Coeur de Pirate Set off Alarm Bells in Ottawa

Montreal’s incredible indie-pop superstar Coeur de Pirate followed up a multi-night sold out run in the NCR with a return to the Bronson Centre Theatre on Friday night and the show was so hot the fire alarm went off mid-show.

Béatrice Martin, better known by her stage name Cœur de pirate (French for Pirate’s Heart), is a Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist. A francophone from Montreal, she sings mostly in French and has been credited with bringing la chanson française to a whole new generation of Quebec youth. In February 2009, Martin attracted wide media attention when a photographer used her song “Ensemble” as the soundtrack to a viral video on YouTube, leading to coverage on Good Morning America, Perez Hilton’s website, The Globe and Mail, and elsewhere. The all ages show attracted an impressive audience and included a significant number of young francophone girls. This was a sold out show for for the artist who is promoting her 2018 album En cas de tempête, ce jardin sera fermé (If there is a storm, this garden will be closed).

Opening for Coeur was Sarah Bradley, an Ottawa singer-songwriter who is originally from Sudbury in the north of the province. Growing up in bilingual household, she was fluent in both languages until moving to Ottawa to attend university. If you don’t use it you lose it, and Sarah admitted that not being fluent in French any longer leaves her with a sense of shame. She mentioned that she misses being part of the close-knit franco community. The audience sent her back a great big loud hug from the audience in the form of applause. With that she launched into a song that she wrote years ago, en français, and it was aboslutely lovely. Sarah is also a proud member of Ottawa’s electro scene, including as a member of FEVER who has performed at Bluesfest. Friday night was not about thumping beats and flashing lights however. Instead she brought lovely soulful music and lovely heartfelt lyrics to the stage. For more on Sarah, http://www.sarahbradleymusic.com/

The lights then dimmed, and the stage lit up with Coeur de pirate’s trademark steps and gorgeous white baby grand. Her band started to play and she sauntered in dressed entirely in black, unfortunately covering up her impressive collection of tattoos (this photographer was sad since skin art adds a bit of zing to photos). And then… she started to sing. Wow. Her voice made me think of a younger poppier Carla Bruni with the same sultry sexy tone but with a more playful edge to it. Her performance of the upbeat hit Golden Baby had everyone up and out of their seats and dancing along with her and the band.

Coeur de pirate performs at the Bronson Centre in Ottawa. Photo: Renée Doiron

About mid-way through the night, in the middle of the cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game, the Bronson Centre’s fire alarm went off. There was no fire to be seen and the rumor was that a fog machine was the culprit. Coeur, who has weathered a few storms throughout her career, took it all in stride with grace and composure. She improvised a beautiful piece at the piano following the rhythm of the blaring alarm, adjusting her tempo and playing along to the beat. The crowd was delighted as she turned the near-disaster into a moment of beauty.

Interacting with the audience in perfect french and english throughout the night, she performed some of her more famous tracks such as Ensemble (Together), Somnambule (Sleep Walker), Oublie Moi (Forget me) and Comme Des Enfants (Like Children). If you have never heard of her and are curious, given a listen to her recent collaboration with fellow-Quebecois Loud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a494JG9OGwQ . She continues her tour in her native belle province before heading to California for a couple of gigs.

Coeur de pirate performs at the Bronson Centre in Ottawa. Photo: Renée Doiron