As Héloïse Letissier aka Christine of Christine and the Queens took to the stage, she asked how many French people were in attendance. After a large cheer from the crowd, she responded, “So … all of you.” It seems I was one of the few non-francophone attendees and apparently part of the reason why she was speaking English to the crowd. “Sorry if you hear more English than usual. I’m trying to be more international … like Drake.” she said. Letissier has received a lot of accolades in her homeland upon the release of last year’s Chaleur humaine and with shows at SXSW along with upcoming appearances at Osheaga and on Late Night With Seth Myers, she’s looking to make some headway into the North American market. If her show at the Mod Club is any indication, she certainly has what it takes to make a good impression on an audience.
“We have one hour to be whoever we want. Tonight I’m a boy. A little dancing boy.” This line from Letissier early on in the show reflected not just the recurring theme of gender in her lyrics, but the fact that, yes, there is a lot of dancing involved in a Christine and the Queens show. A lot of fantastic dancing. While the songs are the focus of the set, the choreography on the part of Letissier and the two dancers accompanying her onstage was just as vital to the show. There’s more than a little Michael Jackson in her stage presence.
As an introduction to the song “Christine,” Letissier did a bit where she asked a few audience members what their names were and then sang their name. In many other performers hands this might come off a bit corny and she did acknowledge this, joking that people were heading for the doors as it was taking too long, but she has enough charm as a performer to pull it off. She’s totally engaging as a performer, so much so that I didn’t even really notice that her mic went out briefly at the end of the song.
During the encore, Letissier took to the stage and sang a brief a capella version of Drake’s “Hold On We’re Going Home” before adding, “I wish I wrote this fucking song.” Referencing a hit song by a hometown hero is a sure way to get the crowd on your side, though the crowd was most definitely already on her side, as Letissier noted earlier, joking, “Now I can call my mom. It went well.”