock perfection. For a first-time listener, I was absolutely hooked from the opening chord – these Lyon legends have been quietly building their empire since forming in the 2010s, and it bloody shows. What made Last Train special is how they’ve managed to tour with acts like Muse and Placebo while maintaining their own distinct identity, and let me tell you, they’ve picked up a couple of tricks from these tours. Huge riffs, bigger hooks, and a crowd that responded with crowd surfing, chants and arguably the biggest crowd I witnessed on the Scène Revolut stage across the weekend.
Fontaines D.C. – Grande Scene
Queens Of The Stone Age may be the final day’s headliners, but from the sea of Fontaines D.C. t-shirts, you could easily be fooled. Having powered through the UK this summer, headlining Finsbury Park, this was no doubt going to be a set shrouded in confidence and explosive energy, and boy did they deliver. As the sun set, we pushed through the massive crowd to catch a glimpse of these Irish legends who provided the perfect brooding transition into the night. They’re operating at their absolute peak right now, a monolithic force of poetic intensity and driving post-punk that hits you right in the chest. Grian Chatten pacing that stage like a caged panther, spitting out ‘Skinty Fia’ and ‘I Love You’ with terrifying conviction while the rhythm section built this hypnotic, relentless engine of tension and release, rounding off with a dedication of ‘Favourite’ to fellow Belfast crew Kneecap. Sensational doesn’t even begin to cover how special this set was.”
Fat Dog – Grande Scene
Dare I say this was a set that could rival the legendary antics of Limp Bizkit… Now let’s get this out of the way and say the phrase “cult following” was literally invented for Fat Dog. From the moment these punk madmen emerged to “Vigilante”, the Grande Scene descended into beautiful, unhinged chaos. Frontman Joe Love is an absolute phenomenon, a commanding presence leading the crowd like a general directing troops into glorious battle. ‘King of the Slugs’ and ‘All The Same’ created communal chants for the most deranged new religion we’d ever want to join. The mosh pits kicked up a sea of dust that could rival even the most seasoned festival veterans, all under that blazing Parisian sun. Hands down this was arguably one of the best sets of the weekend.
Chappell Roan – La Grande Scene
Headlining an all-female artist day, it seems like there would be no better fit than the queen herself, Chappell Roan. It may have only been the first night, but here’s where things got properly mental. Sure, ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ was a colossal singalong and ‘Pink Pony Club’ was glitter-drenched perfection. But then – THEN – she dropped Heart’s ‘Barracuda’ and absolutely everything changed. The campy popstar persona vanished and out came this raw, volcanic vocal performance full of snarling power and genuine rock grit. It was jaw-dropping, a statement that underneath all the rhinestones lies a powerhouse who can go toe-to-toe with the absolute greats. Her band absolutely shredded the guitar work, proving that while Roan has herself firmly rooted in pop, she still has serious rock tricks up her sleeve. Here’s hoping we see more of this range as she continues her journey.
Justice – La Grande Scene
Now rounding off the weekend, an artist who may not be in the traditional sense an alternative act, but one that fully embodies the essence of electronic rock that consumed the field under the illuminated glow of that notorious glowing cross. A bloody masterclass in euphoria that reminded everyone why Justice remain untouchable in the live electronic game.
When that iconic cross logo lit up against the darkening Parisian sky, these French legends returned home for a set that had my heart thumping alongside the crowd in hypnotic unison. The production was absolutely next level, with strobing lights and that legendary cross formation creating a visual spectacle across the screens that almost stole the show from the action on stage.
New Hyperdrama material slotted seamlessly into classics like “D.A.N.C.E.” and “Stress”, each track building to seismic drops that literally shook the foundations of the park and had me and the entire crowd losing our collective minds. The way they layered those crushing basslines with their filtered vocals created this wall of sound that you felt in your chest as much as you heard it. It was slick, it was powerful, and it was the perfect pairing for the penultimate evening of a triumphant homecoming, one that further cements Justice’s legacy and left me gagging for more…
Photos: Olivier Hoffschir
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