I’m always trying to get out and experience new things in Boston. A few weeks ago, I went with my roommate to La Femme concert, a French psychedelic-rock band that was playing right here on Comm Ave. I loved every second of it!
La Femme began their show with “My Generation,” a catchy and melodic tune from their latest album, Rock Machine. It amped up the crowd perfectly, emulating European rock-and-roll and preparing everyone for the packed setlist.
The remainder of the concert included live performances (featuring keyboards and tambourines!) spanning a vast range of their material, including songs from their French albums Mystère (2016) and Psycho Tropical Berlin (2013) and their Spanish album, Teatro Lucido (2022). These albums are some of my favorites; I recommend trying them out if you are looking for a new genre to listen to as you strut down Comm Ave.
The group’s performance was so entertaining too: the members all came on stage with unique beverages, ranging from glasses of red wine to paper cups of tea. They were wearing outfits I can only describe as being distinctly European—lots of red gingham and other fun prints. One of the female singers was right in front of me on stage, and her presence was fascinating. At the end of the show, the band was singing about how much they love rock and roll, and she got down on her knees and started praying at the edge of the stage. Another singer, who by that point I can only assume was quite drunk, came up behind her with the tambourine like it was a halo. It was so iconic.
Rock Machine is a unique album for the group, being primarily in English. I was a bit disappointed upon its release because I originally stumbled upon La Femme through my love of French music. Also, I think the English lyrics feel sort of clunky compared to some of their French work. But after hearing the tracks live, the album has grown on me, and I like it better now than I did on streaming.
La Femme is a French band founded in 2010 by members Marlon Magnée and Sacha Got. Some of the members performing on this latest tour haven’t always been part of the band, but I honestly love it when groups bring in other artists to perform with them—it develops the sound in such an interesting way!
This is probably one of the first concerts I’ve gone to with relatively solid knowledge of the songs beforehand. I stumbled across La Femme on Spotify at the beginning of the semester, and when I saw that they were performing, I knew I had to go! I was super excited to recognize all the songs they played, and even without knowing the exact French lyrics, I had so much fun.
The concert was at Paradise Rock Club, an 18+ club and concert venue located right in the heart of Boston University’s west campus. It was a super convenient location to get to and had a really cool vibe. The walls of the entrance were lined with lists of other groups that had played there, including some famous names like Bruno Mars, Billy Joel, and Tame Impala. The tickets were a reasonable price too, so it’s definitely on the list of places I’ll be returning to for nights out with friends. There’s only so much college nightlife you can experience while under 21, and I’m glad to have found a new way to explore it in Boston!
I was kind of surprised by how enthusiastic the audience was, too. I am a relatively new La Femme fan, so the more raucous people got, the more I started wondering if I was just unaware of their popularity—either way, it’s really cool that a niche French band can gather such a fun crowd in the United States. La Femme was very interactive with the fans as well, crowd surfing and holding out their microphones for people in the front row to sing some call-and-response lyrics.
Overall, I had a great time seeing some of my new favorite artists perform and I can’t wait to go back to the Paradise Rock Club for another show.
If you’re looking for some new music to listen to, try La Femme!
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