Coup de Cœur Francophone, an eagerly awaited annual festival, kicked off its 39th edition on Thursday, in the cold and darkness of a harsh autumn. Three shows, all roughly 50 meters apart, marked the start of a long series that runs until November 16.
In the catacombs of the Triangle, the band Bon Enfant was based, ready to take to the stage at L’Esco, which its members affectionately call home. Fresh from winning a Félix Award for Rock Album of the Year the day before, Bon Enfant, tired but determined, were about to open the show, a unique way to celebrate a well-deserved victory.
A look back at an intimate performance in a venue frequented by the fringes of the music scene.
Bon Enfant is scheduled for 10 p.m., a late-night show that’s generating a lot of excitement. This excitement is palpable: there are at least four people on video, the venue is packed, and tickets are sold out. Seeing Bon Enfant in a place as small as L’Esco, when the band can normally fill a Club Soda, is a prime opportunity, a rare treat. The audience knows it.
The group finally takes the stage, gently beginning their show with popular tracks from their most recent album. Four of them follow one another, with the musical elements we know them for: the guitar lines bathed in a layering of dreamlike effects, the synthesizer interventions recalling the Fender Rhodes and the organs of the psych-rock years, the danceable grooves of the drums and bass are true to form, together they are firmly rooted.
Porcelaine finally arrives, a cult classic from Diorama. Daphné’s vocal style, unmistakably reminiscent of 70s nostalgia, is impossible to ignore. It’s during this first major hit that the audience truly joins in the sonic immersion. The lyrics are shouted out. The party officially begins.
Shortly after, the group bravely launched into Enfant de l’air, an instrumental suite reminiscent of Alain Goraguer, which they approached like a long jam session. While few artists allow themselves an instrumental interlude in the middle of their setlist, Bon Enfant executed this nod to the prog and psychedelia with finesse, a nod to the genres they are so often associated with.
The show then features those songs we play on repeat in our living rooms, including the ever-popular “Aujourd’hui” and “Magie.” The atmosphere builds until the end of the evening, proving that fatigue can be fought with music. Some comments make us feel close to the band: “We won rock album at the ADISQ awards yesterday, and we had a blast here right after. Life is good. Yesterday we paid to be here, today we’re paid to be here.” Unsurprisingly, it’s following an encore request that the band closes this long epic of partying and performance with two solidly delivered songs. The message is clear: this edition of Coup de Cœur Francophone is one to watch.
