Review: Ariane Moffatt @ National Arts Centre

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to catch a show with a great friend of mine. She had won a pair of tickets, and I'm not usually one to say no to a show (especially if it's free!) So off we went to check out Ariane Moffatt at the theatre of the National Arts Centre.

Now, I had heard of Ariane Moffatt before, but never actually heard her music. I don't usually gravitate towards to francophone music, although I am a big fan of certain francophone artists. For some reason, francophone music rarely appears on my radar. This is unfortunate, because apparently I've been missing out!

Ariane Moffatt is a well-known singer/songwriter from Quebec. Moffatt, whose sound is a fusion of rock, pop, folk and electro, has had a successful music career for over ten years.

Image courtesy of www.cbc.ca

She began her set with songs from her latest album "MA", which her first bilingual record. The album has more of an electronic sound compared to her previous ones, and it's quite obvious that her fans enjoy the new material. Moffatt was rocking out on stage like it was nobody's business, and it was fun to watch. Unbeknownst to me at first, she is currently pregnant with twins.

At one point, her band members left the stage and Moffatt sat down at her keyboards. That's the moment she won me over. She performed a stripped down version of songs like "Poussière d'ange" and "Imparfait". Her vocals are so raw and powerful! It's impossible not to fall for her... Not only does she have an incredible voice and stage presence, Moffatt is also adorable and quite delightful. She has great interaction with the audience, and it makes you love her even more.

The highlight of the show for me was she performed an amazing cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill".

The crowd was quite pleased with Moffatt's performance, and many times, everyone was on their feet dancing, which can be a rarity in Ottawa, especially at the National Arts Centre. Moffatt also did two encore performances, much to the fans' delight.

There's nothing I love more than discovering an artist by going to their show, and then being completely blown away. However, the only downfall of discovering an artist by seeing them live is that sometimes their recordings don't measure up to their live shows. I feel like this is definitely the case with Moffatt. I checked out some of her songs on iTunes after the show, and they don't do her voice justice!

Regardless of this, I can now honestly say that I am a fan. I look forward to seeing what else Moffatt has up her sleeve and I will definitely go see her perform live again. I highly recommend that everyone check out her live show. In the meantime, check out the song "Imparfait" below. It's absolutely beautiful, and I know you will enjoy it!