Pépite at the Institut Français in London (and why this is a good thing!)

A great opportunity to catch one of France's most promising acts in the UK tonight, with Pépite playing at the Institut Français tonight.

It's the latest in their Music Rendezvous events, where they've been presenting a well-chosen selection of France's finest developing acts in London.

The IF music events give developing French acts an experience of playing in the UK that might be considered too risky a venture until their career is more established internationally. They may be playing decent sized club venues across France (and Pépite certainly are!) but shows in the UK can be a risky step financially for a French act.

Given the uncertainly of playing in the UK or playing in France where they might be already more established, it becomes a simple choice.  A home win beats a difficult away fixture.

It certainly doen't make life easy for a French music fan and doesn't help establish the act to a UK audience.

So this is where the IF step in and break the vicious circle. By putting on a show in London the act get a prestigious gig in a friendly environment, get some key exposure to critics and press and hopefully it opens the door to more engagement in the UK. Hopefully more gigs, more airplay and more French acts being introduced to an anglophone audience. Everybody wins!

Hopefully some day before too long, the acts playing the IF in London might even get to play at the IF in Edinburgh too.

Pépite are just the kind of act that a UK audience would take to. Their recently released Virages debut is the kind of dreamy electro indie that would attract the ears of anyone won over by Air and classic French pop, but with a perspective that ensures its firmly in 2019's playlist.

Pépite are currently on tour across France, and play at La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris on May 28.

Pépite: Feu Rouge

If this blog's been a little heavy with the presence of major artists and big budget releases of late,  it's always worth returning our focus to something perhaps a bit more bite sized.

Feu Rouge by Pépite is something quite lovely, and the video is equally charming. The band describe it as "Closing titles...for the beginning of a debut album." It's the kind of dreamy track that ticks all the right boxes for chilled French pop, effortlessly stylish but not taking itself too seriously.

There's something of a humorous wink towards the 1976 Claude Lelouch short film C'était un rendez-vous in the clip of course. Although there's perhaps a more relaxed feel to it.

Feu Rouge features vocals by Flora Fischbach, whose À ta merci was one of this blog's favourite releases in recent years.

Pépite's Les Bateaux EP was released in 2016, their  Renaissance EP in 2017. We're certainly ready to hear more by them.

Pépite play La Cigale in Paris on October 9.

New Acts: Amarillo - Long Gone

 Sounding not unlike a more psychedelic Blur, Paris-based five piece band Amarillo bring a love of classic Beatlesesque pop and combine it with bang up to date 21st century stylings.

The video is like a more psychedelic version of The Sims. They should release it as a real game, with  a bonus point for the player who spots the Yellow Submarine when it drifts past.

It's their second video, following quickly on the heels f the equally luminous Breaches.

Long Gone is available from microqlima records, as a download or as a ten inch four track single that also features Breaches.