A Night In Paris

2018 Fringe Weekly Award winners for Music, Adelaide chanteuse Louise Blackwell and the French Set are back to perform songs from the new CD of their hit show A NIGHT IN PARIS. Louise takes the audience on a night out in Paris with a wonderful selection of songs by a variety of artists from French popular music of the twentieth century such as Frehel, Lucienne Boyer, Edith Piaf, Leo Ferre, Georges Brassens, Boris Vian, Juliette Greco, Barbara, Serge Gainsbourg and more.Please tell me about your show this year and how you have developed your act from previous years.

2019 Adelaide Fringe is special for Louise Blackwell and the French Set, in that it is the album launch for A Night in Paris! After winning a 2018 Adelaide Fringe Weekly Music Award and recording an album of hits from the show, we perform songs from the album that is a finely picked showcase of some of France’s most influential musical artists of the twentieth century.

A NIGHT IN PARIS is a celebration of the French songbook, featuring numbers by early singers like Lucienne Boyer, Fréhel and Edith Piaf, and the poetic, French folk heroes such as Georges Brassens and Léo Ferré, also including songs from the jazz post-war era of Paris Left Bank by Boris Vian and Juliette Gréco to later, pop figures such as Barbara and Serge Gainsbourg. All of this and some wonderful, new surprise treats by artists such as Yves Montand and Charles Aznavour…a great French Variety Show where you can get lost in the wonderful Parisian ambience of poetic and musical French nostalgia.

What do you love about being part of Adelaide Fringe?
It’s great reaching out to new audiences at Adelaide Fringe. I have been producing shows at this festival for a good number of years now and our public has grown nicely. People love the great level of musicianship as the band perform what is often a new and interesting repertoire of French songs, all sung with an authentic touch.

What are you looking forward to about performing as part of Stirling Fringe?
I love the idea of reaching out to an audience in the Adelaide Hills and Stirling. I think that there are many different cultural aspects to life in the hills, a love of wine, good food and local produce, and French, European style music would fit very nicely in with this atmosphere. I hope to get a nice French vibe happening at the Pocket for our two Stirling Fringe shows. I think there will be some appeal.

What’s your best memory of Fringe as an audience member or performer?
My best memory as a performer – those moments when the music is all swinging and there is a great connection on stage between the performers, when the jokes work, the new spontaneous things that come out of nowhere!

As an audience member – that hilarious last night of the 2018 Fringe Awards when so many people young and old, just danced the night away at the Fringe Club. An incredible party gathering so many people!

Why should people come to your show this year (what’s the best bit about it?)
The best bit about the show is the amazing musicians: Mark Simeon Ferguson on keyboard, he is a wonderful composer and accompanist to many top names in Australian showbiz, a real honour to play with him. Julian Ferraretto on violin, he is so in demand I’m still amazed he is with us and not touring the States accompanying ‘the Boss”. Bonnie Aué on double bass…is the new up and coming double bass star fresh out of the jazz course at the Elder Conservatorium. Add to this a formidable chanteuse who spent years singing jazz in Paris and has a truly authentic sense of Parisian life, it’s people, folklore and music. So yes, it will be a fun series of concerts to launch the exciting, new album.

Do you have a particular angle that might be interesting?
Particular angle that might be interesting?   Album launch, winners at last year’s weekly music awards, European flavour already in the hills, artisanal and authentic renditions of French musical folklore! Bonnie Aué grew up in Belair, but others of us not really from the hills. I love the hills however.

Particular angle that might be interesting?   Album launch, winners at last year’s weekly music awards, European flavour already in the hills, artisanal and authentic renditions of French musical folklore! Bonnie Aué grew up in Belair, but others of us not really from the hills. I love the hills however.

Compiled by Rob Lyon

For tickets, show dates and times for A Night In Paris head to Fringe Tix.