In the nine years that Les Poules á Colin have being a band, they have accomplished a lot. From international touring, releasing two albums to immense critical acclaim, and smashing folk festivals worldwide, the five piece, originating from Quebec, have established a very reputable name for their eclectic folk melodies. Now ticking another goal off the list, they will be jetting over to Australia for their first ever-national tour.
Béatrix Méthé, the group’s enigmatic 21-year-old singer, reveals the excitement for touring Australia is buzzing, with many members within the band already planning on how they will spend their downtime.
“I’m scared and also very excited – it’s going to be great! We are so happy to be coming over and to escape the winter in Canada, which is the most important part! But we are super excited to get over there, we have heaps of time on our hands so hopefully we will get to enjoy it.”
But what is the band keen to do when they aren’t playing shows?
“I’m not sure, I think we are driving a lot so enjoying the scenery and hopefully we will get to eat some Kangaroo steak – I just saw a show about that. Is that an actual thing people are eating? We’ll have to go to a fancy restaurant and track it down,” Béatrix says.
With the bands first ever rehearsal held when Béatrix was at the ripe age of 12, Les Poules á Colin has been a massive commitment for the five individuals involved, spanning over half their lifetime. Now moving onto album number three, the excitement and anticipation is only growing.
“The way in which we compose the music is that we start usually from a traditional song. So we research and find music in archives. There is a lot of transmission in Quebec, just from family to family that will share a song and that’s kind of how it starts. But then we fully compose all of the music arrangements ourselves and create the songs, so we make it a collective composition from scratch. The core of the song is traditional, but the rest of it is our composition.
“The last album, we started working with a close friend who is also a producer. He is just such an amazing guitar player and knows everything in the studio and we love working with him. But with the last album, literally two weeks before we recorded, we asked him if he wanted to produce the album. So unfortunately we didn’t have that much time to record exactly how we wanted it, where as this album, we have a lot more time. We brought him in a lot earlier this time so we will have a few extra weeks and hopefully we will be able to hear the difference and see what direction he takes our music in.”
Making their way to Australia for a handful of headline shows, Les Poules á Colin will also be making notable appearances at festivals nationwide, including the beloved Port Fairy Folk Festival. Australian audiences will be in for a treat the first time they witness Les Poules á Colin live.
“We will be performing the new songs at the concerts, so the Australian audiences will be the first ones to hear them!”
When & Where: Port Fairy Folk Festival, Port Fairy – March 10 – 13 2017
Written by Alex Callan
Photo by Guillaume Morin