Le Vent du Nord: Beginner's Guide

The Canadian province of Québec boasts a wealth of rich cultural traditions, largely shaped by its French settlers. As the only French-speaking state in North America, the Québécois are understandably fiercely proud of their language, history and culture, and music plays a significant part in defining what makes Québec so unique.

The first traditional Québécois group to achieve international success in the late 70s were La Bottine Souriante. But ask any fan of Québécois music to name their current favourite band and the most likely response will be Le Vent du Nord. Over the last two decades the group have played roughly 2,500 concerts and their exuberant live shows have become legendary, winning them legions of fans across the world.

Le Vent du Nord

So what is it about Le Vent du Nord that makes them such a formidable live act? Well, the staples of a LVDN show are gorgeous close harmonies and a cappella singing, all in French of course. Then there’s the rasping, drone-like sound of the vielle à roue (hurdy-gurdy), the occasional twang of a jaw harp, plenty of rapid staccato foot tapping, otherwise known as podorythmie, and some top-class accordion, guitar, bouzouki and fiddle playing. Add in a smattering of jovial onstage banter and you have a winning combination that has served the band extremely well these last 20 years.

Le Vent du Nord originally formed back in 2002 in Saint Antoine-sur-Richelieu in the province of Québec, when pianist and hurdy-gurdy player Nicolas Boulerice and fiddler and chief foot-tapper Olivier Demers decided to expand their duo and create a band. The early years saw several personnel changes, with guitarist and bouzouki player Simon Beaudry joining in 2004 and then accordionist Réjean Brunet in 2007. The most recent addition is fiddler and Réjean’s brother André who, having been a guest on and off for years, finally became a full-time member in 2017, expanding the group’s line-up to a quintet.

As their newly released 11th album, 20 Printemps (20 Springtimes) demonstrates, they still have their roots firmly embedded in the tradition but aren’t afraid to experiment. “We’re very much a cultural mélange,” co-founder Demers says. “We’re sometimes described as ‘protectors’ or ‘guardians’ of the tradition but also as ‘innovators’ – we’re happy to have the two aspects.”

They released their debut, Maudite Moisson!, in 2003 on the independent Toronto-based label, Borealis Records. It won the group a Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – the first of many accolades they have notched up during their career.

Although their sound is heavily influenced by the traditional Celtic music of Scotland, Ireland and Brittany, what sets Le Vent du Nord apart is the fact that they only sing in French. The official language of Québec, French is spoken by 80% of the largely multilingual population, yet it’s a tiny drop in an enormous Anglophone ocean. So, perhaps unsurprisingly, singing in French has become one of their hallmarks and it’s something they feel very strongly about. “Ninety-five per cent of the time we play outside of Québec, so we want to say who we are, because there are a lot of people who don’t know there is a Francophone population in [North] America,” says Demers. This fact plays a significant part in the group’s raison d’être: to uphold Québec’s vibrant and diverse traditions, which are overshadowed and under threat from Anglophone dominance.

In 2008 they released their first live album, Mesdames et Messieurs!, a recording of a performance at the Mémoire et Racines festival in Joliette and in 2010 they recorded an album with the Québec Symphony Orchestra. Symphonique, reviewed in the August/September 2011 issue (#78), was described as ‘a must for any open-minded fan of Québec music,’ and it was the first album to demonstrate the band’s willingness to experiment and collaborate.

One of their most notable collaborations has been with the then up-and-coming Scottish band Breabach. Following a specially commissioned joint gig at Celtic Connections festival in 2010, Breabach joined Le Vent du Nord on a 20-date tour around Canada. Writing about the experience back in the March 2011 issue (#74), Breabach’s Ewan Robertson described the similarities between the two bands as being about “a shared passion for our traditions and musical heritage… and a willingness to explore and challenge boundaries.” LVDN have a particularly loyal fanbase in Scotland – perhaps something to do with their mutual experiences of referendums and desire for independence.

Another successful and award-winning partnership has been one with fellow Québécois band De Temps Antan. The two groups have regularly performed together and released an acclaimed album called Notre Album Solo in 2018.

Much of Le Vent du Nord’s repertoire is sourced from traditional archives, including a substantial one in the University of Laval in Québec City. Besides the traditional songs and tunes, they write their own compositions and don’t shy away from the big topics, such as love, history and politics. As Boulerice says, “politics and history are really important, we have to know where we are from to understand who we are.” Their 2015 album Têtu is a case in point. Its title translates as ‘Headstrong’ and the songs include ‘Confédération’, referring to the formation of the nation of Canada in 1867. In true LVDN style, they shine a spotlight on particular moments and figures in history that tend to be overlooked or forgotten.

Their latest release is aptly called 20 Printemps, as spring signifies rebirth and rejuvenation. However as Demers asserts, it’s not a time for nostalgia, but simply a time to commemorate “their first 20 years.” It’s another classic mix of their own compositions and traditional songs and tunes, sourced from national archives and song-collecting friends.

There have been innumerable memorable concerts over the last two decades, including a personal favourite at the second edition of Songlines Encounters Festival at London’s Kings Place back in 2012. But whether they’re playing in the elegant confines of a concert hall or in a muddy festival field, Le Vent du Nord’s onstage camaraderie and joie de vivre is infectious and hard to resist. Chapeau et vive les 20 prochaines années!

Read the review: 20 Printemps

See Le Vent du Nord perform at the Barbican on Monday, March 25, as part of a very special anniversary concert celebrating 25 years of Songlines. They'll play alongside Salif Keita, accompanied on the kora by Mamadou Diabate, and Divanhana. To buy tickets, click here.

This article originally appeared in the April 2022 issue of Songlines (#176) magazine. Never miss an issue – subscribe today

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