Stromae at Glastonbury 2014

This weekend saw the Glastonbury Festival take place in Somerset in England, probably the UK's most significant annual music event.

While the likes of headliners Kasabian, Arcade Fire and Metallica get a huge amount of exposure, there are bands playing on different stages throughout the weekend, and while there is a crowd of 135,000 at the event, the showcase nature of the event means a set at Glastonbury can mean a big step up for any act, wherever they are on the bill.

While not troubling the BBC coverage of the event,  watching it this weekend you'd be mistaken for thinking only the Black Keys, Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding performed, Stromae took to the stage. For many it would be their first taste of the artist who is one of the biggest in Europe at the moment, and I'm sure he left with many more admirers.

His performance comes just after Stromae unveiled a new video, this time for the track Ta fête, which has a theme that coincides well with the World Cup, albeit taking a  somewhat different take on the event.

While Racine carrée might have come out a year ago, there's still an audience to be won over by its charms, and hopefully a performance at Glastonbury will help convince an English-speaking audience of the value of music outside their linguistic comfort zone.

Phoenix at Glastonbury Festival

Great to see Phoenix take to the stage at Glastonbury at the weekend, even if the closest I got the event was watching it on TV.

Increasingly that's how festivals work these days, with the event being seen by thousands more beyond the actual festival itself. Millions watched the BBC's Glastonbury footage, and pretty much every act that played will benefit from a massive increase in their profile.

While the likes of the Rolling Stones and Mumford and Sons were the acts that grabbed the headlines, plenty of others got to benefit from the publicity around an increasingly iconic event.

So Phoenix will have had the chance to show what they do to thousands across the country, many of whom will be likely to see the band themselves as they play events like T in the Park later this month.

Of course, Phoenix weren't the only French band to play Glastonbury, François & the Atlas Mountains , Melody's Echo Chamber and Savages were also on the bill.

And plenty of other opportunities to catch Phoenix over the summer, as the band play extensive festival dates to support the release of their Bankrupt! album.

Festivals: Glastonbury - KKC Orchestra

This weekend sees the UK's best-known music festival take place in Glastonbury, and a few French acts will be taking the stage.

While perhaps not sharing the pyramid stage with Beyonce, U2 or Coldplay, there are a few Franch acts on the bill that are worth catching.

Pony Pony Run Run play at Club Dada on Saturday.

Mama Rosin play at the Avalon Stage on Friday.

I've features both these bands before, and they're certainly worth seeing.

Meanwhile, one band I've not featured so far but who are also on the bill are KKC Orchestra, who also plays Club Dada, Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday.

The band, a four piece from Toulouse, released their first EP Dig Your Own Swing at the end of May.

They have a feelgood sound with a modern take of a jazzy swing, and seem the kind of band that would absolutely thrive in a live environment.

KKC Orchestra also plays three nights in Edinburgh in August during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Hopefully get along to see them if I can.