Until now, the strength of Dynamite Shakers lay mainly in their stage performances, which were incredibly fiery. Don't Be Boring, their first real album, changes everything. The objective set before its recording was to "recapture the spirit of the 1955 Sun Records sessions," that blend of energy and simplicity that gets straight to the point. An objective fully achieved. Since their beginnings in March 2019, these four aesthetes, direct heirs of the flamboyant Dogs, have played 360 concerts. First around their stronghold of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, in Vendée, then in Brittany, before delighting the Parisian public with their elegant savagery, opening for The Fleshtones at Petit Bain in November 2021. Their frequent contact with the latter, with whom they eventually became friends, and Peter Zaremba's advice, "Whatever the venue, the context, the audience: always give it your all, never let your guard down, never consider it an ordinary concert," have certainly paid off. Their first setlists already revealed impeccable taste: covers of Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, and, for a touch of "modernity," Stray Cats. Later, they revisited The Kinks, and other Sonics, Flamin' Groovies, Remains, Fleshtones... Such influential figures meant that "the question of singing in French never arose; everything we listened to was English or American." Little by little, their repertoire grew with compositions infused with these references, which were gathered on a 25 cm record that has become as rare as it is precious. It already revealed that Dynamite Shakers touch which makes Don't Be Boring a jubilant rock'n'roll album, seamlessly transitioning from the frantic "Look How Fast It Goes" to the mid-tempo "The French Top Ten." "After the experience of the six-track (too polished, too clean), we wanted to get back to something raw." To meet this specification, it was hard to find anyone more qualified than Jim Diamond, bassist of The Dirtbombs and co-producer of two White Stripes albums. Eight days in the studio were enough to record these ten tracks, mainly composed by Elouan Davy (guitar/vocals) and meticulously rehearsed and honed on stage. Calvin Tulet, a budding guitar hero, flourishes with a profusion of fuzzy solos and judicious counterpoints. As for François Rocheteau, he confirms that a rock'n'roll band is nothing without a great drummer. Here, we revel in his metronomic drumming, just as we revel in concert at his wild mustang kicks. Composed and sung by bassist Lila-Rose Attard, "The Gates to That Sweet Song of Yours" enriches Don't Be Boring with a more introspective touch and opens a door to a universe that perhaps foreshadows the next adventures of the astonishing Dynamite Shakers. What are the expectations, hopes, and dreams of a rock'n'roll band on the eve of unveiling its first album, tailor-made for the stage?
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