Vive la Fête
Vive la Fête | |
|---|---|
 Vive la Fête performing live in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Kinky Star, Surprise, UWe, Firme de Disque |
| Members | Danny Mommens Els Pynoo Dirk Cant Gilles Balcaen Maarten de Meyer |
| Website | vivelafete |
 | |
Vive la Fête (English: Long live the party) is a Belgian music duo from Ghent, East Flanders, formed in 1997 by Danny Mommens (guitar, vocals) and Els Pynoo (vocals).[1]
History
Vive la Fête was founded in 1997 when Danny Mommens (then still a member of dEUS) met Els Pynoo at a party hosted by or for her sister. Mommens had previously been an acquaintance of Pynoo's sister, who had photographed Els nude and later shown the picture to him.
In a 2005 interview, Els recounted that Mommens had approached her in a casual manner and randomly remarked, "Hey I saw you naked!" Mommens recorded a few demos with Pynoo on his 8-track recorder, which were later released as the EP Je ne veux pas (also referred to as Paris). The EP gained attention for its resemblance to '80s new wave music.
Their first major success came with their debut album, Attaque Surprise (2000). Subsequent records such as République Populaire (2001) and Nuit Blanche (2003) increased their popularity, particularly in the fashion world, where Karl Lagerfeld became a fan.[2] Lagerfeld invited them to perform at several of his major shows in New York City, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Berlin, Milan and Paris.[3]
In 2005, they released the album Grand Prix and toured extensively across Europe, while also performing shows in Brazil and Mexico.[4]
By 2007, they released Jour de Chance and continued touring. In 2009, the compilation album Disque d’Or was released, reinforcing their status in the synthpop scene.
In the 2010s, three albums were released Produit de Belgique (2012), 2013 (2013) and Destination Amour (2018).[5]
In 2020, Vive la Fête revisited their back catalogue. They released a Special Edition of Attaque Surprise, originally their 2000 debut album, featuring bonus tracks for streaming and download.[6] This was part of broader archival activity, including digital re-releases and resurrected materials. The band also launched a new album, Viva Alternativa, accompanied by the release of a stylized summer-video of the track Toi Tourne Toi in 2021.[7]
In 2024, after celebrating their 25th anniversary with a sold-out European tour, the electro band announced new work for the first time since 2018. The first single, Sauvage, characterized by the band's typical catchy sound was released on November 5, 2024.[8] The EP Les Sauvages was released in early March 2025.[9]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL (FL) [10] |
BEL (WA) [11] |
NL [12] | ||
| Attaque surprise |
|
— | — | — |
| République populaire |
|
— | — | — |
| Nuit blanche |
|
10 | — | — |
| Grand Prix |
|
4 | 71 | 75 |
| Jour de chance |
|
15 | 61 | — |
| Disque d'or |
|
27 | 96 | — |
| Produit de Belgique |
|
48 | 133 | — |
| 2013 |
|
70 | 139 | — |
| Destination amour |
|
— | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
Compilation albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| BEL (FL) [10] | ||
| Attaque populaire |
|
— |
| Vive les remixes |
|
— |
| 10 ans de fête |
|
83 |
| Viva Alternativa |
|
— |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||
Extended plays
- Je ne veux pas (Kinky Star, 1998)
- Tokyo (Surprise, 2000)
- Schwarzkopf Remix (Surprise, 2004)
- La vérité (Surprise, 2006)
- Everybody Hates Me **Remix EP** (Firme de Disque, 2010)
- Les Sauvages (Firme de Disque, 2025)
References
- ^ "Vive la Fête Biography by Sergey Mesenov". allmusic.com. 17 April 2020.
- ^ Gottehrer, Zoe (4 June 2005). "Vive La Fete". 365mag. Archived from the original on 20 October 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2007.
- ^ "Vive la Fête - Bio". vivelafete.weebly.com. 17 May 2024.
- ^ b2bm (2007-04-22). Vive La Fête - Maquillage ( Live, Abril Pro Rock ). Retrieved 2025-08-15 – via YouTube.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Vive la Fête". musicmeter.nl (in Dutch). 12 June 2024.
- ^ "About / contact". vivelafete.be. 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Vive La Fête - Welkom bij Viva Alternativa". wijzijndestad.com (in Dutch). 17 December 2021.
- ^ "Electro-kitsch popicoon presenteert nieuw werk". abconcerts.be (in Dutch). 7 January 2025.
- ^ "Vive La Fête – Les Sauvages (★★★½): cinq portions d'énergie s'il vous plaît". dansendeberen.be (in Dutch). 13 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Discografie Vive La Fête" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ "Discographie Vive La Fête" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ "Discografie Vive La Fête" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
External links
