May 31, 2010 – What’s the second-best way to buff up your French? (We say second because everybody knows the first way is getting a francophone girlfriend or boyfriend). Give up? It’s by listening to French music. And there will be a whole lotta that going on in Montréal with the 22nd edition of the FrancoFolies de Montréal, which was moved up on this year’s the calendar of events to get our inner Gaulois grooving sooner.
The FrancoFolies, Montréal’s gigantic celebration of music from the French-speaking world, will be rolling out from June 10 to 19, with close to 150 free outdoor concerts and 70 indoor shows, on the Place des Festivals at the heart of downtown’s Quartier des spectacles. As in past editions, its line-up features some of the greatest names of the French-song firmament from here and around the world.
Algerian-born bad boy, Rachid Taha, is back to bring the house down with his infectious rhythms of rai and rock and worldbeat, while Montréal’s legendary chansonnier Robert Charlebois promises more than a trip down memory lane. As always, alternative rock sensations Malajube will crank up the ambiance, as will the many other songwriters, composers, musicians and vocalists from 13 countries who make this massive French-music get-together such a discovery-worthy happening. Don’t miss it!
Les FrancoFolies de Montréal
