Vive La France! Festival: Les Artistes

It’s nearly upon us, that glorious weekend that kicks off the year by celebrating the music and culture of our neighbours français in Brighton-by-the-sea. A couple of weeks ago, Vive la France‘s line-up was unveiled and as the festival weekend is drawing nearer and nearer, we’re going to take this opportunity to introduce you to some of the acts that will be appearing during the event. Some will be new to you, some will feel like old friends, but all are very worthy of your attention.

Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains

We’ll kick off with Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains, who we’ve already talked about a fair bit here at The Line of Best Fit. We first came across Domino signed four piece at XOYO where they filled a mesmerising support slot to Electrelane. Ever since, we’ve caught them at every possible opportunity to witness them mix afro-pop beats, French chanson and lovelorn indie into their uplifting live performances. Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains will be headlining the opening night of the festival at the Green Door Store on Thursday 26 January, and if you fancy popping down, entry is free!

Mesparrow

Mesparrow describes herself as a “one girl band with a loop choir, a human trumpet and a piano”. This is certainly a fair description of her on stage act, however she fails to mention her wholesomely powerful soul vocals and ability to silence a packed room so that one could hear a pin drop. Charming, understated and thoroughly talented, Mesparrow is sure to capture many a heart at her appearance at Brighton’s Green Door Store.

Polarsets

I know what you’re thinking. “But Polarsets are Geordies!” Correct. But they also release through Paris’s trendiest electro label, Kitsuné Maison. So don’t worry about the fact that they’re not actually french, let not the technicalities hinder your enjoyment. Polarsets are here to entertain us with their alluring electro and infectious energy, and they’ll be appearing at The Hope on opening night.

Air Bag One

College

You’ve seen Drive, right? We’ve all seen Drive by now. What was one of the best things about that film? The soundtrack. And where did that sumptuous, sexy soundtrack come from? Well, it came from this guy. Paris’s College. Already hailed as a French electro heavy weight, College will be appearing at The Hope for an intimate showcase of his smooth and dynamic electronic sounds, one not to be missed.

Sing Sing My Darling

Sing Sing My Darling are a youthful four piece hailing from Southern France’s sunny ville rose, Toulouse. They’ve spent the past few years mixing a spritely brand of colourful, sun soaked pop with lilting guitar hooks which they’re now bringing to UK shores. You’ll be able to catch the band at the Green Door Store on Friday 27 January, and even better than that, it’s free!

Turzi

Concrete Knives

Coming from Caen and currently being aired by the likes of Rob Da Bank and Steve Lamacq, Concrete Knives are certainly a band with a buzz about them. Known in France for their catchy anthems and boundless energy, Concrete Knives are ready to take on the UK so catch them at The Hope on Friday 27 January, a ticket link is available below.

Further performances are planned from The Zuts, Justine Taton, Phoebe Killdeer & The Short Straws and with DJ sets from Halfway, Transformer DJs and Melanie Pain, everything is in place to provide a thoroughly French, thoroughly inspiring weekend’s worth of music.

To purchase tickets for Vive la France! clickity-click right here and for times, venues, prices and further details on other events happening during the festival, click here.

Keep your eyes peeled for a competition to win tickets to this year’s Vive La France! festival right here on The Line of Best Fit, but in the meantime, have a listen to this handy playlist featuring a selection of this year’s performers. We’ll see you there.