Le Diable à Cinq were unleashed today, presenting us with their album Tempête (storm). Accumulating tunes and lyrics since the release of their previous album, Debout! (2019), the trad quintet from Quebec, Canada, has come together to offer us a collection of ten new compositions, demonstrating their versatility and expertise. Between traditional repertoire covers, festive songs, and call-and-response songs, there are instrumental pieces and folk ballads, each one more captivating than the last. Once again, with Tempête, the five musicians from Ripon show us what they do best: throw a great party, of course, but above all, bring people together.
Having written and composed all the original songs, and arranged the traditional repertoire covers themselves, the five entrusted the production of this new album to Loïc Thériault (Valaire, Lily K.O.) and Daniel Lacoste (Robert Charlebois). This new opus is a Tempête of new and updated ideas, a new path in the musical identity of the group: preserving its roots and trad essence, but now stronger with a blend of contemporary influences.
A CONTEMPORARY TRAD
In order to offer original and relevant writing on Tempête, Le Diable à Cinq drew inspiration from current events as well as various realities that everyone can relate to. From tributes to legends from the Outaouais (Jos Montferrand on the eponymous track, and the hockey monument Stéphane Richer on “Richer #44”), to the bright renewal following the deepest solitude (“Tout seul dans la ville”), and odes to life itself (“Le dernier pétale”), the original tracks on Tempête are sometimes touching, sometimes serious, but always with a strong festive flavor. As for the pieces from the traditional repertoire, the group made a rich and precise selection to address resolutely contemporary subjects such as the role of money in society (“Plus d’amis”). It’s also worth noting the artists to whom the quintet pay homage: Arc-en-Son with “Quand l’herbe est verte”, a song popularized by the Outaouais group and Jean-Paul Guimond with “Ma Nanon,” an unpublished piece from the repertoire of this true living library from Quebec.
A MUSICAL STORM
Musically, the group offers a textured album with Tempête, where melodies and arrangements remain rooted in the trad style but are tinted with more contemporary influences such as pop and rock, resulting in a greatly diversified sound. Captivating, energetic, and accessible, this new album is a laboratory of explorations, with tracks like “Suite Labelle” and “Plus d’amis” where the Rhodes keyboard and soaring passages recall the best of progressive rock. While the first pieces arrive with a bang and take us directly into the group’s universe, “Le dernier pétale” appears in the heart of the album, like the eye of the storm, offering a moment of calm. The second half of the album picks up the pace with fiery trad pieces (“Suite Labelle”) and heavier ones (“Ma Nanon”), before ending joyfully after the onslaught with “Quand l’herbe est verte”, a festive interpretation with the feel of a night to remember.
WHO ARE LE DIABLE À CINQ?
Le Diable à Cinq is a powerful traditional music group composed of five multi-instrumentalists and singers from the province of Quebec in Canada, whose mission is to revive the festive evenings they grew up with. The Diable à Cinque is also a family story featuring three brothers, a cousin, and a friend who share the stage with remarkable complicity. With their explosive stage presence, the five devils ignite the night with energetic, warm, and truly unifying music. Since its formation, the group has performed nearly 150 concerts across Canada, the United States, and Europe—including at the WOMEX conference in Portugal, at Folk Alliance and as part of the Québécofolies in Belgium. . In Quebec, they opened for Les Cowboys Fringants in front of 40,000 people and made a notable appearance at the Festival de la chanson de Tadoussac. Debout! (2019), the group’s second album, was nominated for the JUNO Awards, GAMIQ Awards and the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Produced by Loïc Thériault (Valaire, Qualité Motel), Debout! offers a revitalization of trad music by drawing on rock, folk, and jazz influences and making the tunes “sound like a ton of bricks” (Tony Tremblay, ICI Musique). With their brand-new album, Tempête, the five devils once again swing open the doors to their world: festive, unifying, and dynamic. In 2023, the troupe embark on a new tour, spanning Quebec and Europe, which will take them to Spain, Latvia, Estonia, and Switzerland.
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Contact : Éloi Gagnon-Sabourin | (514) 799-8573 | info@lediableacinq.com
Le Diable à Cinq is a traditional music group made up of five multi-instrumentalists and singers from Ripon, in the Outaouais region (Quebec, Canada) whose main mission is to bring back to life the festive evenings in which its members grew up. Le Diable à Cinq is also a family affair, with three brothers, a cousin and a friend sharing the stage with remarkable complicity. With their explosive energy and stage presence, the five devils set the evening ablaze with their energetic, warm-hearted and resolutely unifying music.
Formed in 2015 at a family party, the band quickly acquired a taste for the stage, touring a number of small venues before releasing their debut album, Sorti de l’enfer (2017). The tour of this album led the group to open for the Cowboys Fringants in front of a record crowd of 40,000 at the Fête Nationale régionale de la Rive-Sud in 2019, as well as making a notable appearance at the Festival de la chanson de Tadoussac. Le Diable à Cinq has also charmed audiences at the legendary Club Soda, and headlined the Défilés de la Fête Nationale show at the heart of Montreal’s Place des Festivals.
Debout! (2019) is the band’s second album, and leaves only one option when listening: get up and dance. Produced by Loïc Thériault (Valaire, Qualité Motel), Debout! updates traditional music with rock, folk and jazz influences, and makes the tunes “sound like a ton of bricks” (Tony Tremblay, ICI Musique). (Tony Tremblay, ICI Musique). With Debout! the five devils open wide the doors to their festive, unifying and dynamic universe. This album has propelled the group to the forefront of the Quebec and Canadian music scene in 2020 and 2021, garnering four nominations at the JUNOS, ADISQ, GAMIQ and Canadian Folk Music Awards, in addition to winning the Ma première nomination People’s Choice Award at the ADISQ Gala (2020) among some thirty well-established artists.
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