It’s one of the biggest metal music events in the world. The Hellfest is back from Thursday in Clisson (Loire-Atlantique) for its 16th edition. More than 200,000 festival-goers are expected until Sunday to applaud Kiss, Deff Leppard, Iron Maiden or Slipknot. But the festival will also welcome controversial artists, such as Johnny Depp, member of the group The Hollywood Vampires, and prosecuted for domestic violence against his ex-wife. Same situation for Tommy Lee, drummer of Mötley Crüe, sentenced in 1998 for domestic violence against his ex-wife Pamela Anderson, or for Tim Lambesis, founding member of As I Lay Dying, sentenced in 2014 for having attempted to murder his wife. Aware of the criticism, the organization of the festival defends itself, explaining to distance itself from the accusations.
“I know that there are some people who would like us to act more, to be in a militant position, reacts Ben Barbaud, director of Hellfest. But we maintain our line of conduct. When it comes to controversies over private morals for which we do not necessarily have the information and the truth, that is beyond us. From the moment the artist is not banned from performing in France and there is a demand from our public, we will schedule it. Hellfest has never been a politicized festival with a militant message. There has been a lot of noise around Johnny Depp this year, but he has the right to perform in France, his group has a lot of fans. So we continue like this. »
“A lot of people want to see them on stage”
This isn’t the first time Hellfest has been singled out for its programming choices. In the past, other artists had already sparked controversy for accusations of sexual violence or their positions close to far-right ideologies, like Mgla or Guerilla Poubelle in 2022. For this reason, and also because the festival was sued for moral and sexual harassment of a trainee [le Hellfest a été condamné pour harcèlement moral uniquement]the French group Birds in Row decided to cancel his attendance at the festival This year.
“If we noticed that there were discriminatory messages on stage, obviously the artist would not be programmed, insists the boss of Hellfest. Afterwards, asking us as organizers to position ourselves in relation to private facts is too big a responsibility. If this continues, festivals will no longer be able to program a single artist! Let’s not forget that there are also a lot of people who want to see them on stage. »
“We don’t do anything, we put things in place”
On the aspect of sexual and gender-based violence, Ben Barbaud says he is “very vigilant” for the safety of Hellfest spectators. “We know that society has changed, that expectations have evolved. And even if we refuse to politicize all that, we are not doing anything. There’s the Hellwatch brigade created last year to prevent sexual and gender-based violence. It will be muscular this year. All our employees have also undergone specific training. We put things in place in our enclosure. That is our responsibility. »
The director of Hellfest also talks about the future of the group Rammstein, who already came to Clisson in 2016, and whose singer is currently accused in Germany of sexual assault after his concerts. “I don’t know what will become of Ramnstein in the years to come. But if this scandal were confirmed and there were legal actions, I can’t see the group being offered to us. But, hey, until proven otherwise, a questioning is not a truth. Our only barometer is justice. »