Concert by XYZ + R. MUTT
On 15 October 2025, Villa Arson will host a concert featuring XYZ, a transatlantic duo from Los Angeles and Nice (electronic rock), and R. MUTT (electro).
XYZ
Their encounter is so explosive that it’s better to keep them thousands of kilometres apart… Composed of Ian Svenonius (Escape-ism, Chain & the Gang and the legendary Make-Up) on vocals and Memphis Electronic (from the phenomenal Dum Dum Boys of Nice, both eternal teenagers and admired doyens of the French rock scene) on fuzz guitars, drum machines, analogue synths and other strange little noises.
The result? Deviant and groovy glam, wild and sexy soul, deliberately garage new wave – in short, rock “n” roll that is both primitive and modern! Add to that ‘a cold, electro vibe that’s very Francophone’ – as the Washington City Paper put it – which sees them regularly escape from indie and garage rock scenes to the most hyped dancefloors. At ease everywhere, boring nowhere, their concerts electrify, electronise, leaving you haggard but happy.
After two LPs and a maxi EP, they are preparing to release a new album with a completely original concept and ultra-original cover art, an astonishing project halfway between Guy Debord and Bo Diddley, an album that succeeds in reviving a now dying rock “n” roll and burying it forever! Scholars and punks, dandies and jokers, intellectuals and trashy comic book characters, XYZ tick all the boxes to charm all generations before the chaos.
‘XYZ is like being stuck all night in a city you can’t escape from and being totally cool with it.’ Vice
R.Mutt
R.Mutt is the electronic music project of Sacha Boulnois, a student at Villa Arson who comes from the underground electronic scene in Bordeaux.
Under the alias R. Mutt, sound exploration becomes a radical artistic gesture, both homage and appropriation. Inspired by the Dadaist heritage, R. Mutt takes the codes of music as a ready-made object, raw material to be turned over, deconstructed and reinvented. Here, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, the trivial rises to the level of manifesto and noise becomes poetry.
R. Mutt’s universe is a space where irony, provocation and contemplation intersect. Like a urinal exhibited in a museum or a bidet brought into the spotlight, his creations shift codes and reveal the beauty of the margins.
Each performance or composition is like an experimental sound journey, a paradoxical celebration where derision meets depth, where destruction flirts with ecstasy. Between alternative celebration and critical gesture, R. Mutt celebrates the art of frustration and the enjoyment of the unexpected with their first EP, ‘LES BIDÉS’.
Practical information
Wednesday, 15 October, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Free admission
Grand Hall of Villa Arson
Address: Villa Arson, 20 Av. Stephen Liegeard, 06100 Nice