I‘ENA can lead to anything, down to the frenzied riffs of Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Rolling Stones, 1968). On the stage of the Salle des Fêtes du Blanc (Indre), Saturday June 24, an amateur rock group of a particular kind performs covers in front of a hundred spectators. Based in Paris, its members have in common that they belong to the senior civil service. Three work at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, another at that of the armies, a last at the Caisse des dépôts. All occupy positions of responsibility that have little to do with the handling of a Stratocaster or the use of a snare drum.
It was at the invitation of a former classmate, now sub-prefect of Indre, Emmanuelle Drieu-Lemoine, that they came to play White. She is also a member “occasional” of the group.
As their name may suggest, The Storks – “the storks”, in English – were formed a year ago in Strasbourg, in this case on the benches of the National Institute of Public Service, a state body having replaced the National School of Administration in 2022 at the request of Emmanuel Macron. Experienced category A agents, Elody, Axel, Julien, Emmanuelle and the two Alexandres followed a six-month training course called “Higher cycle of professional development for administrators”, a cutting-edge course offering, among other subjects, “management of innovation public” or “crisis management”.
They loved electrified music, some already practiced it, like Alexandre Bordes, former bassist in a heavy metal band called Darkseed, now at the general management of the Treasury. They found themselves sharing the interpretation of standards after class, as did all the rock bands in the world when they started. Except that they are in their forties and loaded with families.
No more hiding
“There are more senior civil servants who love rock and play it than you think”, assures Elody Justo, the drummer (beginner) of the Storks, also stationed at Bercy. Fans of new wave or hardcore punk, super-civil servant musicians “no longer hide at a time when we value the mad skills [compétences atypiques dans un domaine artistique, sportif…] »abounds Alexandre Castet de Biaugue, one of the two singers, currently at the Caisse des dépôts.
The observation is less proven, however, in the prefectural corps, as evidenced by Emmanuelle Drieu-Lemoine, a member in her spare time of a Brazilian percussion group in the Paris region: “Having this kind of practice is so out of step with the dusty image that people have of a sub-prefect that they find it hard to believe. I recently spoke to my prefect about it. He too was quite surprised that I did this. »
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