Originally billed to headline Finnish veteran folk collective Värttinä, an illness meant that Quebecois folk band La Déferlance stepped-up on the Òran Mór downstairs stage to perform, following Scottish quartet Birdvox.
Taking the stage in their dazzle-ship boilersuits, Birdvox clearly don’t take themselves too seriously, and there’s good humour abroad as they kick-off tonight’s proceedings with pieces from their album-in-progress that is set to see light of day later this year. As active musicians and producers, however in the contemporary Scottish folk firmament, they’re involved in number of key projects, together or solo, so there’s a good chance you’ll have come across their names elsewhere (see image).
It would be wrong to view Birdvox as a side-project, however – their blend of folksong and 80s electronica is highly-refined, particularly in their smooth harmonies and occasional flashes of virtuoso playing, with a melodic richness that goes down very well, with a plentiful energy, and an instinctive approach to combining the sheen of electronic synthesis with the dynamics of traditional folk instrumentation, in a danceable and highly-palatable mix.
Hailing from Québec City, La Déferlance set-up afterwards mostly from scratch (apart from Renaud Labelle’s double-bass, already on-stage), as if to emphasise that their entry here was not previously scheduled. Pianist Mathieu Baillargeon appears to be changing his shoes, the reason for which becomes clear as the band launches into pieces from their new album Âmes des bois: his tap-shoed feet provide the clicking percussion that drives their highly-energetic, largely self-composed francophone Folk songs.
Reminiscent of French café music (minor-key mainly, with Marie-Desneiges Hamel’s fluttering accordion to the fore) but sped-up and performed with plenty of vigour, it’s a busy, propulsive and very danceable combination that gets feet tapping and, increasingly, brings the Òran Mór crowd out in some joyful movement. The songs are story-tellings – again, leaning into the folk tradition – in a contemporary setting, and it’s plain in their interaction with each other that they’re enjoying themselves, particularly as Hamel and violinist Grégoire Painchaud bounce around the stage and feed off each other’s considerable energy. It’s as groovy as Folk gets, really.
A glance at the band’s website indicates their CVs are top-flight, rooted in schooling and with countless teaching and collaborative projects in the past or on the go, but this project, taking Franco-Canadian Folk on a joyful ride since 2018, seemingly offers them – and us – a uniquely pure enjoyment.
