Our favourite of all the French festivals around Australia, So Frenchy So Chic, kicks off in Adelaide on Friday 11 January 2019. It then continues onto Melbourne on Sunday 13 January before finishing up in Sydney on Saturday 19 January.
WHO’S PLAYING?
This year’s line-up has a focus on women with all 5 artists being either solo female artists or all female bands.
Camille
One of the first artists that So Frenchy So Chic brought out to Australia, Camille has now released a total of 7 albums. That includes Le Fil, which was her second album and the one which contained her song “Ta Douleur” which thrust her into the spotlight and also got her a coveted place on the Triple J’s Hottest 100, in which she came in at place number 26.
Camille’s live performances have been hailed as “extraordinary experiences” in which you can expect an impressive range of sounds. Her voice is not her only instrument: her body is too.
Watch “Ta Douleur” to refresh your memory.
The team at So Frenchy So Chic are promising Camille to be one of the highlights of the year’s musical calendar – not bad for a performance only a few weeks into the new year!
Yelle Club Party
A French act asked to play at Coachella not once, not twice but three times, Yelle have been prolific in France over the last decade. This is your chance to hear them in Australia at So Frenchy So Chic. Expect stomping, uplifting electronic beats and a colourful art stage presence, made even more so by the kaleidoscopic outfits worn by frontwoman Julie Budet. Yelle have been known since the 2007 song “Je veux te voir” went viral on MySpace (remember that platform?!) Yelle’s latest single “Ici et Maintenant” (Here and Now) speaks to her mission to connect to the moment.
From Yelle’s beginnings:
To now:
Clara Luciani
Marseille’s born Clara Luciani only released her first album earlier this year but already she’s been compared to Françoise Hardy, Nico, Jane Birkin, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Emilie Simon. You may also remember her from So Frenchy So Chic alumni La Femme. Clara Luciani’s sound is described as indie-like with a danceable groove and her stage presence is said to be magnetic.
“Monstre d’amour” was Clara Luciani’s EP, and one which put the spotlight on Clara as a new talent.
The titular track from Clara Luciani’s first album “Saint Victoire”:
Cléa Vincent
Influenced by artists as varied as Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Kylie Minogue and Madonna, Cléa Vincent has been credited with bringing French pop into the clubs. This isn’t just any popstar though, Cléa Vincent studied her skill at Paris’ Arpel Jazz School and started out singing at open mic nights and in the Parisian jazz clubs. She isn’t a one trick pony either with her sets seeing her go from bossa-nova beat to soaring ballads then to indie-rock groove.
You might remember Cléa Vincent from the title track of her 2016 album “Retiens mon désir” which featured on the So Frenchy So Chic compilation of 2015:
She was also hugely successful with her 2014 YouTube hit “Chateau Perdu”:
Nadeah
We’ve been spoiled this year with a fifth artist added to the usual line-up of four. A late announcement to the line-up, made only just last week, is Nadeah who went from busking on the streets of Paris to singing with So Frenchy So Chic favourites Nouvelle Vague. Nadeah is a Paris based, Melbourne born mutli-talented chanteuse making her solo career. Her debut solo album “Venus gets even” was released in 2012 and her second “While the Heart beats” in 2016.
You might remember some of Nadeah’s songs which featured on previous So Frenchy So Chic compilations:
Odile:
Exterminateur:
THIRSTY? QUAFF SOME CHAMPAGNE
Dancing to all that music is thirsty work but the So Frenchy So Chic team have you covered. Laurent Perrier’s finest will be chilled and flowing all day and night, together with French beer, rosé from Provence, reds and whites from Bordeaux, and special cocktails at the Cointreau Fizz bar.
HUNGRY? THE BEST IN FRENCH FOOD
Plenty of French delights will be available for purchase at So Frenchy So Chic. Expect cheeseboards, charcuterie, raclette, crêpes, mussels, macaroons, ice cream and more. Or if a picnic is more your style, you can bring your own or pre-order a Frenchy hamper with options including roast-chicken or ratatouille baguettes to goose-egg meringues and berry salad with crème fraiche, plus equally delicious vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Hampers need to be pre-ordered and can be done via the website: www.sofrenchysochic.com
GET THE FRENCH LOOK
Got your outfit planned but need some help with your festival accessories? So Frenchy So Chic will have flower crown artisans, and its ever popular braid and lip beauty bars so you can get the French look.
FAMILY FRIENDLY
So Frenchy So Chic isn’t just a festival for adults with children under 13 getting in for free (with an adult). Francophiles can enjoy famille-friendly activities including kids club games, face painting, lawn croquet, bubble artists, péntanque games, selfie-friendly installations and les enfants-approved fun. So Frenchy So Chic is doing its upmost to ensure little ones make as many memories as you do.
LA JOIE DE VIVRE
For So Frenchy So Chic, Joie de Vivre is more than a phrase. It’s their raison d’être. Styled after a fairy-tale estate in Provence, the So Frenchy So Chic is the next best thing to jetting off to Europe (and without the jetlag). It’s a great way to welcome 2019 together with friends over a glass of champagne.
WHEN AND WHERE
So Frenchy So Chic will take place in:
Adelaide at Pinky Flat (on banks of the Torrens River) on Friday 11 January from 6pm til midnight (gates open from 4pm)
Melbourne in Werribee Park, the grounds of the beautiful Werribee Mansion on Sunday 13 January from 1:30pm to 9pm (gates open at 11:15am)
Sydney at Federal Park & Bicentennial Park, Glebe on Saturday 19 January from 2pm til 11pm (gates open from 1pm)
TICKETS
Adult tickets for So Frenchy So Chic cost $89 + booking fee or $45 for teens between 13 and 17 years of age. Remember that kids under 13 enter for free, making this an affordable festival for family fun.
