Purveyors of: Living rooms, synthesizers, scout badges
File next to: No Vacation, Men I Trust, Blonde Redhead
Appearing: Bibi Club + Tiger Balme + Geordie Gordon: Wavelength, November 28, 2024 @ St. Anne’s Parish (651 Dufferin Street)
Bibi Club is the musical project of singer-keyboardist Adèle Trottier-Rivard and guitarist Nicolas Basque. Coming from Montréal, the duo has been making dreamy folk pop music since 2019. Their sophomore album Feu de garde (2024) pushes the boundaries of genres, filling your ears with relentless rhythms and dizzying melodies. Wavelength’s Lian McMillan talked to Bibi Club about their strong community bonds that influence their music.
Congratulations on your fall tour! What has been your favourite memory of the tour so far?
About mid-tour we learned that we lost one of our best friends, so it’s been challenging. The concerts are always a special moment of the day, the connection with other people. The London, UK show was quite special. Adèle dropped water on her keyboard, like she was possessed by something. The synth completely fried! We think it was our friend playing with us, telling us to let loose, to enjoy the moment, to go further, to live fully every special moment. We’ll remember that moment forever.
Your sophomore album, Feu de garde, was mixed by Ali Chant (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding) and mastered by Matt Colton (Depeche Mode, James Blake). What element did they bring to the album?
They were both open to the music and connected with how we felt. Ali brought out even more emotions from the songs and clarity. Matt made the final touch that brought cohesion to the album and a sound personality. It’s always nice to have collaborators that bring the vision further and deeper.
Could you tell us more about your experience with the Girl Guides, and how that influenced Feu de garde?
Adèle spent her youth in the Scouts. She learned how to sing in a group, the sense of community and she also sang lots of traditional Québécois and old French songs. You can hear the influence in the group singing on the album. She asked some friends to come and sing in the studio, feeling the strength of the group, the community.
How do you balance being artistic collaborators, a couple and parents? Does it become difficult to share so many aspects with each other?
Yes it’s difficult and challenging. It’s hard to balance it out, but we try our best. We try to make more of a division between the moments when we are performers and artists and the moment where we spend time with our family. Go fully into both directions.
You describe your music as “living room party music,” what makes it different from, say, kitchen party music?
Nobody is cooking or in charge, wine is spilled on the floor, different generations can coexist in a festive environment, a community. Children dancing, friends laughing, older people drinking, the tension of being human, and the fatality of life
Don’t miss Bibi Club on November 28th at St. Anne’s Parish Hall!
Get your tickets now!
– Interview by Lian McMillan