Drink, eat and dance like a Parisian without getting on a flight
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Drink, eat and dance like a Parisian without getting on a flight

Aussies from Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney are gearing up to throw on their berets this Summer as So Frenchy So Chic, an annual boutique festival, returns for the 11th time in 2018.
Produced and catered by admirers of French culture, the garden party will wine and dine patrons through an eclectic array of European wines, showcasing all things fabulous and French.
The French themed festivities will kick off in Adelaide on the 12th of January before making its way to our home turf in Werribee Park on the 14th. Featuring Fefe, General Elektricks, Juniore (who we chat to further on), LE.J. and Francois & the Atlas Mountains, the Summer fest will be a treat for your ears and your stomach.
Arguably the food God of Australia, the festival will incorporate some of Melbourne’s finest and most well-known culinary destinations. Popular bistro and wine bar centred in the heart of the city, Hell of the North, will be exiting Fitzroy and checking into So Frenchy So Chic to deliver their signature dishes and unique wines, whilst award-winning Hotel Gitan will serve up French classics with a modern twist.
And what kind of French festival doesn’t serve French Champagne? Don’t stress – because So Frenchy So Chic has you completely covered. With its headquarters over in France (it doesn’t get much more French than that), Laurent Perrier will be on ice and flowing all day long for the ladies, and crisp French beers will be available for the lads to sip on and enjoy in the sun.
Though the supreme champas is incentive enough to get your hands on the last bundle of tickets available for the festival, Lancome Lip Bar will be on standby to make sure guests pucker up to achieve the iconic French-girl image. The lip bar will offer a free consultation with the highly skilful national makeup team, as well as complimentary Parisian Glow skin treatments. Once you’re finished getting your face glammed, head over to the Kerastase Braid Bar to polish it off with a classic French braid without a price tag.
To get your tickets, visit www.sofrenchysochic.com.au to purchase the remainder of entries. Kids under 12 are welcome without a fee, with face painting, drumming classes and balloon and bubble making to entertain them whilst you let your hair down in a France away from France.
Five Minutes with Juniore
Juniore is a French indie pop band formed in Paris in 2013 who will be heading to So Frenchy So Chic early in the new year. The band’s musical style is a mix of Fresh pop with a 60’s influence; coming across as the lost connection between fashion, surf, psychedelic pop, spaghetti westerns and the nouvelle vague film movement telling stories of loveless mornings and sleepless nights, imaginary apocalypses, walks of shame, and unhappy endings. We chat to singer/songwriter Anna Jean, daughter of French writer J.M.G.
JUNIORE photo by (c) Sandra Matamoros
Hey Anna, thanks for chatting. We’re looking forward to you coming over for So Frenchy So Chic. Have you been to Australia before?
Oh I’m so excited. It’s actually going to be our first time in Australia. There’s so many things we’re looking forward to, the weather and discovering Australia because none of us have ever been there. I’m actually not sure how it happened, but our booking agent called us saying that we were going to Australia so we were just so happy.
What does it mean to you as a band to be involved in this type of celebration of France down in Australia?
I think it’s really important for us to know that we have been chosen to represent what’s happening in France currently in the music world, I think it’s a really nice compliment to know that people thought we would be a good fit to show what is happening in this day and age in France. We are really flattered and excited again.
These sort of festivals are famous for boasting the French wine, food, the music etc. What is your favourite thing about the French culture?
I actually really like French cinema. It took me a while to understand what was happening in France, maybe specifically because I’m French and it was so easy to just ignore what was happening here for a long time, but in my 20’s I just started watching a lot of old films, and realising it was wonderful.
Congrats on your debut album OUH LÀ LÀ that was released earlier this year. How was that whole process of bringing it together?
Thank you. This was after we had put out two 7” and one EP so we had already put out a few things, but an album is a lot more, like a grown up sort of thing. It was an exciting thing to do for us and we’ve been on the road most of the year to descend that album and show it to people and share as much as we can.
Did having a father as a writer inspire you to delve into song writing and begin music?
Writing was a part of my life growing up, I heard about my fathers writing my entire life. It wasn’t the most glamorous thing when I was a kid; but later I understood what it meant to be able to make a living with something that you just create, it’s wonderful. It’s a magical thing but I think it’s made me more shy than anything; there was something very intimidating about having a father who wrote novels. My parents spoke about words all the time, choosing the right words and knowing the definitions of words, but I think writing music has made it easier because it was so intimidating to write anything else being my fathers daughter.
Growing up with such an importance placed on words, do you tend to get a little bit pedantic about using the right words through your music?
It’s funny actually, people in Australia might not understand the lyrics, but my lyrics include a lot of expressions that I use the wrong way; it’s a little strange but I voluntarily use expressions in the wrong way. That might be because my parents were so particular about the way they spoke, as a true teenager, I rebelled.
Are you a fan or inspired by any particular Aussie artists?
I can’t say that I’m not a fan of Tame Impala, it works for me. I feel like that band made it okay for bands like us to exist, for bands who have this strange nostalgia, who miss a period that they never really knew and who are interested in the time that they never really knew. I feel like they made it okay for people like us to make music that’s not necessarily old, but it’s not completely new either. It’s a mix of both.
Check out Juniore via bandcamp: https://heyjuniore.bandcamp.com/
Written by Hannah Kenny