Yelle inspires a devoted Union Transfer crowd

“Philly! I want to see your hands, and I want to see your hearts!” Yelle’s voice echoed throughout Union Transfer on Sunday night as a packed crowd danced without end. Their hearts were certainly all out on the table, as the screams of the crowd grew with volume after every song. Yelle, in support of her latest album Complètement Fou, promised Philadelphia a night of infectious dance music with lyrics to which Google Translate often does not give justice.

Yelle’s sound, a staple of french electro-pop since the mid 2000’s, is a fresh stray away from the modern strand of EDM so prevalent in concert venues and outdoor raves and festivals throughout the world. Instead, she takes her listeners and concert-goers back to the ’80s and late ’90s, relying on old Moog sounds and beats that resemble A-Ha and early Daft Punk at various points, especially on the track “Coca sans bulles.” Yelle’s music stresses the importance of dance and activity and her moves, the choreography from her drummers, and the sheer aura of her music propel the audience through an extremely fun night of dance.

Joining Yelle was Brooklyn-based synth pop outfit Lemonade, who also had the crowd grooving to tunes from their latest album Minus Tide, as well as from their self-titled debut and their 2012 record Diver. Tracks like “Ice Water” proved to be a very effective way to pump up the crowd for the next hour and a half of dancing and to solidify their reputation as an excellent dance pop group in their own right. Check out photos from both Yelle’s and Lemonade’s sets below.