 |
  |
20th anniversary of ‘Les Francofolies de Montréal’
French-language music conquers North America
Montréal
31/07/2008 -
1989-2007
The Francofolies festival was officially launched in France, in the picturesque harbour town of La Rochelle, in 1985. But right from the start, its creator Jean-Louis Foulquier was set on taking his festival, devoted exclusively to music from the French-speaking world, to audiences further afield. Over the years, Francofolies was exported to various cities around the world, sometimes with greater, sometimes lesser, success.
Montreal, a city of 1.8 million where just under half of the population speak French, was the first to welcome Foulquier’s ‘mad idea’ abroad. After setting up a local version of his festival in Montreal, Foulquier - who has since passed on his role as festival organiser - went on to play ‘conquistador.’ In 1991, he exported his ‘crazy’ concept to two new cities: Blagoevgrad in Bulgaria (a country renowned for its Francophile tendencies) and Buenos Aires in Argentina (where audiences were admittedly rather less Francophile). The South American and Eastern European versions of Francofolies were not a huge success. Indeed, they were only staged twice, as was also the case with the Francofolies organised in Nendaz (Switzerland) and Berlin.
However, the Francofolies concept caught on in Belgium almost as quickly as it had done in Quebec. And now following hot on the heels of Belgian audiences, who celebrated their 15th Francofolies ten days ago in Spa, Montreal is blowing out twenty candles on its birthday cake. Celebrations are certainly in order. Back in 1989 at the very first ‘Francofolies de Montréal’, a mere 15 shows were attended by around 5,000 people. But since then there has been a steady increase in the number of shows, crowds, performers and media coverage. And last year’s Francofolies, featuring a massive 250 concerts, attracted a huge turn-out of between 800,000 and 900,000 people.
‘Les Francofolies de Montréal’ has not only made a huge impact on popular culture, it has also been instrumental in helping a number of artists further their careers abroad. Patricia Kaas made her North American debut at the festival in 1989, while local singer Jean Leloup has gone from being a complete unknown to a major star in Quebec within the Francos’ lifetime. Leloup, who scored a chart hit in France with 1990, provided music fans with one of the most memorable events of the first edition of the ‘Francofolies de Montréal.’ When the power went down in the venue where he was appearing, Leloup - committed to the old adage of the ‘show must go on!’ - simply picked up his guitar and finished his show on the street outside, performing on the roof of a car.
In the early ‘90s, the Francos just kept getting bigger and better, the festival’s growing list of sponsors giving audiences the chance of attending outdoor shows for free. 1992 proved to be an outstanding year in the festival’s history with Beau Dommage, one of the leading groups on Quebec’s thriving music scene, getting together on stage again. That year, music fans were also treated to superb sets from French chanson star Gilbert Bécaud, world music diva Angélique Kidjo and French rap star MC Solaar. 1995 was another landmark year in festival history with the creation of the ‘Prix Félix-Leclerc’, an annual award which gives two young up-and-coming talents - one from Quebec, the other from France - the chance to make a name for themselves on both sides of the Atlantic.
2008
Imagine the Place de la Concorde, in Paris, or New York’s Times Square transformed into a giant open-air concert venue eleven days in a row. But what would be inconceivable in Paris or New York becomes annual reality in Montreal. For the Francofolies, the city turns its main artery, the Rue St Catherine, into a buzzing, bustling metropolis filled with outdoor stages, massage stands and colourful shacks selling everything from commemorative T-shirts to ice-creams and "chiens chauds" (the local version of hot-dogs.)
This year, to mark the 20th anniversary of the festival’s existence, Laurent Saulnier explains that the line-up revolves around artists "who have not been invited to perform at the Francos in a long time." Notably, Michel Fugain was given ‘Carte blanche’ to perform with the artists of his own choice at the ‘très chic’ Salle Wilfried Pelletier. The first guest to join Fugain up on stage was Quebec’s Bruno Pelletier and the pair’s memorable duet of Un beau roman was followed by a series of other unforgettable ‘one night only partnerships’ with the likes of Véronique Sanson and Daniel Lavoie.
Meanwhile, over at Le Métropolis - a venue with much more of a rock’n’roll feel - the crowd went wild for Catherine Ringer’s medley of Rita Mitsouko hits. The singer, renowned for her eccentric live performances, appeared on stage dressed in a black hat and ran through an extraordinary series of choreographed moves, wowing the audience who described her as "écœurante" (fabulous). Ringer gave her all at this, the final concert in a tour she originally kicked off with guitarist partner Fred Chichin (who died in November 2007). While other performers might have turned the show into a sad elegiac affair, Mademoiselle Ringer, galvanised by the crowd, turned the night into a celebration of the late great Fred and his work.
Last but not least, we would like to end this round-up with a nod to one of Quebec’s lesser-known groups, Navet Confit (Turnip Conserve). Firstly, because they proudly carry on the local tradition for coming up with the quirkiest band names - just think of other Quebec eccentricities such as La Bottine Souriante (The Smiling Ankle Boot) and Les Secrétaires Volantes (The Flying Secretaries). And, secondly, because we would just like to say how much we enjoyed the singer’s bare-faced irony and the female drummer’s virtuosity - even though we have to admit we did not understand all of the group’s lyrics (most of which were drowned out by the sheer punk volume of the sound!)
Audiences at this year’s ‘Francofolies de Montréal’ still have a few special 20th birthday treats to look forward to you yet including a new show by local Quebec music favourite Pierre Lapointe, a grand finale performance by Madame Diane Dufresne and the announcement of the winner of the Prix Félix-Leclerc 2008. The Francofolies festival runs until August 3rd, so if you’re anywhere near Montreal go and join in the ‘Franco-fun‘!
Alain Pilot
