Fragments of FranceSince 1968, this Mayenne village has been known for its nightclub, La Baie des Anges. After eighteen months of closure, its manager, Samuel Samoyeau, defends this “social bond”, in a rural area.
Samuel Samoyeau never really checked, but he doesn’t see another disco installed “in a smaller town in France”. La Pallu, its 185 inhabitants, its cows, its beautiful farmhouses, its car junkyard and therefore its nightclub. Impossible to miss it. The Baie des Anges is installed to the right of God and shares its car park with the Romanesque church. But in recent months, parking problems were rare on Saturday evening in this village of Mayenne on the “border” of the Orne.
Since March 14, 2020, like all nightclubs in France, the Angels had folded their wings for an indefinite period. “If I had known that we would still be closed a year and a half later, I would have put the company to sleep”, admits the 45-year-old manager. Despite the difficulties, the depression sometimes and a false start in August, here he is again in work clothes. Black bombers flocked in the name of his establishment, flashlight and walkie-talkie, he finds regulars and habits of Saturday, this September 18. “Is there a particular theme tonight, Mr. Samoyeau? »asks a gendarme during a courtesy visit. “No, it’s the reopening, it’s already an event around here. We already have 75 reservations. All the tables are taken.” he rejoices.
His establishment, which was called the Fago for a long time, is an institution in this rural territory. Initially, it was a simple family grocery store that was transformed into a temple of the night in 1968, when competition from the first Leclercs was beginning to be felt. Already in place in the cloakroom, Christelle Trouvou redid history and watched, moved, as the first customers handed her coats and handbags. It’s just midnight and the rare masks fall off fairly quickly once the health pass has been checked. “These kids, I came here clubbing with their parents,” adds Christelle with a smile.
The disappearance of slows
A former regular regrets an aspect of these young years of night owls: the disappearance of slows. “I have a 19-year-old daughter and I know that this generation has a different conception of dating than we do. For them, it’s more on social networks. »
Samuel Samoyeau tried to reintroduce, in vain, the American quarter of an hour when he took over from ex-Fago in 2017, after the interlude of Glam, a libertine club which never really met its clientele. Turbulent child of the cities of Flers (Orne), this former waiter and DJ realizes a childhood dream. “My mother cleaned up the nightclub next to us, we loved going there with my twin brother, we already had this fascination. »
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At La Pallu, a Saturday evening with the Angels
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