Rue d’la Gouaille

Born in Nantes, Rue d’la Gouaille led, between 1994 and 2010, a journey at the crossroads of folk rock, French chanson and world music. Formed around David Hougron and Morvan Prat, later expanded with Morgane Le Grand and Freddo Bellayer before several personnel changes, the group first built its repertoire on the street and on Breton stages, mixing original compositions, Irish influences and an acoustic approach nourished as much by popular song as by Breton and Celtic traditions. Rue d’la Gouaille brings together guitar, banjo, mandolin, double bass, accordion and tin whistle in a lively format, marked by a taste for dance rhythms, direct refrains and writing that gradually shifts from festive folk to a more structured song. After a stay in Quebec in 1996 with a travelling theatre, the group developed its live activity in France but also in Germany, Belgium and Switzerland. Its discography includes The Celtic Pogo in 1996, Le Pavé in 1999, Microsillon in 2002, Fête foraine in 2005 and the live Rue d’la Gouaille en scène in 2008. The arrival of Karim Bennani on drums in 2003 and then Karine Germaix on accordion accompanied a move toward a fuller sound, without breaking with the acoustic base of the project.