When you hold a French-themed festival there is a danger of falling for an endless stream of easy clichés – luckily the crew behind So Frenchy So Chic in the Park chose not to succumb. In reality the presence of striped tees, berets and baguettes were few and far between, the ‘Frenchness’ of the event instead arising from more subtle details such as the food and wine selection and, of course, the impressive Euro-lineup.

The annual So Frenchy So Chic compilations are touted as the unofficial soundtrack to the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival, designed to present Australian audiences with the best music to come out of France over the year. With past SFSC live events taking place as simple double bills at local venues, this grand endeavour of a full day festival at Werribee Mansion was a big step forward, pulled off (almost) without a hitch.

The weather was an ideal 28 degrees and sunny, perfect for lazing back on a picnic rug, glass of champers in hand. Transport was well-organised, with multiple options to get out to the venue, including bus transfers from Melbourne’s CBD. The grounds were stunning, croquet and petanque sets provided interim entertainment and facilities were easily accessible, requiring mere moments to queue. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the bar. The one flaw in an otherwise cheerful day, the strictly no BYO-policy and solo bar - plus warm climate making for parched mouths - meant that the wait for a (somewhat overpriced) beverage could exceed 30 minutes.

However this one mishap did nothing to dampen spirits, the day proceeding with much merriness. First act to take the stage was Paris-based Nigerian vocalist Asa. Presenting a mélange of ‘60s-infused soul tunes, reggae and Afro-beats, her set was a warm, inviting beginning to the musical menu. A colourful and animated presence, her beautiful smoky voice and dulcet tones brought a small crowd to the front of the stage, jumping over picnic baskets and folding chairs to sway to the upbeat melodies.

Next up was global ensemble Moriarty, who proclaimed, “we’re sort of French, sort of American, sort of Swiss”. Indeed their accents leaned more towards America, though this suited their folk-inspired, country/blues sound to a tee. Performing completely in English, the acoustic collective’s lyrics were on the darker side, touching on topics such as politics and cancer through front woman Rosemary’s haunting vocals. It was a cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy the Silence’ that drew more enthusiasm from the crowd, who seemed more in the mood for having fun than being contemplative.

Consequently French hip hop star Fefe appeared at the perfect moment. Bouncing onto the stage like one big ball of enthusiasm, he proceeded to energise the steadily increasing crowd, through a collection of tunes you can move to and a hefty dose of crowd participation. His techniques have been done before - scolding the audience for not giving enough energy, ordering hands in the air as they “Jump! Jump! Jump!” - but they were lapped up by the already somewhat boozy throng. He cheekily played on his ‘exoticness’, comparing his own French seduction techniques with the American style of his keyboard player, and rounded out the set with some breakdancing and a jazzed up rendition of Ray Charles’ ‘I Got a Woman’. After a lengthy exit from the stage he was off, and the spirited crowd ducked away for a game of petanque or two before the final act.

Perhaps the group du jour, perennial SFSC artists Nouvelle Vague are an enchanting presence on stage. Consisting of a suave band fronted by two alluring chanteuses, they give their own take on post-punk and new wave classics. Much more than a mere cover band, they truly own the songs, using bossa nova style arrangements on tracks like New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ Billy Idol’s ‘Dancing With Myself’ and the Buzzcocks’ ‘Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)’. They drew by far the biggest reaction of the day, with people (mostly women) up and dancing from front of stage all the way back across the lawn.

The sass of the seductive songstresses stole the show, their stage presence undeniable as they danced together, trading vocal parts and acting the fools. The horseplay was unexpected from two dainty looking ladies: at one point Melanie Pain dove into the crowd, and during a cover of the Dead Kennedys’ ‘Too Drunk to Fuck’ Phoebe Killdeer announced “We’re going to teach you one French word!” resulting in the audience endlessly yelling out ‘putain’ (look it up) in unison. After an hour plus set the group chose Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ as an encore, then to wild applause bid us all au revoir.

WORDS: Sophie Kalagas

PHOTOS: Bianca Fioritti