Patrons of The Basement stepped into Paris for an evening of romance, champagne and melody with Australian/French jazz chanteuse duo, Baby Et Lulu. Celebrating Bastille Day and the launch of their self-titled French-language début album, Abby Dobson, former frontwoman of Leonardo’s Bride, and Lara Goodridge, violinist/songstress of FourPlay fame, serenaded the crowd with their beautiful collection of classic and contemporary French songs.

The sassy mademoiselles were accompanied by a guitarist, pianist/accordionist, double bassist and flute player, all of whom complimented their dulcet harmonies and charismatic stage presence. Dobson and Goodridge had the seated audience eating out of the palms of their hands as they recounted comical tales of Paris in their sultry, faux French accents and crooned lullabies about love, heartbreak and hope.

Amongst the array of Baby Et Lulu’s self-penned chansons, the ghosts of iconic French songwriters Edith Piaf and Serge Gainsbourg, as well as Françoise Hardy, Brigitte Bardot and Charles Trenet, also made a well-received appearance during the intimate soiree.

The distinct language barrier and penchant for cabaret music never grew tiresome – in fact, it was a pleasure to enter Baby Et Lulu’s realm of all things French for one night and soak up the chic atmosphere. Any wandering minds were quickly brought back to the stage spotlight anyhow, especially during Dobson’s French rendition of her former band’s hit single, Even When I’m Sleeping, which struck a familiar chord with most. Also noteworthy of mention was the rousing jazzy English number,,  Gulty from the Amélie movie soundtrack and a buoyant cover of Happy Together by The Turtles.

A foreseeable encore and a thank you speech later, the long-time friends pranced off stage to the sounds of a standing ovation. They may not be filling stadiums or rotating on radio and television anytime soon, but for a clandestine French cabaret act… ooh-la-la c’est magnifique!

Written by Shannon Andreucci