“It’s the end”: after twenty years of crazy electro-rock, Shaka Ponk offers its last concerts until Saturday in Paris before its planned extinction, a radical decision made in accordance with the ecological convictions that the group’s members intend to continue defend.
Soon the guitars will vibrate with their last chords and the monkey Goz, the virtual pet, will set out on the path to other horizons. This was decided by the six human members of Shaka Ponk, after a tour of more than 60 dates that brought together more than 1.5 million spectators. “The Final F* Up tour” ends with four sold-out dates at the Accor Arena.
“It’s like saying goodbye,” Samaha Sam told AFP, gathered in the group’s historic hideout, in the heart of the capital. “We are 1,000% but with many emotions. That’s what I feel the most.”
“And a little anxiety too…” repeats Frah, another voice of Shaka Ponk, evoking a “complex, psychological and emotional tug of war” in this decision that, however, they carefully considered.
“We find ourselves in a paradoxical situation, in which we stop doing what we like to do; when we started this group, we would never have imagined it,” he adds.
One last show broadcast in theaters in April
But der des ders cannot only be synonymous with tears and knots in the stomach: Shaka Ponk wants to demonstrate to the end his electro-rock energy, punk tendency, that has always characterized him.
The group, which exploded in 2011 with the album Geeks and Jerkin’ Socks – third work including hits I’m picky, sex ball AND my name is stained -, was designed primarily for live performances. All the more reason to make this finale a great celebration shared with the public.
For fans unable to attend, the final concert will be broadcast in theaters during a single screening on April 3. And his latest album, Shaka Ponkhas just been published in a reissue enriched with unpublished material. The group denounces “a lack of meaning” (Gasoline) and calls to join the fight (Give up) next to them.
“A polluting professional activity”
“Shaka” has never hidden its deep ecological and social values. “I think what unites us is also the need to be in tune with our convictions. At a given moment, it is difficult to tell people to respect the planet, when you yourself have a professional activity that is polluting,” observes Samaha Sam .
Despite their efforts to make their tour “as eco-responsible as possible”, from the search for plastics to vegan food, including the rejection of certain brands not compatible with their positioning, the group has come up against the environmental impact of displacement of thousands of people. of viewers, a key but immutable parameter.
His initial concept, that of the monkey that explains to man the ineptitude of a happiness that resides in “excessive consumption and social elevation”, little by little seemed to become out of date with his success in the music industry.
“It’s a kind of failure in the sense that we don’t have a solution and as long as there isn’t one, we stop,” summarizes Sam, who specifies that this choice is “his” and that it is not. It’s about pointing the finger at other artists.
“We have to put down the guitar and try to help the firefighters”
If each member is free to decide on their future projects, Frah and Samaha Sam intend to invest more time in favor of “consciousness”, convinced that there are still “things to create”, solutions to invent, especially in the entertainment sector , and a “public word” that is heard, particularly through the echo chamber of social media.
Will they stop the music completely? “I believe that music, ultimately art, allows us to convey important messages,” says Samaha Sam. For his part, Frah is clearer: “We have to put down the guitar and try to help the firefighters. become more urgent”. This commitment will be carried out through The Freaks, a collective they have created, made up of artists and personalities mobilized around the planet.
Source: BFM TV
