Le Vent du Nord — Shrewsbury Folk Festival, 2017

Live concert of Le Vent du Nord at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival 2017, captured on the Bellstone stage in England. A flagship of the Québécois trad revival, the band draws on the repertoire of call-and-response songs, reels and laments from Quebec, which it revisits with hurdy-gurdy, fiddle, accordion, guitar and podorythmie (the characteristic foot-tapping). On stage, the group’s infectious energy and vocal harmonies turn traditional folk into a participatory celebration, where the audience is invited to sing and beat the rhythm. This full concert of about one hour fifteen documents the vitality of a music rooted in New France and radiating today across international folk stages. Worth discovering for fans of traditional music, folk and the Francophone heritage of North America, and for the quality of a performance that combines instrumental virtuosity with the warmth of sharing. Performed on the festival’s Bellstone stage on a Monday afternoon, the set turns a British folk audience into willing participants. A fine example of how Québécois trad travels and unites beyond borders.