ACL Review: La Femme
French electro rhythms and vintage acid rock
By Isabella Castro-Cota, 9:40AM, Sat. Oct. 7, 2017
“Today, La Femme give you some pleasure,” declared singer Marlon Magnée late Friday afternoon. The Parisian sextet waltzed in backed by French horns as a prelude to their hit “Sphynx” from last year’s Mystère. That frenzied a crowd of mostly elders attempting to rid themselves of cotton mouth and younger girls adorned with space buns and glitter.
The band members took their spots among a stage crowded with four sets of keyboards and then bass, drums, and guitar. Vibrations were heavy as a consequence of pulsating electro rhythms and vintage acid rock sounds. Vocal duties rotated between Magnée, Clémence Quélennec, and Sacha Got, each adding a different wardrobe to their songs, the latter taking a sultrier approach over Quélennec’s coquettish demeanor and Magnée’s intensity.
The set relied mostly on their latest album, offering favorites “Où Va le Monde,” “Mycose,” and “Tatiana,” while appeasing older fans with “Antitaxi” and “Sur la Planche 2013” from 2016 long-form debut Psycho Tropical Berlin, among others. Singing almost exclusively in French, the group turned the language gap into an elevated reality. The singers became an extension of their instruments.
At one point, the vocalists took a seat on the drum riser, sipping their Bud Lights and murmuring lyrics. Talk about laissez-faire. Glittery keys, walloping drums, and moody strings made the crowd dance, but infectious hip thrusts, charming shoulder grooves, and cheeky smiles kept them grinning ear-to-ear.
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La Femme, ACL Fest 2017, Marlon Magnee, Clemence Quélennec, Sacha Got