Ciao Paris, Hello Chicago!
Article and photos by Aisling Heaphy
Following an unofficial dress code, Thalia hall was a sea of leather jackets on Friday night as La Femme fans descended upon the iconic venue for an evening of transcendent, psychedelic-infused rock.
Before La Femme graced the stage, opener Sam Quealy transformed Thalia Hall into a techno club with her fun and provocative upbeat pop. Encouraging the audience to “get in [their] sexy mood,” Quealy transported fans to her “Groovy Jungle;” dancing, doing the splits, and whipping her neon yellow-tinged hair all the while. Tapping into her Australian roots, Quealy donned a cowboy hat as she sang “Watch Me Now” in which she declares herself to be the queen of the night. Quealy lived up to this title as she sang about late-night escapades and leaving it all on the dance floor. Quealy also treated the audience to the freshly-released “Someone I Don’t Know,” her first single following her 2023 album, Blonde Venus. Quealy is a natural-born entertainer and the audience had the time of their lives, leaving no doubt that this self-proclaimed “techno-pop princess” is en route to take the world by storm.
Still riding the wave of Quealy’s exhilarating techno-pop, the audience braced themselves for La Femme to take the stage. Founded by frontmen Marlon Magnée and Sacha Got in 2010, La Femme is a Paris-based 6-person band that combines elements of indie, psychedelic rock, pop, and new wave to create their own unique and unforgettable sound. Their current tour follows the October release of their sixth studio album, Rock Machine. Rock Machine is the band’s first album to feature songs primarily written in English, but whether they were singing in English or French, La Femme had the crowd nodding their heads and clapping their hands along to their contagious beats.
Equipped with a minimum of four keyboards, La Femme opened the show with the synth-infused “My Generation” which evoques the vibe of a wild night at a Berlin techno club. Guitarist Sacha Got shredded on multiple occasions and took the mic for “Cool Colorado” and “Ciao Paris!” Decked out in a striped sweater and a beret, Got leaned into French stereotypes before ditching the ensemble after one final “au revoir Paris.” For some of the more slow-paced songs including “Sweet Babe,” band members Michelle Blades and Fanny Luzignant contributed stunning vocals.
La Femme engaged frequently with the crowd, stopping at one point to sing “Happy Birthday” to a fan who had messaged them before the show. Putting a French spin on the classic tune, the crowd serenaded the fan with a shower of “bon anniversaire.” Throughout the night, the crowd danced along to fan favorites including “Où va le monde” from 2016’s Mystère and “Sácatela” from 2022’s Spanish-infused Teatro Lúcido. Later in the evening, audience members moshed and crowd surfed as La Femme wrapped up their set with “I Believe in Rock and Roll.” During the encore, La Femme’s synth-laden world collided with that of the techno-pop princess herself as Sam Quealey reappeared, to the delight of the audience, to sing “Antitaxi” with the group. Overall, after playing for over an hour and a half non-stop, La Femme proved that they are truly a rock machine. The audience left sweaty, fulfilled, and with a restored faith in rock and roll. While it was difficult to say au revoir, you can catch La Femme as they continue their tour of North America.