Le Silo, rue François-Monier: Le Mans's house for musicians, worth discovering

Rue François-Monier, the musicians' house

We were shown around the different spaces of the place, in a quiet, artistic atmosphere.

Le Silo presents itself as the musicians' house, the rehearsal space for artists and bands from the Le Mans area and the Sarthe, designed by musicians for musicians. Passing through, what we discovered above all is that all of this can be rented: you can book a room to rehearse or a studio to record, whether you play as an amateur or a professional, alone or in a band.

Le Silo was born in 2005, at the initiative of Sarthe players in contemporary music. The nonprofit Superforma runs it, and has set up its info-resource center there.

What you can rent

• Rehearsal rooms: there are ten, from roughly 20 to 50 m², soundproofed and acoustically treated. Nine are rented by the hour; the tenth is rented by the month and shared among four bands. Each one is equipped with a PA system with three mics, two guitar amps, a bass amp and a drum kit. About forty accessories and a few keyboards are available at the front desk, on request.
• A recording studio, built into the Green Room, with its control room, a vocal booth and the equipment: enough to record your first demos, a pre-production or a demo reel.
• Drum gear (cymbal kit, double pedal), by the hour.
• Storage lockers, for bands that rehearse at Le Silo and want to leave their gear there.
• Residency packages, to be arranged at the front desk.
• For Superforma members, take-away sound equipment for an outdoor gig (sound kits, monitor kit, drum mic kit), rented by the day.

To rent, you have to join the nonprofit, with a mandatory annual membership.

Not just rooms

Independent teachers give voice and instrument lessons there. The info-resource center provides information on the local scene, funding programs, rights and distribution. The place also has a 70 m² welcome and break area, a bar, small supplies for sale (strings, picks, reeds, batteries, earplugs), a 150 m² covered terrace, showers and free parking with 80 spaces. It is fully accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Finally, Le Silo hosts workshops and masterclasses: a bass masterclass with Laure Sanchez on Saturday, November 28, 2–5 PM, then “Comment Méta peut devenir ton meilleur allié,” with Antoine Thomas, on Saturday, April 10. The hearing protection molding session and the distorted vocals masterclass are already full.

This place is well worth a visit: share this article with a musician looking for somewhere to rehearse.

Getting there

• Address: 27 rue François-Monier, Le Mans. Bus line 13, Monier stop. Free parking.
• Hours: Monday and Tuesday 2 PM–midnight, Wednesday 11 AM–midnight, Thursday and Friday 10 AM–midnight, Saturday and Sunday 10 AM–8 PM. Open on public holidays, except December 25 and January 1.
• Booking: by phone or directly at Le Silo's front desk, depending on available slots.
• Prices: on Le Silo's page on the Superforma website. Mandatory annual membership.
• Contact: 07 88 19 72 63, lesilo@superforma.fr.
• Le Silo on Sortir au Mans