Louise Attack | Intense and generous

The columns of the temple vibrated Thursday evening at Place des Arts on the occasion of the visit of the French group Louise Attaque, who was back in Montreal for the first time since 2016, where Gaëtan Roussel and his accomplices had come there again in the framework of the Francofolies.

This time they crossed the Atlantic to present their latest creative outburst – the album Earth was released last November – but it was also to stretch the celebrations surrounding the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut album released in 1997, which is to date the most popular album by a French group, with nearly three million copies sold.

Quite honestly, we doubted at the start the configuration of the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, watching everyone seated quietly on the floor of the largest amphitheater at Place des Arts. Because Louise Attaque is first and foremost the memory of frenzied dance floors where everyone was shouting at the top of their voices now unforgettable lyrics.

The doubt evaporated from the first chords ofLoves ; even before Gaëtan Roussel took the microphone, the crowd was already on its feet, on the balcony as well as on the floor. “We’ve been coming here for 25 years, and despite being 5,000 kilometers from home, you make us feel at home! “, launched the singer and guitarist before announcing that the group would play its first disc in full or almost – alone The brunette And Your eyes laugh have gone through the chopping block. The already conquered crowd did not ask for so much. Near us, two young women – youth being of course in the eye of the beholder – sing at the top of their voices while giving each other knowing glances, we bet they did the same thing 20 years ago in a club on rue Saint-Denis.

In the crowd, a few touches of gray, a very high concentration of representatives of Generation X, some having dragged their offspring with them, as well as expatriates from France, who take advantage of one of the rare shows of Louise Attaque in 2023 outside of France.

In the first part, a quartet made up of young Quebec musicians from the group Allô Fantôme, i.e. half of the usual workforce, had the heavy task of warming up the stage with their baroque pop, a colossal challenge difficult to meet considering the energy that was going to be deployed by their French elders.

Timeless

On stage, the band’s music has not aged a bit, Gaëtan Roussel’s voice is as characteristic and as powerful as it was 25 years ago – yet he could have taken it easy and left the work to the crowd , so much we sang in the stands. It was particularly touching on Leah.

The second part of the show started with the addition of two masked musicians for the time of a song, the title track of the new album Earth. The electric guitar and the keyboard came to add muscle to the new offerings of Louise Attaque, well received by an audience who followed with pleasure, especially on the dance floor. The freak.

The most intense moments of the show came a little later, with pieces ofsee you later crocodilethe group’s third album released in 2005. If we walked until tomorrowenhanced by a second percussionist, was powerful, while If it was yesterday turned out to be the most rock, Roussel swapping his inseparable acoustic guitar for a six-string electric. Single piece taken from As we said, You do not say anything concluded the show in force with a rereading tinged with techno accents that hit the crowd like a real electric shock.

The encore, quite short in titles, was however a wonderful example of generosity, with the band playing again I’m taking you to the windbut this time in an ambulatory format, bypassing the entire floor of Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier.

Everyone left the room smiling, with songs in their heads.