Live Report: La Femme electrify at The Academy

Clad in wonderfully outlandish get-ups, the mish-mash appearance of La Femme only added to their allure. From the first time I heard the infectious pulse of ‘Sur la planche 2013’ two years ago in a tiny indie club in Granada, southern Spain, I knew La Femme were a special group that would sound incredible live, which undoubtedly turned out to be completely true.

The group didn't just perform well, they undeniably brought a frenzied, infectious energy that started off serenely but steadily descended into blissful chaos as the night progressed. Playing all of their hits, the sold-out show provoked dancing from beginning to end, from the cool surf rock riff in ‘Où va le monde’ to the harmonious sing-along chorus of ‘Cool Colorado which saw the crowd sway their arms from left to right amid whoops as they adapted the lyric “Denver city” to “Dublin city”.

La Femme at the Academy. Copyright by Curtis DeSmith.

A fantastic quality of La Femme is their ability to seamlessly switch instruments at any given moment, as one minute a guitarist becomes a keyboard player, or a bass player starts playing synth. Their presence on stage is constantly fluctuating, resulting in an enigmatic feast for the eyes that not only emits incredible sound, but mesmerising visuals.

With the stage lit blue, the slinky bassline of ‘La femme’ erupted within the venue, while an eerie theremin was played beside the singers Fanny Luzignant and Michelle Blades chanting sultrily into their microphones, culminating in what I can only describe as the oral manifestation of a femme fatale.

La Femme at the Academy. Copyright by Curtis DeSmith.

Magical and ethereal, ‘Sacatela’, from the group’s 2022 album Teatro Lúcido, saw the entire crowd sing along in Spanish, with keyboardist Marlon Magnée picking up the instrument and playing it like a guitar. Another noteworthy aspect of La Femme is how they showcase music’s ability to transcend language and unite people, as they sang in English, French, and Spanish, and the audience, regardless of their mother tongue, sang right back.

‘Mycose’ was another highlight, which saw Magnée play the keyboard as a guitar again, throwing it in the air and catching it, while the guitarist ripped into a solo with his leg outstretched over the pit. It was evident that not only was the audience having a ball, La Femme were too.

La Femme at the Academy. Copyright by Curtis DeSmith.

Madness ensued as ‘Foutre le bordel’ (raise hell) lived up to its name, and ‘Sur la planche’ provoked moshing. After a euphoric rendition of ‘Antitaxi’, the group left the stage, leaving the audience shouting “one more tune”.

After a sufficient period of suspense, La Femme returned triumphantly to play three more riotous tracks, including the exuberant ‘Tatiana’, and ‘I Believe in Rock and Roll’ from the group's latest album Rock Machine, which saw singer and guitarist Blades kneel in front of the audience praying to the rock ‘n’ roll gods, while two other group members leapt into the crowd to mosh.

Exuding cool from beginning to end, La Femme delivered a night of psychedelic nostalgia, multilingual panache, and contagious energy.

La Femme at the Academy. Copyright by Curtis DeSmith.