LA MUSIQUE:After years of bad press - some of it deserved, it has to be said - French musicians are out to prove that they can rock with the best of them as the 'Let's French' festival kicks off in Dublin today, writes Kevin Courtney
SACRE BLEU, ZUT ALORS, oooh la la and whatever you're having yourself. Today is a special day for music-loving Francophiles. Pourquoi? Because it's the French national day of music, its rich and varied musical heritage. And Plastic Bertrand. The Fête de la Musiquemay not quite equal Bastille Day for sheer pomp and ceremony, but it does pack more sonic punch than a 21-gun salute, and this year the reverberations are reaching all the way to Dublin.
French rock music has often got a bad press (mainly because it really was bad) but over the past decade, artists such as Air, Daft Punk, Phoenix, St Germain and Dimitri From Paris have realigned our perceptions, and shown that, when spiced with a soupçon of romance and retro chic, contemporary French music has an allure and charm that can be irresistible.
From the classic French chanson of Edith Piaf to the roguish romanticism of Serge Gainsbourg right through to the sensuous indie stylings of Camille, French music has always had a certain frisson, and the Let's Frenchfestival, starting tonight and finishing on July 1st (the day France takes over the EU presidency), hopes to harness that je ne sais quoi and serve it up to eager Irish - and international - gig-goers.
"Our two aims are to bring modern French music to Irish audiences, and also to the 30,000 French people currently living in Ireland," says Flohic Morin, who is overseeing this 10-day cultural invasion of the Capital.
Morin has teamed up with the French Embassy and the Alliance Française to bring an eclectic programme of events to a variety of venues, all linked by a distinctive French flavour and a desire to change the perception that French musicians only like playing to their home crowd. Or that French bands can't rock with the best of them.
"Instead of the usual DJs, such as Daft Punk and Justice, we want to showcase bands who don't get to tour as much to other countries," says Morin. "There's been a huge intake of French music in such international festivals as Coachella in the US, but a lot of the French bands don't come to Ireland and the UK. For most of the bands we're showcasing, this will be their first time playing in Dublin."
The Let's Frenchfestival opens tonight at The Village, with a blend of retro chic and Parisian DJ kicks. The evening starts in true French style, with Hennessy cocktails served up to the swing/pop sounds of Les Grandes Bouches. Then it's down to Babalonia DJs to whip up some of their trademark fresh beats, honed over the past decade in the clubs and warehouses of Paris.
And just to prove it's not all partisan Parisian, Dutch crew the Amsterdam Beat Club will be bringing their collection of vintage French vinyl to The Palace on Camden Street on Thursday, where they'll play everything from classic 1950s lounge pop to 1970s French psychedelia.
While the French are past masters at creating hip dance music, they haven't been so successful in the rock arena. Les Plasticines are out to prove that they can hold their own with the Brits and the Yanks, when they bring the noise to Andrews Lane Theatre on Friday 27th. Four sexy French girls - one a dead-ringer for a young Brigitte Bardot - playing two-minute bursts of punked-up garage rock à la Kooks and Babyshambles. All is forgiven. The Plasticine girls have been on the road with Iggy & The Stooges, and are just back from a successful US tour.
At the same venue the next night, DMC team world champions Birdy Nam Nam play their first Irish gig, and those in the know will have booked their place right up front for this super-skilled DJ crew. DJ Pone, DJ Need, Crazy B and Little Mike are vinyl purists, and while other DJs are replacing their old 12-inches with CDs and MP3s, the 'Nam (as we shall call them) swear by their traditional turntables, and turn Eighties hip-hop and Nineties electro into something nice and Noughties.
With a global audience that's growing by the bpm, Birdy Nam Nam are turning the tables on the idea that French DJs have to be either easy listening jazzheads or disco robots.
Closing the festival on Tuesday July 1st is sultry chanteuse Jeanne Cherhal, who writes witty, poetic lyrics and sets them to retro chanson-style melodies which she plays on the piano. She'll be doing an intimate show in the John Field Room at the National Concert Hall, with cocktails and crudités served up on the evening.
Morin is hoping that the festival might help to kickstart a new buzz about French bands similar to the buzz about Swedish bands that gripped the music biz a couple of years ago. "I see it as trying to give French music a bit of a push here," he says.
"The bands are touring everywhere but just haven't reached Ireland yet. We'd like to make this a regular thing every year, and we'd hope to get more radio airplay for the smaller French bands. Phantom FM have opened their doors, so that's good. We're trying to change the image of French bands as being insular."
French bands often sabotaged themselves by singing only in French and writing lyrics that only the home crowd can relate to. Others have crashed because they tried too hard to ape British and American rock.
That's changing fast, says Morin, and French bands more often sing in English, but still retain their Gallic style and flavour. He points to recent Eurovision contender Sebastien Tellier as someone who sings in English but whose sound is most demonstratively French.
"French bands tried to copy what's been done abroad and it didn't work too well," he admits. "But the current Parisian indie scene is totally different to, say, the London indie scene. Bands are keeping their French vibe but adapting it for an international audience. It's all about finding the right balance between keeping your own identity and reaching a wider audience."
Let's French, showcasing the French music scene, runs from today to July 1st in various venues around Dublin. Tickets €12/€15 www.lets-french.ie