Differing versions of this circulate coming from a FM broadcast, and the sound qualities vary too. Most omit several tracks and may come from an edited rebroadcast? Probably the last known recording of the Clash live.
One More Time 2cdr (likely source FM radio)
The worst copy (source a) [64.12]and a popular one circulating is very bottom heavy and muddled with some distortion. By about halfway through the sound improves a little. If it came with a second cdr where 4 tracks repeat on the second disc from a poorer source and it had a nice bonus Guildford 77 tucked on after with Fridays (1980) TV performance. (It may go by the name One More Time)
On the four extra tracks a french voice can be heard on I'm so Bored with the USA (which is the fuller audience tape) which is absent on the version earlier on the cdr.
From a radio taper... (source FM radio)
The best version (source b) [49.28] of the four sources ends with Spanish Bombs also schuffling the four encore tracks after Police on My Back. Strangely this runs 64 mins. It came from a radio taper.
A similar (pink sleeve) (source c) was accidently edited by owner to the first 6 tracks is nearly as good but a little thinner. An identical one to source B also exists in a yellow sleeve but with inferior sound.
Audience version??
Different source/no radio annoucer
However a fuller unedited copy (source e), correctly sequenced running at 78 minutes, ends with Bored with the USA which is cut and omits the last two tracks in correct sequence. This has some distortion and is halfway between the best and worst. Again there is no radio announcer, it just flows into whats my name.
Video
French documentary: Elixer
Upcoming French documentary on the festival with heavy Clash lead but no Clash footage. Lots of audience shots and brief shots from Athens '85.
Le jour où les Clash sont venus chez nous - l'histoire d'Elixir, le 1er festival rock français
Elixir, the story of France's first major rock festival – The day The Clash came to us.
A documentary by Jérôme Bréhier and Gérard Pont
In 1979, France was about to undergo a major cultural upheaval: the birth of its very first rock festival.
It was the wild dream of a group of friends who one day set themselves the challenge of bringing the biggest stars to their remote corner at the far end of Brittany.
Leonard Cohen, The Clash, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Jimmy Cliff, America, Simple Minds, Murray Head, Stray Cats, Joe Cocker — they all came.
But how did these diehard Bretons succeed where so many had failed before?
They created a festival that, for nearly a decade, electrified the French music scene and became the father of all that followed.
This is the story of Élixir — a musical and human adventure that would take our band of Bretons all the way to Greece.
An incredible story… that would ultimately end in disaster.
Also featuring: Echo and the Bunnymen, TC Matic, Talk Talk, Culture Club, The Fuzztones, Téléphone, The Lords of the New Church, Spear of Destiny.
Elixir, l'histoire du premier festival rock en France
Elixir, the Story of the First Rock Festival in France – YouTube
In 1979, France experienced a major cultural upheaval: the birth of its first rock festival.
The Élixir Festival arrived in Brittany in the early 1980s, in Finistère, launched by a group of penniless music lovers.
For seven years, Élixir welcomed the biggest names on the rock scene and still makes the eyes of those who were part of it — closely or from afar — light up.
This is the story of Élixir, a musical and human adventure that would take its founders far beyond Celtic lands...
“Our Élixir Years,” a documentary by Jérôme Bréhier and Gérard Pont
A co-production of France 3 Bretagne / Morgane Production
The Rockscene Festival, held on 13 July 1985 in Guéhenno, Brittany, was part of an ambitious two-part affair organised by the team behind the pioneering Élixir Festival. The second event, Rock in Athens, would take place two weeks later at the ancient Panathenaic Stadium in Greece. Both were co-produced by French concert promoter Roxane and the travel agency Nouvelles Frontières, which was keen to expand its portfolio beyond traditional tourism into cultural programming.
Nouvelles Frontières backed the event not only financially but logistically-chartering a train from Paris to Vannes and helping with ticket distribution across France and abroad.
Over 500 local volunteers were mobilised to staff the Guéhenno site, which sprawled across a 20-hectare field leased from a local farmer. Despite its remote location, organisers expected 25,000 to 30,000 attendees and marketed Rockscene through national radio, TV spots, and leaflets distributed at other festivals across Europe.
Booking The Clash was central to the festival's identity. While global eyes were on Live Aid that same day, Guéhenno would host what was effectively the underground counter-programme.
Though the band was nearing collapse, Joe Strummer remained a potent emblem of protest culture, and the decision to include The Clash added weight to a lineup also featuring Depeche Mode, Leonard Cohen, and Midnight Oil. Festival literature hailed the booking as a return to raw, politicised rock: "Joe Strummer has never shown such energy... more emotion, more political conscience... the moral foundation of this rock battle."
Rockscene may have lacked the global spotlight of Wembley, but it delivered something else-authenticity. In pairing sharp-edged counterculture with wide musical appeal, the festival extended Élixir's original vision: to offer not just entertainment, but purpose.
The Élixir Festival was launched in 1979, with a Celtic folk lineup in Irvillac (Finistère), by two brothers in their twenties-Pierre and Jean-Paul Billant. Still within Finistère, the festival made stops in Plounéour-Trez in 1980, Plomodiern in 1981, and Saint-Pabu in 1982.
The festival was held in Guéhenno in 1983 and 1985. In 1983, Élixir took place on 16 and 17 July. Pierre Billant had programmed acts like Joe Cocker, The Stranglers, and Simple Minds-fourteen rock groups in total. It was an exceptional lineup for the region. Despite the quality of the bill, Gérard Pont later recalled that it was "a real struggle, we knew we were ruined."
20 Hectares of Meadows
The festival took place on the hills of Quenelec, a hamlet located between Guéhenno and Saint-Jean-Brévelay. Emmanuel Guillo, the landowner, leased a field of around twenty hectares to the organizers. The municipal council gave its approval by a narrow margin: eight votes in favour, seven against.
Pierre Billant had hoped for 25,000 to 30,000 attendees and left nothing to chance: advertising ran on television and radio, and leaflets were distributed at major concerts and foreign festivals.
He stated at the time: "Élixir will charter a train that will leaveParis, arrive inVanneson Saturday morning, and return toParison Monday morning."
During the festival, 500 people were mobilised to manage entrances, technical operations, parking, and crowd safety. Recruitment drew from local community associations and supporters of the festival.
Chanteau, Jacques. “Élixir – Le Woodstock breton.”Le Télégramme, with contributions from Dan Ar Braz and photos by Louis Blonce, Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/chroniquesrock.
Élixir – The Breton Woodstock: A Festival That Changed French Music History
Launched in 1979 by a group of friends in rural Brittany, Élixir became France’s first major rock festival, welcoming legends like The Clash, Leonard Cohen, and Depeche Mode.
Despite its ultimate collapse in 1987, its spirit helped lay the groundwork for modern French festivals like Les Vieilles Charrues.
Le Télégramme, this very day - Thanks to Jacques Chanteau And thank you to Louis Blonce for your photos from that heroic era!
Élixir, nicknamed the Breton Woodstock, opened the dance of the great festivals of France. And to this day, it remains "the big brother" of most Breton festivals.
A tractor trailer transformed into a stage, a trench and plywood booths serving as toilets, a 100-metre-long drinks stand built from overturned potato crates… Pretty roots, the first edition of Élixir, held on 14-15 July 1979 in Irvillac (Finistère), just south of Landerneau. "But the atmosphere was extraordinary," recalls Dan Ar Braz, who featured in that inaugural lineup alongside John Martyn, Clannad, Gwendal. "I have such a fond memory of those farmers who managed to pull off a festival that was both friendly and rural."
Well before Les Vieilles Charrues and other Breton festivals, Élixir welcomed an impressive string of stars: The Clash, Depeche Mode, Stray Cats, America, Leonard Cohen, The Cure… A festival built by a gang of friends from the Landerneau region in their twenties, united around two farmer cousins: Pierre Billant (who passed away in 2017) and Jean-Paul Billant. "Jean-Paul was the artistic madman, Pierre the serious organiser, and I was more of a communicator," says Gérard Pont, co-founder of Élixir and now head of Francofolies. "We also had physics teacherRené Tréguer, an excellent technician."
"Round for everyone at the bar!"
From its very first edition, the Élixir spirit caught on. "15,000 folk fans at the Breton Woodstock," ran the headline in Le Télégramme. 15,000 people packed into the Irvillac field-twice the expected number, but only 8,000 paid tickets. Hundreds of festival-goers had clearly "forgotten" to pass by the box office.
Among the crowd, a woman was about to give birth. As the father couldn't be found-despite repeated announcements on the PA-the mother was evacuated by firefighters to Brest. The father was eventually located. Clearly drunk-but, as it turned out, "drunk with joy" at learning he was now a dad-he clambered onto the stage and shouted into the mic: "Round for everyone at the bar!"
A Roaming Festival
The following year, Élixir had to leave Irvillac. Due to the hostility of certain councils and sections of the local population, the festival regularly relocated to other Breton towns. Despite this nomadic life, the public stayed loyal. Attendance jumped from 10,000 to 25,000 per day. Campsites expanded. Canadian tents stretched out as far as the eye could see among Renault 5s and 4Ls.
"It was Woodstockian," says Jacques Abalain, an early volunteer who later joined the organising staff. "There was everything you needed to party-plus we were by the sea." *"All the youth of Finistère and Brest gathered on the Saint-Pabu dunes in 1982 and *1984," remembers Pascal, a student at the time. "Some even came by moped from Brest. Playing a little football on the beach before the concerts, using beer cans as goalposts, was just as fun as the music itself."
The Secret to Élixir's Success?
"As journalistJacques Chancelused to say," recalls Jean-Paul Billant, "you shouldn't give people what they already like-you should give them what they could like."Jacques Abalain adds: "The musical programming really matched the moment. We went from folk at the end of the '70s to punk-rock in the '80s." And for Gérard Pont: "The success of Élixir also came from the fact that inBrittany, there's a real desire to celebrate-with music."
Internal Tensions and a Painful End
The festival gained international recognition-but internal conflicts took a toll. "From 1982, the organisers fromLanderneaubegan falling out," said Olivier Polard, co-author (with Gérard Pont) of Élixir, l'histoire du premier grand festival français. By 1985, the team suffered multiple blows: they were banned from using the name Élixir (as it was never trademarked), faced a tax audit, and then staged a final festival in Athens that ended in clashes between police and anarchists.
In 1986, the edition at Stade Francis-Le Blé in Brest was a flop. The final Élixir in Bannalec (1987) fared no better. "Some people with oversized egos lost the plot," laments Jean-Paul Billant. "The true soul of the festival-that camaraderie-only lasted three years."
Legacy of Élixir
Yet, it's likely thanks to Élixir that the Bretons carried the torch, making Brittany a land of festivals. "We are descendants of Élixir," confirms Jean-Jacques Toux, programmer for Les Vieilles Charrues, now France's largest festival-just as Élixir had once been in its time.
Book currently out of print. A reissue is planned.
Rock Scène 85: Programme et Présentation. Promotional leaflet, 13 July 1985, Guéhenno, Morbihan, France.
ROCK SCÈNE 85
This promotional leaflet for Rock Scène 85 announces the successor to the Élixir Festival—a single-day rock event held on 13 July 1985 in Guéhenno, Brittany, featuring The Clash, Depeche Mode, Leonard Cohen, and other major acts. Emphasising musical diversity and accessibility, it presents the full lineup, times, and practical festival details for attendees.
ROCK SCÈNE 85
For six years we presentedÉlixir. Thanks to the public, journalists, and media, you made it one of the most important rock events in Europe - and we thank you.Today, we want to innovate, amaze, surprise.
Rock Scène succeeds Élixir. Above all, Rock Scène is a major show condensed into a single day - a more dynamic format to bring you a better concert with a wide range of prestigious artists.
Rock Scène gets straight to the point: music. But music delivered with maximum comfort, visual, and auditory quality. Rock Scène is a great celebration of music where everyone should feel welcome, regardless of genre, style, or label - simply the music we love.
ÉLIXIRDOCK & BULL201Price: 150 F in advance Free camping and parking Food and drink available inside the festival grounds Guéhenno is 1 km away, with banks, phones, etc. Meeting points inside the festival grounds
Access routes:
From the south: arrive via Vannes From the east: arrive via Josselin From the north: arrive via Pontivy Quimper - Lorient - Rennes - Guéhenno - Vannes
CLASH
The Clash are back. Since 1977, the year the band was formed, Joe Strummer has never shown such energy.
With his new loyal bandmates, Joe Strummer offers a high-voltage show in the spirit of London Calling. More energy, more emotion, without forgetting the political conscience - the moral foundation of this rock battle. An event not to be missed...
DEPECHE MODE
As the name suggests, Depeche Mode is a band for modern young people. Repetitive, synthetic music designed to make dandies dance for the length of a hit.
In the same vein as Duran Duran or Orchestral Manoeuvres, they are a reflection of the moment, an image of a fleeting time with no message other than pleasure, in reaction to the punk era. A band in full ascent.
JOAN ARMATRADING
One of the most endearing figures in rock music. For several years now, she's worked in the space now occupied by SADE - halfway between jazz, soul, and rock. One of the warmest voices at the festival.
MIDNIGHT OIL
A new name, but already the top band of the Australian wave. Eagerly awaited for their first concert in France, they'll likely be the revelation of the festival.
MIDNIGHT OIL reconnects with political rock - a fight against American imperialism in Australia, conveyed through hard, aggressive rock. Not to be missed...
LEONARD COHEN
Singer, novelist, poet - this Canadian is one of the greatest folk singers from the American continent. Suzanne, Bird on a Wire, So Long Marianne - songs that have touched generations. He returns for a one-off show in France.
THE RAMONES
The Ramones are already seasoned veterans of rock. Worn leather and "Mireille Mathieu" haircuts, they deliver tight, aggressive rock - New York-style violence - on stages all over the world. Yet this will be one of their first concerts in France.
TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS
"I'm a Rastaman, a Rastafari. I'm not a dreadlocks." That's how Frederic "Toots" Hibbert, the band's frontman, defines himself. A singer inspired by Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and marked by soul, he manages to create a subtle blend of gospel, rhythm & blues, and ska.
JULY 13, 1985 - GUÉHENNO, MORBIHAN
PROGRAMME
1:30 PM - Spear of Destiny
3:00 PM - Midnight Oil
4:30 PM - Leonard Cohen
6:30 PM - Ramones
8:00 PM - Joan Armatrading
9:30 PM - Depeche Mode
11:00 PM - Clash
12:30 AM - Toots and the Maytals
Wais, Alain. "Rock à Athènes." Le Monde, 11 July 1985, p. 13. Arts et Spectacles.
THE SPIRIT OF ÉLIXIR
French festival pioneers behind Élixir bring large-scale rock concerts to Athens' ancient stadium in July 1985, featuring Clash, Depeche Mode, and others. The article traces their grassroots origins, logistical challenges, and growing international ambition.
THE SPIRIT OF ÉLIXIR
LE MONDEThursday, July 11, 1985Page 13Le MondeARTS AND ENTERTAINMENTRock in Athens
Make way for rock, for the first time, in Athens' ancient stadium, July 26 and 27; and, on July 13, a date in Brittany.
THE SPIRIT OF ÉLIXIR
THIS summer, the company Roxane, in co-production with Nouvelles Frontières, is organizing two festivals with prestigious line-ups (1): Rock-Scène, in Guehenno (Morbihan), and Rockin'Athens 85, in the ancient stadium of the Greek capital. For the first, on July 13, they expect twenty-five thousand people. In Athens, where it's a first, they'll need forty-eight thousand people per day, July 26 and 27, in a stadium that can hold seventy thousand, in order to cover the cost of the operation-nearly 6 million francs.
Behind these large-scale events is the story of a small festival (Élixir) that grew outside the traditional circuits, the story of amateurs who dove into the adventure out of love for music and, along the way, learned as they went.
In 1978, while a student in Brest, Gérard Pont created a fanzine and organized small French chanson concerts. One after another, he achieved four successes. Meanwhile, Pierre and Jean-Paul Billant, who had formed a non-profit association and suffered a few failures, proposed creating a festival. Why not? It was at least worth talking about. Around a table, they'd regularly dream aloud-we'll have Neil Young, we'll bring in Genesis... the Pope. Only, to do that, they'd at least need the contacts. In the end, Pierre Billant returned from England with contracts that, if not ambitious, at least matched their means: John Martyn, Bert Jansch, Gwendal, and a few others of the same ilk. Folkies struggling in their own countries who agreed to play without being paid upfront.
Next, they needed a location. A bit older, bearded and affable, René Tréguer spoke Breton and knew how to convince the farmers. People still thought they were mad, and several towns turned them away. On an empty field, they had to build a small village, bring in water and electricity, set up an enclosure, a stage, toilets (they were even required to separate boys from girls on the grounds).
Élixir, the first edition, took place July 14-15, 1979 in Irvillac, near Landerneau, in Brittany. They expected three thousand people-eight thousand came, without any promotion or media support. For two days, it was a state of grace-the organization was rough, but no one backed out. We could've flopped, remembers Gérard Pont, but it was so bold, so spontaneous that even the amateurism worked in our favour. It was the green light for a second edition, held the following year in Plonéour-Trez, in Finistère. With Donovan and Murray Head as headliners, Élixir widened its reach and drew twelve thousand people-still with no advertising.
The same volunteer team returned (though the original handful of friends had grown into a hundred). Gérard Pont ran a bookstore in Rennes, René Tréguer taught physics, Pierre Billant was a farmer (soon becoming the only full-time staff). They only met during the three months leading up to the festival, each keeping their role from year to year. For Anglo agents, though still hard to convince, the name Élixir was no longer unknown.
In 1981, America came especially from the United States to play Plomodiern. With acts like Inmates, Wilko Johnson, Hazel O'Connor, the rock tilt of the festival sharpened and reception improved-the site overlooked the Bay of Douarnenez.
Sixteen thousand people attended. The Élixir team needed to shift gears. With attendance capped by lack of promotion, they went to Paris to pitch their line-up and seek sponsors. As good provincials showing up, admits Gérard Pont, we had no idea who to talk to.TF1 agreed to film the event, and the national press covered it. Élixir 1982 in Saint-Pabu featured an ambitious yet low-cost line-up. Joe Jackson, then on the rise, only asked for 40,000 francs. Same with Jimmy Cliff, Reggae Night. Steve Hackett of Genesis, Randy California (back from Spirit), Moon Martin, filled out the top of the bill in front of nearly twenty-five thousand people daily.
The next year wasn't as lucky. Encouraged by success, the Élixir crew got overconfident. Within two days, they staged two festivals: a chartered plane flew the bands from Guehenno, in Brittany, to Toulouse. While they knew their home turf, elsewhere they had no experience. Their mistake was delegating logistics to a local team. They didn't know the story, laments Gérard Pont, for them, it was just a cash machine. Without being on-site to sign cheques, budgets were quickly overrun. Though budget overruns weren't fatal-sixteen thousand came to Guehenno-only three thousand tickets were sold in Toulouse, far short of the five times that needed to cover costs. The line-up was expensive: Simple Minds, Joe Cocker, Gregg Allman, The Stranglers, King Sunny Adé, etc. The 200,000 francs in reserves didn't cover the 1.2 million francs shortfall.
CLASH HEADLINE THE BILL
Even if we bombed, says Gérard Pont, it was worth it to see the last concert ofThe Undertones-they broke up right after. I kept a tape. It's superb. That passion is what sets Élixir apart. Unlike many French festivals whose organizers vanished into the wild, they didn't go bankrupt and kept repaying creditors. With help from Nouvelles Frontières, they returned to Saint-Pabu in 1984. The team brought in a financier, a manager, and a technical lead. Because they always paid bands, overseas agents renewed their trust. Nina Hagen, The Stray Cats, Ian Dury, The Alarm, OMD, Fela, and others filled two days with over sixty thousand attendees. The finances were nearly balanced again.
That's when Jean-Paul Claudon, from Nouvelles Frontières-the travel agency-had been looking for years to expand into an area matching its clientele... and, incidentally, helping sell travel-floated the idea of a festi-rock in Athens. As before, the Élixir team (now called Roxane) were reluctant, but when pressed, they went to see if it was feasible.
With backing from Nouvelles Frontières, well-established in Greece, and Élixir's credibility with bands, the project quickly took shape. Melina Mercouri, the culture minister, gave her approval. There was concern about elections and a possible government shakeup, but plans were too advanced and some bands had already been paid. She granted access to the ancient stadium of Athens, site of the first modern Olympic Games. A five-person crew began work on-site; over 300 would be hired locally during the festival. Six semi-trailers would haul in the stage and sound system, rented from England.
There, as here, people learned by doing. Promotion relied mostly on press and word-of-mouth. Dire Straits, for instance, played to thirty thousand people with no posters. The Greek Ministry of Culture insisted on Culture Club, Rod Stewart, and a local band. Rod Stewart won't come-Clash will headline one night. Unable to use their name in European ads by contract, promoters had to call them a mysterious guest star. In France, the Ministry of Culture requested a French group-it'll be Téléphone. Due to the heat, concerts will start in late afternoon and be shown live on a giant video screen.
Two weeks earlier, Rock-Scène will be held as a one-day event to avoid the rucksack-and-tent image. If all goes well, by September, Gérard Pont may have to choose between books and gigs. ALAIN WAIS.
★ROCK-SCÈNE, July 13 in Guehenno (20 km from Vannes): Clash, Leonard Cohen, Depeche Mode, Spear of Destiny, Joan Armatrading, Ramones, Midnight Oil, Toots and the Maytals. Price: 150 francs, transport arranged by Nouvelles Frontières. ROCKIN'ATHENS 85, July 26 with Culture Club, Depeche Mode, Talk Talk, Téléphone, Brigades Musicales; July 27 with Nina Hagen, The Cure, The Stranglers. Package tickets (170 francs) and charter flights available via Nouvelles Frontières. Tel: 273-25-25. (1) The Athens event (held for European Music Year) is supported in Greece by the Ministry of Culture and Sciences, the Secretariat for Youth and Sport.
Long days and sleepless nights for the bakers of Guйhenno, who - among all the shopkeepers - were certainly, and by far, the ones most called upon. Because they, the bakers, they produce. And they had to supply during those two days of the festival! Even three days, counting those who arrived well before the show began.
Just imagine - more than 20,000 people to feed. That's no small matter. Even though their colleagues from Saint-Jean and the surrounding areas were also called in to help. Yet there was never a shortage of bread, nor of warm croissants or pain au chocolat, so appreciated in the early morning hours.
Lucien Clen: "I've never seen anything like it in my life"
With grey hair - actually more white than grey - Lucien Clen is preparing another batch. It's Saturday the 16th, and it's close to midnight. He's no longer exactly sure if he's on his 21st or 22nd batch. What's certain is we'll have done about thirty in four days. I'm 58 and I can tell you I've never seen anything like this in my life. Sure, you have to work - but let's not complain. Still, it's not something we'd want happening too often.
All the while sharing his thoughts, Lucien Clen stretches the dough. Even with all the chaos, he doesn't forget his regular customers and is making special loaves for his regulars.
"You'll know which one it is," he says to Michel Rohel, a fellow baker on holiday who came to lend a hand. Obviously, this is no longer the pace of the usual 3 to 5 batches per day.
(2)
Jean Guimard: "My biggest order - 1,500 baguettes"
Just a few dozen metres away, Jean Guimard was also busy in his bakery. "Since 4 p.m. yesterday we've been at it - we've baked 1,500 baguettes," he says. Yesterday was Saturday, today is Sunday. It's 1 a.m., and Jean Guimard adds: "We even had to find someone else to come and help us out."
"The biggest order we received was for 1,500 baguettes from a travelling vendor."
In the end, the crowd was a little smaller than expected. All the better - it was still tough going. "We've only had 2 or 3 hours of sleep since Friday," he admits.
The baking must go on…
Still, they have to push through. There's a whole night of baking left to get everything ready to sell by early morning.
There's no pause. A new batch of dough is already being prepared, while previous ones are being racked, the baguettes from the third batch pulled from the oven.
And all through the night, the same rhythm continues.
Up in the hills of Guйhenno, thousands of festivalgoers are still awake. They're listening to music, oblivious to what the morning will bring...
ROCK AGAINST TARZAM dans le cadre de coups de talents sur l'hexagone rock sceneFR3 20 MARS-19 H-SALLE OMNISPORTS-RENNES
EN CONCERT EXCEPTIONNEL CLASH +3 GROUPES DEPART DE PARIS: RENSEIGNEMENTS nouvelles frontières (TEL: 273.25.25) POUR TRANSPORT ET CONCERT. locations: NUGGETS et points habituels *PALL MALL roxane
Wais, Alain. "Rock à Athènes." Le Monde, 11 July 1985, p. 13. Arts et Spectacles.
THE SPIRIT OF ÉLIXIR
French festival pioneers behind Élixir bring large-scale rock concerts to Athens' ancient stadium in July 1985, featuring Clash, Depeche Mode, and others. The article traces their grassroots origins, logistical challenges, and growing international ambition.
THE SPIRIT OF ÉLIXIR
LE MONDEThursday, July 11, 1985Page 13Le MondeARTS AND ENTERTAINMENTRock in Athens
Make way for rock, for the first time, in Athens' ancient stadium, July 26 and 27; and, on July 13, a date in Brittany.
THE SPIRIT OF ÉLIXIR
THIS summer, the company Roxane, in co-production with Nouvelles Frontières, is organizing two festivals with prestigious line-ups (1): Rock-Scène, in Guehenno (Morbihan), and Rockin'Athens 85, in the ancient stadium of the Greek capital. For the first, on July 13, they expect twenty-five thousand people. In Athens, where it's a first, they'll need forty-eight thousand people per day, July 26 and 27, in a stadium that can hold seventy thousand, in order to cover the cost of the operation-nearly 6 million francs.
Behind these large-scale events is the story of a small festival (Élixir) that grew outside the traditional circuits, the story of amateurs who dove into the adventure out of love for music and, along the way, learned as they went.
In 1978, while a student in Brest, Gérard Pont created a fanzine and organized small French chanson concerts. One after another, he achieved four successes. Meanwhile, Pierre and Jean-Paul Billant, who had formed a non-profit association and suffered a few failures, proposed creating a festival. Why not? It was at least worth talking about. Around a table, they'd regularly dream aloud-we'll have Neil Young, we'll bring in Genesis... the Pope. Only, to do that, they'd at least need the contacts. In the end, Pierre Billant returned from England with contracts that, if not ambitious, at least matched their means: John Martyn, Bert Jansch, Gwendal, and a few others of the same ilk. Folkies struggling in their own countries who agreed to play without being paid upfront.
Next, they needed a location. A bit older, bearded and affable, René Tréguer spoke Breton and knew how to convince the farmers. People still thought they were mad, and several towns turned them away. On an empty field, they had to build a small village, bring in water and electricity, set up an enclosure, a stage, toilets (they were even required to separate boys from girls on the grounds).
Élixir, the first edition, took place July 14-15, 1979 in Irvillac, near Landerneau, in Brittany. They expected three thousand people-eight thousand came, without any promotion or media support. For two days, it was a state of grace-the organization was rough, but no one backed out. We could've flopped, remembers Gérard Pont, but it was so bold, so spontaneous that even the amateurism worked in our favour. It was the green light for a second edition, held the following year in Plonéour-Trez, in Finistère. With Donovan and Murray Head as headliners, Élixir widened its reach and drew twelve thousand people-still with no advertising.
The same volunteer team returned (though the original handful of friends had grown into a hundred). Gérard Pont ran a bookstore in Rennes, René Tréguer taught physics, Pierre Billant was a farmer (soon becoming the only full-time staff). They only met during the three months leading up to the festival, each keeping their role from year to year. For Anglo agents, though still hard to convince, the name Élixir was no longer unknown.
In 1981, America came especially from the United States to play Plomodiern. With acts like Inmates, Wilko Johnson, Hazel O'Connor, the rock tilt of the festival sharpened and reception improved-the site overlooked the Bay of Douarnenez.
Sixteen thousand people attended. The Élixir team needed to shift gears. With attendance capped by lack of promotion, they went to Paris to pitch their line-up and seek sponsors. As good provincials showing up, admits Gérard Pont, we had no idea who to talk to.TF1 agreed to film the event, and the national press covered it. Élixir 1982 in Saint-Pabu featured an ambitious yet low-cost line-up. Joe Jackson, then on the rise, only asked for 40,000 francs. Same with Jimmy Cliff, Reggae Night. Steve Hackett of Genesis, Randy California (back from Spirit), Moon Martin, filled out the top of the bill in front of nearly twenty-five thousand people daily.
The next year wasn't as lucky. Encouraged by success, the Élixir crew got overconfident. Within two days, they staged two festivals: a chartered plane flew the bands from Guehenno, in Brittany, to Toulouse. While they knew their home turf, elsewhere they had no experience. Their mistake was delegating logistics to a local team. They didn't know the story, laments Gérard Pont, for them, it was just a cash machine. Without being on-site to sign cheques, budgets were quickly overrun. Though budget overruns weren't fatal-sixteen thousand came to Guehenno-only three thousand tickets were sold in Toulouse, far short of the five times that needed to cover costs. The line-up was expensive: Simple Minds, Joe Cocker, Gregg Allman, The Stranglers, King Sunny Adé, etc. The 200,000 francs in reserves didn't cover the 1.2 million francs shortfall.
CLASH HEADLINE THE BILL
Even if we bombed, says Gérard Pont, it was worth it to see the last concert ofThe Undertones-they broke up right after. I kept a tape. It's superb. That passion is what sets Élixir apart. Unlike many French festivals whose organizers vanished into the wild, they didn't go bankrupt and kept repaying creditors. With help from Nouvelles Frontières, they returned to Saint-Pabu in 1984. The team brought in a financier, a manager, and a technical lead. Because they always paid bands, overseas agents renewed their trust. Nina Hagen, The Stray Cats, Ian Dury, The Alarm, OMD, Fela, and others filled two days with over sixty thousand attendees. The finances were nearly balanced again.
That's when Jean-Paul Claudon, from Nouvelles Frontières-the travel agency-had been looking for years to expand into an area matching its clientele... and, incidentally, helping sell travel-floated the idea of a festi-rock in Athens. As before, the Élixir team (now called Roxane) were reluctant, but when pressed, they went to see if it was feasible.
With backing from Nouvelles Frontières, well-established in Greece, and Élixir's credibility with bands, the project quickly took shape. Melina Mercouri, the culture minister, gave her approval. There was concern about elections and a possible government shakeup, but plans were too advanced and some bands had already been paid. She granted access to the ancient stadium of Athens, site of the first modern Olympic Games. A five-person crew began work on-site; over 300 would be hired locally during the festival. Six semi-trailers would haul in the stage and sound system, rented from England.
There, as here, people learned by doing. Promotion relied mostly on press and word-of-mouth. Dire Straits, for instance, played to thirty thousand people with no posters. The Greek Ministry of Culture insisted on Culture Club, Rod Stewart, and a local band. Rod Stewart won't come-Clash will headline one night. Unable to use their name in European ads by contract, promoters had to call them a mysterious guest star. In France, the Ministry of Culture requested a French group-it'll be Téléphone. Due to the heat, concerts will start in late afternoon and be shown live on a giant video screen.
Two weeks earlier, Rock-Scène will be held as a one-day event to avoid the rucksack-and-tent image. If all goes well, by September, Gérard Pont may have to choose between books and gigs. ALAIN WAIS.
★ROCK-SCÈNE, July 13 in Guehenno (20 km from Vannes): Clash, Leonard Cohen, Depeche Mode, Spear of Destiny, Joan Armatrading, Ramones, Midnight Oil, Toots and the Maytals. Price: 150 francs, transport arranged by Nouvelles Frontières. ROCKIN'ATHENS 85, July 26 with Culture Club, Depeche Mode, Talk Talk, Téléphone, Brigades Musicales; July 27 with Nina Hagen, The Cure, The Stranglers. Package tickets (170 francs) and charter flights available via Nouvelles Frontières. Tel: 273-25-25. (1) The Athens event (held for European Music Year) is supported in Greece by the Ministry of Culture and Sciences, the Secretariat for Youth and Sport.
Long days and sleepless nights for the bakers of Guйhenno, who - among all the shopkeepers - were certainly, and by far, the ones most called upon. Because they, the bakers, they produce. And they had to supply during those two days of the festival! Even three days, counting those who arrived well before the show began.
Just imagine - more than 20,000 people to feed. That's no small matter. Even though their colleagues from Saint-Jean and the surrounding areas were also called in to help. Yet there was never a shortage of bread, nor of warm croissants or pain au chocolat, so appreciated in the early morning hours.
Lucien Clen: "I've never seen anything like it in my life"
With grey hair - actually more white than grey - Lucien Clen is preparing another batch. It's Saturday the 16th, and it's close to midnight. He's no longer exactly sure if he's on his 21st or 22nd batch. What's certain is we'll have done about thirty in four days. I'm 58 and I can tell you I've never seen anything like this in my life. Sure, you have to work - but let's not complain. Still, it's not something we'd want happening too often.
All the while sharing his thoughts, Lucien Clen stretches the dough. Even with all the chaos, he doesn't forget his regular customers and is making special loaves for his regulars.
"You'll know which one it is," he says to Michel Rohel, a fellow baker on holiday who came to lend a hand. Obviously, this is no longer the pace of the usual 3 to 5 batches per day.
(2)
Jean Guimard: "My biggest order - 1,500 baguettes"
Just a few dozen metres away, Jean Guimard was also busy in his bakery. "Since 4 p.m. yesterday we've been at it - we've baked 1,500 baguettes," he says. Yesterday was Saturday, today is Sunday. It's 1 a.m., and Jean Guimard adds: "We even had to find someone else to come and help us out."
"The biggest order we received was for 1,500 baguettes from a travelling vendor."
In the end, the crowd was a little smaller than expected. All the better - it was still tough going. "We've only had 2 or 3 hours of sleep since Friday," he admits.
The baking must go on…
Still, they have to push through. There's a whole night of baking left to get everything ready to sell by early morning.
There's no pause. A new batch of dough is already being prepared, while previous ones are being racked, the baguettes from the third batch pulled from the oven.
And all through the night, the same rhythm continues.
Up in the hills of Guйhenno, thousands of festivalgoers are still awake. They're listening to music, oblivious to what the morning will bring...
ROCK AGAINST TARZAM dans le cadre de coups de talents sur l'hexagone rock sceneFR3 20 MARS-19 H-SALLE OMNISPORTS-RENNES
EN CONCERT EXCEPTIONNEL CLASH +3 GROUPES DEPART DE PARIS: RENSEIGNEMENTS nouvelles frontières (TEL: 273.25.25) POUR TRANSPORT ET CONCERT. locations: NUGGETS et points habituels *PALL MALL roxane
The Élixir Festival was France's first major rock festival, launched in 1979 by two young farmer cousins, Pierre and Jean-Paul Billant, alongside a tight-knit group of friends from the Landerneau area of Brittany. Inspired by a passion for music and a desire to bring international acts to rural France, the team built the festival from scratch, transforming fields and farmlands into concert venues. Their aim wasn't just to replicate Woodstock-it was to give Brittany its own cultural moment. With support from figures like Gérard Pont (later director of Francofolies) and technician René Tréguer, Élixir quickly became a cultural landmark, attracting names like Leonard Cohen, The Clash, Depeche Mode, and The Cure-long before such artists regularly played in France.
By 1985, Élixir had evolved into Rockscene, a new iteration shaped by growing pressures and internal rifts. That year's edition, held on 13 July in Guéhenno (Morbihan), featured a surreal and eclectic lineup: The Clash, Depeche Mode, Midnight Oil, Leonard Cohen, and more. However, tensions ran high. The Ramones cancelled at the last minute, and clashes between stage crews from different bands (notably The Clash and Depeche Mode) reportedly led to backstage altercations. Logistical headaches, rising costs, and the inability to use the Élixir name (which had never been trademarked) added further pressure. Despite these challenges, the show went on-and marked The Clash's final performance in France, just two weeks before their breakup.
Guéhenno, a small rural commune in the Morbihan department of north-western France, lies around 30 km north-east of Vannes and 130 km west of Rennes. The village's quiet, remote setting-surrounded by farmland and woods-added to the unique atmosphere of the festival. Its rural isolation, rolling fields, and modest infrastructure added to the sense of rebellion and community spirit that defined the festival's identity. But hosting tens of thousands of fans in such a location strained local resources and created tension with authorities and residents. Still, for one unforgettable day in 1985, Guéhenno became the epicentre of alternative music in France, embodying the dream that Élixir's founders had nurtured since the late 1970s: to bring world-class music to the most unexpected corners of the country.
The Clash in Guéhenno: The Other Gig on Live Aid Day
While the eyes of the world were glued to Live Aid on 13 July 1985, with Queen, U2, and David Bowie commanding global satellite attention, a very different kind of festival unfolded quietly in the rolling hills of Guéhenno, Brittany. There, tucked among twenty hectares of farmland, The Clash took the stage at Rockscene 85-a one-day successor to the now-legendary Élixir Festival. It was their last performance in France, delivered to a passionate crowd of around 25,000.
The Élixir Festival had grown rapidly since its grassroots launch in 1979, bringing names like Joe Cocker, The Stranglers, and Simple Minds to remote Breton villages. By 1985, Élixir rebranded as Rockscene, promising a more dynamic, artist-focused experience. Organisers Pierre and Jean-Paul Billant hired 500 staff and even chartered a special train from Paris to Vannes to move fans. "We wanted to surprise, to innovate," the programme declared. "Rockscene is a celebration of music-regardless of genre, style, or label." The bill reflected that ethos, pairing The Clash with Depeche Mode, Leonard Cohen, Joan Armatrading, Midnight Oil, The Ramones, and Toots and the Maytals. However, The Ramones pulled out shortly before the event, reportedly because Joey Ramone preferred to stay in America to watch a baseball game-leaving a notable gap in the evening's schedule.
But behind the scenes, all was not well in The Clash camp. Just hours earlier, Joe Strummer had reportedly told Nick Sheppard and Vince White that he was splitting from longtime manager Bernie Rhodes, who-ironically-had stayed home to watch Live Aid. Band tensions ran high. White later admitted he was "upset not to be playing Live Aid," and noted that the crowd in Guéhenno felt "cold." Sheppard, on the other hand, recalled the gig as "powerful," despite it leaning heavily on older material and featuring just one new song, "Three Card Trick." As White saw it, "we were on our own" now.
When they hit the stage at 11:00 PM, The Clash delivered a tight, high-energy set that many in the audience still remember vividly. Promotional material hailed Strummer's renewed fire: "Joe Strummer has never shown such energy. More emotion, more political conscience… a high-voltage show in the spirit of London Calling." Despite the departure of Mick Jones and Topper Headon, fans were treated to a fierce and committed performance. Multiple audio sources from the night still circulate-some from FM broadcasts, others from audience tapes-with varying sound quality. One recording, "One More Time," runs 64 minutes and includes Spanish Bombs and a French announcer. Another longer, audience-sourced tape clocks in at 78 minutes and ends mid-"Bored With the USA".
Still, the show wasn't without its controversy. Backdrop banners read "Sex Style Subversion"-a throwback to the band's earlier provocations. Kosmo Vinyl, acting as MC, opened with a barbed line: "I'm sure the promoter would like me to address you as 'Rockscene,' but I can't think of a name that is more fucking patronising in the world!" Then, echoing earlier gigs, he addressed "hip-hoppers, punk rockers, young ladies, pill poppers, black toppers, and showstoppers!" Some saw it as typical Vinyl bravado; others, a sign of tension between the band and organisers.
Fans who witnessed The Clash's last French gig in Guéhenno recall it as an electrifying, dust-filled rite of passage. One wrote: "Dust rose from the earth we stamped on-out of joy, out of the sheer desire to be there-at the very first sounds of the guitars and Joe Strummer's voice. That field became, for one weekend, a land of rock… and of London Calling". Another described it as "a superb, gritty, muscular show… we were like kids-we were finally seeing THE CLASH live!". Fabrice Collet recalled: "I was right in front of the stage on 13 July 1985 for the The Clash concert (Joe Strummer in the photo)… I had bruises up to my knees after 1 hour and 30 minutes of pogoing. But what a blast!". Another fan said simply: "Even if only Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer were present that night… when you're addicted to The Clash, you live at that moment a daydream". The night burned into their memories, "the kind of memory you're still talking about 30 years later…"
There is no known film of the performance, but footage from a French TV documentary on Élixir captures the atmosphere of the day-long queues, muddy boots, handmade signs, and fans in Clash T-shirts trading chants with others awaiting Depeche Mode. A regional paper called Élixir "the Breton Woodstock", and some fans interviewed years later still speak of the show with awe. One attendee recalled, "It felt like something nobody else in the world was seeing. While Live Aid was on screens, we had The Clash in the mud."
Looking back, The Clash's Guéhenno show is more than a footnote. It was a statement-an intentional step away from the global mainstream, and a reaffirmation of punk's original ethos. As Paul Simonon reportedly told White after the gig, "There hasn't been a single day when [this band] might not end at any moment. I just take each day as it comes." For those in that remote French field, that day delivered defiance, power, and one last unforgettable flash of a band still fighting-on their own terms.
Yvon, Emmanuel. “Rockscene à Guéhenno.”Rennes Soir, produced by France 3 Rennes, 13 July 1985, 03:15. Performance by Leonard Cohen. INA – L’INA éclaire l’actu, https://www.ina.fr/video/
Rockscene in Guéhenno – A Night with Leonard Cohen
Rennes Soir, 13 July 1985 – 03:15 AM – Video Report: A televised report from France 3 Rennes covering the Rockscene Festival in Guéhenno, headlined by Leonard Cohen.
Includes festival highlights, setbacks (weather, cancellations), and a live performance excerpt of “Passing Through.”
Report on the Rockscene festival in Guehenno, featuring Leonard Cohen as headliner. A summary of the festival's ups and downs (band cancellations, weather conditions). An excerpt from the Canadian singer's concert, performing "Passing Through."
Producer / Co-producer: France Regions 3 Rennes
Generic: Journalist: Emmanuel Yvon Performer: Leonard Cohen
Descriptor(s) singer, concert, festival, Guéhenno, rock music
A first-hand account by a French punk recalls The Clash's final performance in France at the Rock Scène Festival in Guéhenno on 13 July 1985. Blending personal nostalgia with cultural observation, it highlights the backstage tensions, the setlist, and the gritty excitement of the show.
Saturday, July 13, 1985 - Testimony of a French fan In the beginning, it is necessary to situate the context. In the region we are a good band of punks. When we go on a concert we can be between 10 and 50 depending on the importance of the show in question. In fact when you are 20 years old, you want to see everything, since there is nothing to do in the daily life of our region. So when RockScene Festival programming falls, we're thrilled. Yes, we will finally see The Clash, live on stage on July 13, '85. And Depeche Mode.
In this memorable time, we drive in the LN Citroën that my parents are unconscious to allow me to drive. 2CV motor, but indestructible. If we fall into the ditch, we go out and put it back on the road. This car has forged our musical culture...
Well, here we are on the way to Guéhenno, five in the vehicle. Auray-Guéhenno is a 30-minute drive. Quickly folded without breaking. On site, there are historical punks from all over France. Guys from Orléans, Paris, Quimper, from everywhere. It's a hell of a troop. We park and we return to the site. It is very hot on July 13, so we rehydrate until we have to go to refuel. We arrive at the village supermarket (840 inhabitants at the time) and we see a large wooden bar that blocks the entrance.
It is certain that to see 15,000 festival-goers, it creates a certain parano with the inhabitants and especially with the only shopkeeper at which the refueling is done. The boss has the shotgun not far... We order, we pay and we go back to the festival. Triumphal return. Mission accomplished.
The Clash and Depeche Mode at the time on the same poster - it is not easy to accept for us, young punks, this curious mix of musical genres. The two groups live in Vannes in the same hotel, and their respective stage technicians hate each other cordially...
It will be said later that the baseball bats were released backstage at the arrival of the two tour buses on the site and for a few minutes a general brawl broke out between the two parties.
The concert was in itself dantesque, with a place in the front row dearly defended. At 10:45 p.m., The Last Gang in Town takes the stage by storm. Joe Strummer tries French between the pieces with a picturesque English accent.
That night, we ate dust for 1h25. Superb, rough and muscular concert. It will take me a week to get rid of that damn ocher dust that made the site look like a gigantic battlefield. But we were like kids.
We finally saw liveTHE CLASH! Even if only Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer were present that night, backed by three other musicians (Nick Sheppard and Vince White on guitars and Pete Howard on drums), when you're addicted to Clash, you live at that moment a daydream.
The kind of memory you're still talking about 30 years after... We had no idea that this concert was going to be their last visit to France and the penultimate gig of their entire career. On July 27, 1985, the group will cease to exist after a last concert in Athens.
- LB
Hubert. “Festival Rock-Scène à Guéhenno.” [Unknown French local newspaper], July 1985. Translated excerpt.
“Rock-Scène à Guéhenno”
A vivid local report on the 1985 Rock-Scène festival in Guéhenno captures cancellations, crowd chaos, and musical highlights—from Leonard Cohen’s poetic calm to Midnight Oil’s explosive performance. Despite no-shows by acts like The Ramones and Joan Armatrading, the event delivered eclectic energy and 12 hours of genre-spanning rock.
“Rock-Scène à Guéhenno”
Eight bands announced on the Rock-Scène bill didn't show up, which caused some protests from the crowd, especially about The Ramones, a New York band. One Ramones fan even paid double - getting knocked down after being roughly pushed back by security while trying to climb over the barricade in front of the stage. While the security had to remain vigilant, it must be said that overall, festivalgoers behaved well.
Stinging chords...
Aside from The Ramones, another absentee - or rather, to be more precise, another no-show - was Joan Armatrading. But festivalgoers had no regrets, thanks to Working Week, invited at the last minute, along with Fixed Ups and Fuzztones. Soul music, jazz-rock - a real pleasure to listen to Working Week.
And what style when the charming and talented Julii Roberts takes the stage. It swings, it moves. What a presence, what a voice: pure Negro spiritual on music in the style of Sade or David Sanborn, performed by musicians worthy of the greatest. A true breath of fresh air in a stormy atmosphere. Before the light shows illuminated the stage in the late afternoon, lightning from a storm (which never arrived) streaked across the sky above Grand Le May.
But the real storm came from Fuzztones, Fixed Up, and The Clash (the headliner), who whipped up passions among rockers and punks - more with their presence than their music. Stinging chords, heavy rhythms: an hour-long masterclass any beginner musician could absorb.
But the show wasn't in the music - it was in the provocation and insolence, fed by fans more exuberant than the artists themselves, who, for the most part, took off their masks once off stage.
Sound and light
The strength of a festival like Rock-Scène is its eclecticism. After each set, the crowd at the front would shift - a constant flow of movement inside the arena.
Around 8:00 PM, things kicked into gear. Midnight Oil took the stage. Lead singer Peter Garrett towered more than two metres tall above his shoes, moving like a robot, completely bald, backed by very talented musicians.
From real-life struggles, the band created a rich and coherent sonic universe - a musical rainbow. Festivalgoers agreed: this was the highlight of Rock-Scène.
Spear of Destiny followed, stoking the fire even more. Label-defying rock with horns and passages moving from saxophone to percussion.
The tension rose... and then dropped. The Clash kept everyone waiting... and their performance was a letdown. Toots and the Maytals also took forever to get on stage - and when they finally did, some of the crowd had already left.
Depeche Mode, the second-to-last act of the programme, put on a true sound and light show. A beautiful stage setup, a lead singer, and three musicians using synthesizers and emulators - programmable instruments allowing them to reproduce every sound with pure electronic precision.
Julii Roberts, singer of Working Week
I haven't yet mentioned Leonard Cohen, the first to perform while a wave of festivalgoers still pushed through the gates.
Despite the melancholy and poetry in his songs, Cohen absolutely belonged at this festival.
In a world of hard rock, he took us on a gentle journey back to the roots of country-rock, from California to Nashville...
This 50-year-old man held the stage for a full hour, drawing in the audience who sang along with his globally known songs. Accompanied by musicians playing a pure and technically flawless sound, Cohen used an instrument he's especially fond of - the pedal steel guitar, which produces those languorous tones.
You could almost drift off dreaming of the Pacific islands...
Wall-to-wall rock in Guéhenno. Something grand came through this village for the second time. And as the saying goes - never two without three. - Hubert
DOCUMENATRY
Élixir - The Story of the First Major French Rock Festival
The dayThe Clashcame to us. A documentary directed by Jérôme Bréhier and Gérard Pont.
In 1979, France was on the brink of a major cultural upheaval: the birth of its first true rock festival. It was the crazy gamble of a group of friends who one day challenged themselves to bring together the biggest stars-in their own hometown, at the very edge of Brittany.
Leonard Cohen, The Clash, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Jimmy Cliff, America, Simple Minds, Murray Head, Stray Cats, Joe Cocker-they all played there.
But how did these indomitable Bretons succeed where all others had failed? How did they create a festival that would electrify the French musical scene for almost a decade and become the godfather of every major festival that followed?
This is the story of Élixir: a musical and human adventure that took this band of dreamers all the way to Greece. An incredible journey-one that would ultimately end in disaster.
Also featuring performances by Echo and the Bunnymen, TC Matic, Talk Talk, Culture Club, The Fuzztones, Téléphone, The Lords of the New Church, Spear of Destiny, Fela Kuti, OMD, Kim Wilde…
In this documentary, we find Depeche Mode and their 1985 appearance at the Élixir Festival. Notably, they are featured between 1:02:35 (MG) and 1:07:30 (DM) in the film.
Andersen, Mark, and Ralph Heibutzki. We Are The Clash: Reagan, Thatcher, and the Last Stand of a Band That Mattered. Akashic Books, 2018, pp. 258–260.
"The Clash at Rockscene: Exile from Live Aid"
This excerpt recounts The Clash's appearance at the Rockscene Festival in Guehenno on July 13, 1985, as the world’s attention was on Live Aid. It explores internal band tensions, Strummer’s conflict with Bob Geldof, and the fraying dynamics that signaled the group’s impending end.
"The Clash at Rockscene: Exile from Live Aid"
The Clash played the Rockscene festival in Guehenno, in a remote region of France.
For Sheppard and the others, Rockscene came off as an impersonal event: “We literally flew in, did the gig, and flew out.” It was a bit odd for them to be there, for, as Rolling Stone reported, on that day—July 13, 1985—“seemingly every major rock act on earth played the Live Aid concert for African famine relief, hosted primarily in Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium and London’s Wembley Stadium and broadcast to over a billion people worldwide.”
Even if slightly diminished by the lack of a recent hit, The Clash was a glaring omission from the Live Aid bill. When a disappointed White inquired why the band wasn’t playing, Vinyl explained that bad blood existed between Strummer and show organizer, Bob Geldof, formerly of the Irish punk-pop act Boomtown Rats.
Neither this explanation nor the reappearance of the Sex Style Subversion banner as the backdrop at the show pleased White, much less Howard or Sheppard. Yet the band played well, with Strummer once again refraining from confrontation, despite his aversion for the stadium setting.
The only barb came from Vinyl, who marred an otherwise rousing introduction with a slap at the festival’s name—“I’m sure the promoter would like me to address you as ‘Rockscene,’ but I can’t think of a name that is more fucking patronizing in the world!”—before calling out once again to “hip-hoppers, punk rockers, young ladies, pill poppers, black toppers, and showstoppers!”
White was upset not to be playing Live Aid, and was left cold by the audience and vibe that day. Sheppard remembers the show more favorably, feeling that the band presented itself powerfully, albeit with a “greatest hits” set that once again contained only a single new song, “Three Card Trick.”
But if all seemed copasetic onstage, behind the scenes division was deepening. Strummer took White aside before the show to say he was splitting with Rhodes, who—ironically enough—had stayed back home to watch Live Aid. By now, White never knew what to believe when Strummer spoke. Nonetheless, he came away sensing that the end of The Clash—or another new beginning—might be near.
Bedeviled by Rhodes’s never-ending windups, and Strummer’s erratic behavior, White turned to Simonon with his worries about the band’s fate. According to White, the bassist was the picture of equanimity: “Ever since this band began it’s been on the cards. There hasn’t been a single day when it might not end at any moment... even in the beginning. I don’t worry about it. I just take each day as it comes.”
When White asked if Simonon was annoyed to not be included on the new album, he shrugged and replied, “Bernie knows what’s best. He is... difficult, but it’s for the best.” Eventually, Simonon would question the wisdom of his faith in the manager. For now, White knew he, Sheppard, and Howard were on their own.
FESTIVAL ÉLIXIR - GUÉHENNO, Morbihan - Saturday, 13 July 1985 - Testimony of a French fan
Dust, Pogo, and The Clash: RockScene 1985 in Guéhenno
A first-hand account of the legendary 13 July 1985 RockScene Festival, where punks from across France gathered to witness The Clash's final show in France—dust, chaos, and unforgettable energy. The night Joe Strummer’s voice rose over a field of pogoing fans... and history was made.
Dust, Pogo, and The Clash: RockScene 1985 in Guéhenno
Right from the start, let's set the context. In our region, we were a solid gang of punks. Whenever we travelled to a concert, we could be anywhere from 10 to 50 people, depending on how big the show was. Basically, when you're 20, you want to see everything-especially since there's nothing much to see in our daily lives around here. So when the lineup for the RockScene Festival was announced, we were over the moon. Yes! We're finally going to seeThe Clash, live on stage on 13 July 1985. AndDepeche Mode!
At that memorable time, we were driving around in the Citroën LN my parents recklessly allowed me to use. A 2CV engine, but indestructible. If you ended up in a ditch, you just got out and pushed it back onto the road. That car shaped our musical culture…
So, there we are, on our way to Guéhenno, five of us crammed into the car. The drive from Auray to Guéhenno takes about 30 minutes. Quick and uneventful. Once there, we reunite with historical punks from all over France-guys from Orléans, Paris, Quimper, everywhere really. It was a serious gathering.
We parked up and entered the site. It was very hot that 13 July, so we kept hydrated until it was time to go for supplies. At the village's only grocery store (840 inhabitants at the time), we arrived to find a large wooden beam barring the door. It's understandable-15,000 festival-goers descending all at once can cause some paranoia among the locals, especially the lone shopkeeper. He kept his hunting rifle nearby… We placed our order, paid up, and returned triumphantly to the festival grounds. Mission accomplished.
The Clash and Depeche Mode on the same bill-that wasn't easy for us young punks to swallow. It was such a strange blend of musical genres. Both bands were staying at the same hotel in Vannes, and their stage crews absolutely hated each other...
It was said later that baseball bats were drawn backstage when the two tour buses arrived, and for a few minutes, a full-on brawl broke out between the crews.
The concert itself was dantesque, with our front-row spot fiercely defended. At 10:45 PM, The Last Gang in Town stormed the stage. Joe Strummer tried speaking French between songs, complete with his charming English accent. That night, we ate dust for an hour and 25 minutes. A superb, gritty, muscular show. It took me a week to get rid of that damned ochre dust that made the whole place look like a battlefield. But we were like kids-we were finally seeing THE CLASH live!
Even if only Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer were present that night, backed by three other musicians (Nick Sheppard and Vince White on guitars, Pete Howard on drums), when you're hooked on The Clash, you're living a waking dream. The kind of memory you're still talking about 30 years later…
Little did we know this would be their last concert in France-and the second-to-last of their entire career. On 27 July 1985, the band would cease to exist after a final performance in Athens.
Set List - Guéhenno, Saturday 13 July 1985
Kosmo Vinyl Introduction London Calling Janie Jones Safe European Home Garageland Armagideon Time The Magnificent Seven Three Card Trick Police on My Back Brand New Cadillac I'm So Bored With the U.S.A. Tommy Gun I Fought the Law Rock the Casbah Spanish Bombs
ASH. “ASH and the Élixir Festival: The Legend of ASH.”Personal recollection. Guéhenno, 13 July 1985. Published online.
Élixir Festival: A Punk Pilgrimage to Guéhenno, 1985
A vivid, dust-filled memory of 13 July 1985, when a group of friends chased the sound of The Clash to a field in Guéhenno on the same day as Live Aid. The Ramones didn’t show—but Leonard Cohen, Midnight Oil, and Joe Strummer’s voice made it unforgettable.
Élixir Festival: A Punk Pilgrimage to Guéhenno, 1985
Guéhenno 1985 (Morbihan), somewhere in the middle of the fields, under the sun exactly
Guéhenno! It was the day of "Band Aid", the great global charity concert initiated by Bob Geldof. The night before, at the Nautilus nightclub, it was Jean Lasbuth who floated the idea: "Let's go seeThe ClashandThe Ramonesin the fields of Morbihan."Okay, said Fulgur.
So we met around 11 a.m. and headed out toward Sainte-Anne d'Auray in the R5, and then-nowhere. Just wheat fields, dust, and sun.
The pints of beer were called "barons." We saw Leonard Cohen, in a hat, singing "So Long, Marianne" in front of a crowd of punks, and it was good. We discovered Midnight Oil and the bald giant, Peter Garrett. We saluted The Clash before they vanished into the ozone (without Mick Jones, who had already left). Well, The Clash… uh… and Strummer's unique voice-wow.
The Ramones stood us up. Gabba gabba hey.(They said they wanted to watch the Super Bowl, or an episode of Starsky & Hutch.)
A walk through old Lyon sparks a vivid recollection of The Clash at Guéhenno in 1985—dust, sweat, and the last flickers of punk glory.
A single London Calling poster in an antique shop window brings it all flooding back.
A Poster in Lyon: Memory, Vinyl, and the Ghost of Guéhenno '85
Darkness begins to settle over the city. It's that time when the streetlights and shop windows come to life. I climb one of the steep streets of old Lyon. The flow of tourists has picked up. It's the hour when people search for a terrace restaurant, eager to soak in a little more of the summer warmth.
Behind a pane of glass, spotlights highlight a few vinyl albums-aged relics meant for seasoned enthusiasts with greying hair. Higher up, a poster shows the album cover of London Calling by The Clash. It's prominently displayed, all lights focused on it. I snap a quick photo-without really knowing why. A reflex, a spontaneous gesture.
Maybe it's that strange feeling of seeing, suddenly and publicly, this image we haven't seen in the headlines for some time-yet it accompanied us for so long. I keep walking, my mind entirely consumed by thoughts of the London band. The albums that marked our youth. The iconic tracks we danced to. The confusion in front of Sandinista!, the disappointment of Cut the Crap, the excitement for everything else-and above all, that concert in the middle of nowhere, in Guéhenno, in Morbihan, back in 1985.
Leonard Cohen opened the show, and then The Clash stormed on-guitars blazing, a stark contrast to the gentle lull the Canadian bard had just cast over us. It wasn't the band in its prime; Mick Jones had already left the ship. But honestly, we didn't care. In the late-afternoon dust, we gave it everything-bodies sweating, flailing. Even if we were born too late for punk, we were soaking up its last heroic volleys.
And we were all there. A whole generation that's been reliving that moment for decades. All those memories triggered by a poster. And then I realise: the shop displaying it is an antique dealer, selling every item inside as antiquity. Dusty things from another time-just like these memories.
Across from the packed terraces, a street performer juggles pins in rhythm with a brutally contemporary sound system.
Padellec, Jean-Luc. “Philippe Manœuvre sur Élixir: ‘Ils ont tout défriché pour les autres.’”Le Télégramme, 2022, exhibition coverage at Leclerc Kergaradec, Brest. Interview with Philippe Manœuvre.
Philippe Manœuvre on Élixir: "They cleared the way for everyone else"
This article is an interview with Philippe Manœuvre, France’s most influential rock journalist, conducted by Jean-Luc Padellec for Le Télégramme. It accompanies the launch of an exhibition on the Élixir Festival, held at Leclerc Kergaradec in Brest. Manœuvre reflects on Élixir’s pioneering role in bringing international rock acts to rural France and shaping the country’s festival culture.
Le telegramme
Philippe Manœuvre on Élixir: "They cleared the way for everyone else"
Philippe Manœuvre, the ultimate rock journalist, launched on Thursday the exhibition dedicated to Élixir (*), the pioneer of music festivals in France. To be seen until 2 December at the Leclerc in Kergaradec, in Brest. Interview by Jean-Luc Padellec
Philippe Manœuvre, you are 25 years old and already writing for Rock'n'Folk when the Élixir festival sets up a stage in a field in Irvillac (29), in 1979, for its first edition. Did you feel at the time what was brewing?
Not at all. You have to remember that at the time, we looked to the United States and England, and there were no music festivals in France. Or if there were, they lasted a year, like the punk festival of Mont-de-Marsan (Landes), which drew 3,000 people, tops, with Police and The Clash on the bill. And then, it was over. In Orange (Vaucluse), same story, it lasts one year and that's it, because the mayor doesn't want it. The feat of Élixir, in Brittany, was managing to put on eight editions, changing towns every time. You needed a rage to succeed to set this up back then, and that existed here, in Brittany. Whatever got in the way, it had to happen - and it did.
When do you realise something is happening in Brittany?
I connect the dots in 1985, when I bring Gérard Pont on France Inter, on my show Je fais du rock. Here's a guy who knocked on my door, bold as brass, and explained to me that he was going to take his festival from Brittany to Athens, by bus. All of it with The Clash, The Stranglers, The Cure, Depeche Mode. I thought: he's crazy, this guy! And more than that, he organised buses that picked up rock fans in cities and made round-trips. A real adventure. There were three days of travel. I was fascinated. Suddenly, I recognised a hardcore rock activist who, like me, wanted to make rock music accessible to everyone. And we needed people like that, at the time, people who dreamt of improbable things and who made them happen.
In what way was Élixir a pioneer?
In fact, they cleared the way for the festivals we know now, which have become initiation rituals for young people. And they brought The Clash to Saint-Pabu (29) - that's no small thing! And above all, they were the first to professionalise things, at a time when spectators were treated poorly, and when rock artists were often badly paid. Putting on a festival has always meant fighting against lots of headwinds. But they managed to solve the equation, at a time when there was no infrastructure, and when you had to do everything yourself.
Even in Paris, it was a wasteland: the first Deep Purple concerts were at the Saint-Ouen skating rink. And if the Olympia was taken by Édith Piaf, and Johnny was at the Palais des Sports, then rock bands had to find a gymnasium.
The exhibition dedicated to the Élixir Festival is on view in the exhibition hall of the Leclerc hypermarket, in Kergaradec, Gouesnou, until 2 December, during store opening hours.
I CAN'T GUEHENNO (SATISFACTION)
VIVE L'ÉTÉ ! - FESTIVALS
GUÉHENNO - The French festival of the season. Painful offshoot of Élixir. Strong line-up (Spear of Destiny, Leonard Cohen, etc.), and cancellations (Armatrading, Ramones). Expected outsiders: Clash and Midnight Oil. It's Australia that wins. Twelve hours of rock and dust...
L'histoire d'Elixir, le 1er festival rock français
L'histoire d'Elixir, le 1er festival rock français. Depeche Mode Forum thread discussing the 1985 Rockscene (Elixir) Festival in Guéhenno, France, including personal recollections, attendee estimates, and reports of backstage altercations between the crews of The Clash and Depeche Mode in Athens.
Elixir, a documentary directed by Jérôme Bréhier and Gérard Pont, tells the remarkable story of France’s first major rock festival—the moment when The Clash came to the country and helped spark a cultural revolution. In 1979, a group of determined friends in Brittany took a wild gamble: to gather the world’s biggest rock stars in their remote corner of northwestern France. Against all odds, they succeeded. Leonard Cohen, The Clash, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Jimmy Cliff, America, Simple Minds, Murray Head, Stray Cats, and Joe Cocker—they all played there.
But what made Élixir so special? How did these die-hard Bretons pull off what no one else could—launching a festival that would reshape the French music scene for nearly a decade and lay the foundations for all that followed? This is the tale of Élixir: part musical triumph, part human adventure, one that even led the founders all the way to Greece in their quest to bring music to the masses. It’s a story of passion, risk, and vision—an extraordinary journey that would ultimately end in disaster.
Also featured in this saga are artists like Echo and the Bunnymen, TC Matic, Talk Talk, Culture Club, The Fuzztones, Téléphone, The Lords of the New Church, Spear of Destiny, Fela Kuti, OMD, and Kim Wilde. Together, they helped turn a Breton dream into an unforgettable chapter of European rock history.
In the documentary we see a few seconds of Dave & Martin just before going on stage in Athens, Greece, on July 26, 1985.
I think it's not about the concert but about the excellent documentary on the history of the association. It is fascinating and I invite you to watch the story of the first festival in France (and it is in Brittany that it takes place) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TLUfgr ... el=Morgane
Yes, absolutely, but Elixir organized two festivals that year: Guéhénno in Morbihan on July 13 (where everything went very, very well) and Rock in Athens (in Athens, Greece, a 2-day festival sponsored by Nouvelles Frontières which went completely haywire) on July 26 and 27, which sounded the death knell for the beautiful Elixir adventure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zrda6X ... etrademode. There is no video of this concert, as DM refused to be filmed.
Élixir was the ancestor of all French rock festivals! (Since it was the first.) One of the creators of this festival, Gérard Pont, is today the patron of the Printemps de Bourges and the Francofolies.
Les Vieilles Charrues was obviously inspired by Élixir, but it’s not at all the same story. Les Vieilles Charrues was created in 1992—the last edition of Élixir took place in 1987—and it wasn't even in the same area. (Even if, looking at the map, Landeleau and Irvillac do not seem very far apart, they’re still not the same, as we say here.) It wasn’t the same people behind it either. And above all, the first Vieilles Charrues was more like a village fair than a music festival. There wasn’t much music—mainly local groups—but there were games like hay bale throwing, plough pulling, and barbecues... very local!
It was simply an opportunity for the friends of Kreiz Ker (the heartlands of central Brittany) to get together and have fun. At the time, everything cultural was happening on the coast, especially in Brest, with the massive Brest 92 festival—the Festival of the Old Rigging Ships. Hence the name Vieilles Charrues (Old Ploughs) was a symbolic snub from the land to the sea—the countryside asserting itself against coastal dominance.
All help appreciated. Info, articles, reviews, comments or photos welcome. Please email blackmarketclash
Leave your comment here (if there's) on the Blackmarketclash's FB page. Or alternatively leave a comment here.
Robin Tate --- Vicki Sheppard (Nick’s wife) wrote … The band really enjoyed this gig, mainly because Bernie didn't attend as It was the same day as Live Aid and Bernie wanted to watch that facebook
When the 2 tour buses arrived backstage at the festival, the baseball bats were ready
I was not at Ballard gig.. But was at their last gig in France at Britanny Guéhenno festival .. Lot of tension and dust .. The Clash was headlining with Depeche Mode .. They were in the same hotel in Vannes .. When the 2 tour buses arrived backstage at the festival, the baseball bats were ready.. And the fight happened between roadies.. Short one, but very violent ..
I had never seen such punks
Emmanuel Yvon an editorial report, yes ... The production of FR3 only started investing in this type of event from the 90s. Until then only journalists covered in the 80s with their little ones means Elixir (... or the Trans) with a lot of DIY. I always remember the J7 Peugeot rental in which we had tinkered the time code synchronization of the 3 BVUs which linked the 3 ENG cams ... all vaguely lit by an improbable lamp. And after returning to the station, we did the editing. It was a crazy job.
Philippe Routeau Ramones replaced by the Fuzztones I think. Less obviously. Many punk had fallen asleep on Depeche Mode (sic) which played before the Clash. They woke up to Joe's first chords!
Cherif Chardoux ahhhhhhhh I was there too !!! .. this cloud of dry earth from the field which rose from the first note of clash. I had never seen such punks, the village had turned into a snack bar, and the world was upside down (or upside down). it did ... it was so good this summer it was the last, after it became industrial
Philippe RouteauI went there for The Clash. There were also: Depeche Mode, Léonard Cohen, Midnight Oil, Fuzztones, Depeche Mode. The rest I don't remember.
Philippe RouteauI'm here somewhere 3th row in the middle. We didn't stop jumper!
Didier Durand It was apocalyptic.. with this earth that our lungs.. The best band...
Thousands of people pogoing to the sound of The Clash
Anonymous said… "My first big rock festival. I was 15. 24 hours in a cornfield with watering holes. What a great memory!" Rockscene Festival, Guehenno 13/05/85
Anonymous said… "I was there... Your site is great... On the other hand, the password-well, it doesn't work for me... Boo…" Rockscene Festival, Guehenno 13/05/85
Anonymous said… "The sound is really rotten on The Clash recording, but I was there, in the middle of a recently mown and sun-baked cornfield, in a cloud of dust kicked up by thousands of people pogoing to the sound ofThe Clash. My ticket is number105774. What a day of concerts-even ifThe Ramoneshad cancelled becauseJoeypreferred to stay inNew Yorkto watch a baseball or American football game. Rockscene Festival, Guehenno 13/05/85
Jean Michel Lemoine --- My last CLASH concert... In a cloud of red dust (midnight oil and spear of destiny also that day) I spit dirt for 2 days.. What an atmosphere!
Philippe Couteau --- Йlixir in Guйhenno - the second-to-last concert by The Clash before their final split. An unforgettable moment. Eternal thanks!
Olivier Ethorй --- Here we go - Rock-Scиne 1985 in Guйhenno.Thirty years already this summer... To start, the organisers' many adventures trying to set the stage. It all worked out in the end.Facebook
Pierre Pierre --- In Guйhenno, in 1985, there was The Clash… Dust rose from the earth we stamped on-out of joy, out of the sheer desire to be there-at the very first sounds of the guitars and Joe Strummer's voice. That field became, for one weekend, a land of rock… and ofLondon Calling. Facebook
Jean Charles Lepidi --- I was also there a fabulous time and unforgettable memory to see clash on stage
Philippe Routeau --- Great set list straight up. I was in the 3rd row, a blast over the whole set. To move it moved... Facebook
The band really enjoyed this gig, Vicky Shepperd
Vicki Sheppard (Nick's wife) wrote … The band really enjoyed this gig, mainly because Bernie didn't attend as It was the same day as Live Aid and Bernie wanted to watch that
Thousands of people pogoing to the sound of The Clash
Fabrice Collet --- I was right in front of the stage on 13 July 1985 for the The Clash concert (Joe Strummer in the photo) in Guйhenno (Morbihan). I had bruises up to my knees after 1 hour and 30 minutes of pogoing. But what a blast! I was 19 years old at this concert! Facebook, YouTube
Gerard Pont --- I love it! And even better-with a musician from The Clash!! Top.Thank you!Facebook
Anonymous ..."The sound is really rotten but I was there-in the middle of a recently mown, sun-baked cornfield, in a cloud of dust kicked up by thousands of people pogoing to the sound ofThe Clash. My ticket was number105774. What a concert day, even ifThe Ramoneshad cancelled becauseJoeyhad preferred to stay inNew Yorkto watch a baseball or American football game.
I listened to London Calling and my life changed - I was at this concert in the front row
@daniel190— YouTube — I saw The Clash at the Elixir festival in 1985
@jossyDread — YouTube — Same for me, at 15 I listened to London Calling and my life changed I was at this concert in the front rows, pogo and cloud of dust too bad Mick and Topper were no longer there
Dany Lautrou --- Unforgettable we would arrive on Monday to leave the following Monday.... a week of madness Facebook
Gerard Le Ny --- I was 20 years old and will never forget this concert... For me it was blood and dust.... A crazy punkette threw a plague on my skull fortunately without a pick during pogo!!! Facebook
Pierre Pierre --- It's always a memorable evening... and midnight oil a few hours before.... awesomely... as the ensemble of artists for most of their first date in Europe... Facebook
@WORF36 — YouTube — I was there for the last one in 1985 the Clash Dispatch mode Midnight oil Theatre of hurry ...
@bertrandc8207 — YouTube — I was there at this festival. with Midnight Oil, Toits and the Mayrals and last Clash concert in France before their separation.
@WORF36 — “I was there for the last one in 1985 — The Clash, Depeche Mode, Midnight Oil, Theatre of Hate...”
@sylvainclere3523 — “I’ve always wondered why Clash were labeled punk — record stores, critics. They were never punk. Not musically, not in spirit.”
@fabricefaure5840 — “I was there the year of The Clash, Stranglers, Nina Hagen — they were selling hash in the open back then!.”
@sylvainclere3523 — “I’ve always wondered why Clash were labeled punk — record stores, critics. They were never punk. Not musically, not in spirit.”
It was a long hitchhike to Guuhenno
Blackman Blackman --- It was a long hitchhike to Guйhenno, but the FMR bus brought us back down. The Ramones didn't show up-we got The Fuzztones instead! Come on-of course not! There were onlyStrummerandSimononleft, with mohawks, and we had come to see the RRRRRAAAAAAAAMMMMMMooooOOOOOONnnssssssssssssssss!!!!!! But they didn't show up… So Depeche Mode and Midnight Oil-yeah, that wasn't really my thing at the time. But "London Calling" and "Armagideon Time" sounded so damn good!
Ramones no show
Lauran Cotten --- there should have been the ramones (gabagabahey) but stayed in nyc to watch a baseball game on tv... replaced by the fuzzstones
Pierre Pierre --- The Ramones cancellation caused outrage among all the fans, and I remember a real kepon-style uproar... hihi If I recall correctly, they were replaced by some up-and-coming acts: Depeche Mode, The Fuzztones-a very different style, shall we say... Facebook
Leonard Cohen played for about 2 hours in the sunny afternoon
Rik Weatley wrote … I was there, superb day. Joan Armatrading & Ramones pulled out. Leonard Cohen played for about 2 hours in the sunny afternoon, and when he finally went off, the 30,000 impatient Clash fans stood and started cheering. He mistakenly took this as a sign of approval and came back on to do an encore which lasted another 20 minutes! HA! Depeche, Spear and The Clash were all, as expected brilliant but an unknown Aussie band with a bald singer stole the day. Midnight Oil were awesome. Oh, and Toots & Maytals came on about 3.00 in the morning, fantastico.
Woodstock on Breton
Misha Goa --- Where I live, I'm the only one who ever saw that legendary band live on stage.It feels like I was at Woodstock... Facebook
Fabrice Pageot ---- This Week: My First Rock Festival: ROCKSCENE Festival in Guéhenno (formerly Élixir) 13 July 1985, with my girlfriend at the time and my high school friend from Lycée Racan, Fodé Sylla-who would later become well-known after succeeding Harlem Désir as head of SOS Racisme! On the bill that year:Midnight Oil, Depeche Mode, Leonard Cohen, The Ramones, T oots and the Maytals (more on them another time), and… The Clash I got seriously lucky-less than a year later, the band had permanently split up. Facebook
Below: Archives de Brest --- Facebook 3 - A fired-up crowd, unafraid to celebrate and never shy of dancing (Pogo dancers - Concert byThe Fuzztones- Rock Scène/Élixir '85 -Guéhenno, 13/07/1985)
Below: Archives de Brest --- Facebook [FESTIV'ARCHIVES - épisode 3] Flashes on The Clash!Guéhenno site - 7th edition -13 July 1985
Jean Charles Lepidi --- joe at guehenno festival rockscene in july 1985 photo taken by a friend
guehenno juillet 1985 - courtesy Richard bellia
Jean Charles Lepidi photo taken by a friend
Jean Michel Lemoine Group photo in Josselin, before Le Clash in Guehenno with Coco Cousin Arnaud Pinquier Jean Michel Lemoine and the band!
Joe Strummer et Paul Simonon. The Clash. Guehenno 1985. Bretagne
my sister and I, Guéhenno 85
Nataly Nataly --- my sister and I, Guéhenno 85, just found this picture !!! Facebook
For 6 years we brought you Élixir. Audience, journalists, media - you made it one of the most important rock events in Europe, and we thank you. Today we want to innovate, amaze, surprise.
Rock Scène follows Élixir. It is, above all, a major show held over a single day: a more dynamic format designed to bring you a better concert with a wide range of prestigious artists.
Rock Scène gets to the core: music - but music delivered with the highest comfort, visual and auditory quality. Rock Scène is a great celebration of music where everyone feels at home, with no bias toward genre, style, or label - simply the music we love.
Complete Control
London Calling
Janie Jones
Safe European Home
Hate and War
White Man in Hamm Palais
Garageland
Armagideon Time
The Magnificent Seven
Three Card Trick
Police On My Back
Whats My Name
Rock the Casbah
Spanish Bombs
Clampdown
Clash City Rockers
Bankrobber
Broadway
Brand New Cadillac
I'm So Bored with the USA
Tommy Gun
I Fought the Law
Various edited versions
Audio 1 = audience version Audio 2 = recorded from the radio Audio 3 = One More Time CDr Audio 4 = recorded from the radio
1
2
3
4
Complete Control
1
London Calling
2
1
1
1
Janie Jones
3
2
2
2
Safe European Home
4
3
3
3
Hate and War
5
White Man
6
Garageland
7
4
4
4
Armagideon Time
8
5
5
5
The Magnificent Seven
9
6
6
Three Card Trick
10
7
7
Police On My Back
11
8
8
Radio Announcer
8
Whats My Name
12
Rock the Casbah
13
13
13
Spanish Bombs
14
14
14
Clampdown
15
15
Clash City Rockers
16
16
Bankrobber
17
17
Broadway
18
18
Brand New Cadillac
19
9
9
I'm So Bored with the USA
20*
10
10
Tommy Gun missing
11
11
I Fought the Law
12
12
There are several sights that provide setlists but most mirror www.blackmarketclash.co.uk. They are worth checking.
Book: Vince White, his Clash biog, The Last Days of the Clash.
Film: 'The Rise and Fall of The Clash'
features archival footage and new interviews to tell the story of the band's final days. The four primary members of the band - Jones, Joe Strummer, Paul Simonen and Topper Headon tell their sides of the story as do Nick Sheppard and Vince White, both of whom replaced Jones, and original drummer Terry Chimes, who returned to replace Headon in 1982.
Return of the Last Gang in Town,
Marcus Gray
Passion is a Fashion,
Pat Gilbert
Redemption Song,
Chris Salewicz
Joe Strummer and the legend of The Clash
Kris Needs
The Clash (official)
by The Clash (Author), Mal Peachey
Brixton Academy 8 March 1984
ST. PAUL, MN - MAY 15
Other 1984 photos
Sacramento Oct 22 1982
Oct 13 1982 Shea
Oct 12 1982 Shea
San Francisco, Jun 22 1982
Hamburg, Germany May 12 1981
San Francisco, Mar 02 1980
Los Angeles, April 27 1980
Notre Dame Hall Jul 06 1979
New York Sep 20 1979
Southall Jul 14 1979
San Francisco, Feb 09 1979
San FranciscoFeb 08 1979
Berkeley, Feb 02 1979
Toronto, Feb 20 1979
RAR Apr 30 1978
Roxy Oct 25 1978
Rainbow May 9 1977
Us May 28 1983
Sep 11, 2013: THE CLASH (REUNION) - Paris France 2 IMAGES
Mar 16, 1984: THE CLASH - Out of Control UK Tour - Academy Brixton London 19 IMAGES
Jul 10, 1982: THE CLASH - Casbah Club UK Tour - Brixton Fair Deal London 16 IMAGES
1982: THE CLASH - Photosession in San Francisco CA USA 2 IMAGES
Jul 25, 1981: JOE STRUMMER - At an event at the Wimpy Bar Piccadilly Circus London 33 IMAGES
Jun 16, 1980: THE CLASH - Hammersmith Palais London 13 IMAGES
Feb 17, 1980: THE CLASH - Lyceum Ballroom London 8 IMAGES
Jul 06, 1979: THE CLASH - Notre Dame Hall London 54 IMAGES
Jan 03, 1979: THE CLASH - Lyceum Ballroom London 19 IMAGES
Dec 1978: THE CLASH - Lyceum Ballroom London 34 IMAGES
Jul 24, 1978: THE CLASH - Music Machine London 48 IMAGES Aug 05, 1977: THE CLASH - Mont-de-Marsan Punk Rock Festival France 33 IMAGES
1977: THE CLASH - London 18 IMAGES
Joe Strummer And there are two Joe Strummer sites, official and unnoffical here
Clash City Collectors - excellent
Facebook Page - for Clash Collectors to share unusual & interesting items like..Vinyl. Badges, Posters, etc anything by the Clash. Search Clash City Collectors & enter search in search box. Place, venue, etc
Clash on Parole- excellent Facebook page - The only page that matters Search Clash on Parole & enter search in the search box. Place, venue, etc
Clash City Snappers Anything to do with The Clash. Photos inspired by lyrics, song titles, music, artwork, members, attitude, rhetoric,haunts,locations etc, of the greatest and coolest rock 'n' roll band ever.Tributes to Joe especially wanted. Pictures of graffitti, murals, music collections, memorabilia all welcome. No limit to postings. Don't wait to be invited, just join and upload. Search Flickr / Clash City Snappers Search Flickr / 'The Clash'
Search Flickr / 'The Clash' ticket
I saw The Clash at Bonds - excellent Facebook page - The Clash played a series of 17 concerts at Bond's Casino in New York City in May and June of 1981 in support of their album Sandinista!. Due to their wide publicity, the concerts became an important moment in the history of the Clash. Search I Saw The Clash at Bonds & enter search in red box. Place, venue, etc
Loving the Clash Facebook page - The only Clash page that is totally dedicated to the last gang in town. Search Loving The Clash & enter search in the search box. Place, venue, etc
Blackmarketclash.co.uk Facebook page - Our very own Facebook page. Search Blackmarketclash.co.uk & enter search in red box. Place, venue, etc
Search all of Twitter Search Enter as below - Twitter All of these words eg Bonds and in this exact phrase, enter 'The Clash'
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Book: Vince White, his Clash biog, The Last Days of the Clash.
The Official Clash 
Clash City Snappers
