France’s one-woman riot leads a program that spans genres and generations – from the infectious dance-pop of Yelle to soulful electro-diva Clara Luciani and Cléa Vincent’s breezy, jazz-infused club pop – showcasing the depth and diversity of the French pop renaissance. “So Frenchy So Chic has always surfed the zeitgeist and never more so than 2019,” says founder Jean-Francois Ponthieux. “France has become one of the world’s most vibrant contemporary music centres and women artists are at the forefront of that revolution.”
Eight years after the immersive French pop garden party kicked off in Melbourne, the 2019 festival will launch in Adelaide on Friday 11 January, before travelling to Melbourne (Sunday 13 January) and Sydney (Saturday 19 January). The one-day festival is a chance to experience the most innovative riffs on classic traditions, from new twists on French chansons to the latest wines and culinary delights. So, whether you come with family or friends or both, don’t miss the opportunity to share the joie.
LA MUSIQUE
Australia has been in love with Camille Dalmais since her 2006 Triple J Hottest 100 hit, Ta Douleur, from her Victoires de la Musique Award-winning album, Le Fil, which marked her arrival as a solo artist after a highly successful stint fronting seminal French band Nouvelle Vague. Like Le Fil (‘girl’/’string’), her fifth album, 2017’s OUÏ (‘yes’/‘hear’), is a highly evocative play on words from a woman who uses words to create worlds and her body as an instrument. Recorded in a fourteenth-century monastery, OUÏ is an emphatically life-affirming statement of confidence: in community, the present, the future.
“Parisian pop experimentalist Camille sounds awed by language as a brilliant, living thing on her latest album,” Pitchfork said of OUÏ. “Inspired by the psychedelia of motherhood, she doubles down on her sharp playfulness.” Those who saw her 2011 Australian appearances will not forget live sets The Guardian has since hailed as “extraordinary experiences”. Tribal, visceral, electrifying: Camille’s 2019 So Frenchy So Chic appearance promises to be one of the highlights of the year’s music calendar.
The title of French sensation Yelle’s latest single, Ici & Maintenant (‘here & now’), says everything about both her ongoing mission to connect to the moment and the contemporaneity of this year’s So Frenchy line-up. Yelle is both Julie Budet’s stage name and the name of the electronic outfit she has fronted since 2007 when an early song, Je Veux Te Voir, went viral on MySpace. Three albums later, Yelle’s deceptively simple Dada pop continues to find the fun in complicated times.
Marseilles-born Clara Luciani has been likened to everyone from Françoise Hardy and Nico to Charlotte Gainsbourg and Emilie Simon. Not bad for someone who only released her first album a few months ago. The well-received Sainte-Victoire chronicles the liberation that followed Luciani’s 2017 cri de coeur, Monstre d’amour, the EP that announced a major new talent. The former La Femme frontwoman brings a gravitas well beyond her years to this year’s So Frenchy So Chic line-up.
A graduate of both Paris’ Arpej jazz school and open-mic nights across the city, Cléa Vincent is credited with bringing French pop into the clubs. Citing influences as varied as Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, Kylie Minogue and Madonna, Vincent has continued to refine her uniquely danceable, bossa-nova-inflected pop, from her 2014 breakout YouTube hit Château Perdu to her 2016 album Retiens mon désir.
LA CARTE
Dancing to France’s finest is thirsty, hungry work, which is why So Frenchy So Chic also offers the crème de la crème of the French foodie scene. From mussels and oysters to charcuterie, crêpes, raclette, macaroons, ice cream and much more, a full range of culinary specials will be available on the day. For those who like to plan their picnic ahead, specialty hampers can be pre-ordered. Options range from roast-chicken or ratatouille baguettes to goose egg meringues and berry salad with crème fraiche, plus equally délicieux vegetarian and gluten-free options.
And would it be a garden party without Champagne? The finest from Laurent Perrier will be chilled and flowing all day, along with French beer, rosé from Provence, reds and whites from Bordeaux, and special cocktails at the So Frenchy So Chic Cointreau Fizz bar.
LA FAMILLE
Dedicated to joie for all ages, So Frenchy So Chic is a family friendly event with kids 12 and under welcome free of charge. In addition to France’s most irresistible beats, face painting, bubble artists, drumming classes and lawn games like pétanque and croquet will be available to keep every enfant entertained at the Melbourne and Sydney events.
LA JOIE
For us, Joie de Vivre is more than a phrase. It’s our raison d’être, the force that has propelled So Frenchy So Chic from a series of small concerts into one of summer’s most hotly anticipated boutique festivals. Styled after a fairy-tale estate in Provence, the festival is the next best thing to jetting off to Europe – well, better actually given it takes place in Australia in summer, rather than France in winter. We look forward to welcoming 2019 together over a glass of champagne. À bientôt, les amis!
What: So Frenchy So Chic
When: 19th January 2019
Where: Bicentennial Park, Glebe
For More Information And To Book Tickets Click Here