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BRITAIN’S THE KILLS AND FRANCE’S LA FEMME HEADLINE

THE FESTIVAL WHERE PARIS & LONDON MEET/ LE FESTIVAL OU PARIS ET LONDRES SE RENCONTRENT

4PM - MIDNIGHT ON SATURDAY 22 SEPTEMBER

CENTRAL ST MARTINS COLLEGE, KINGS CROSS

PUBLIC TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE VIA BALLOT AT www.lecrxssing.com

Le Crxssing, the unique Franco-British festival of creativity returns in 2018, with a vibrant new location in the heart of London’s favourite destination, King’s Cross. After a successful pilot at Abbey Road in 2017, the Festival will play to its strength of proudly introducing phenomenal artists from both cultures to new audiences. Saturday 22 September sees the take over and transformation of ‘The Street’ in the world renowned Central Saint Martins college.

Spanning art, music, comedy, fashion, film and food, Le Crxssing has expanded in its second year with an incredible line up of music artists, comedians, gourmet chefs, filmmakers, top student fashion designers and talented young creatives.

Headlining the 2018 Festival are Britain’s The Kills and France’s La Femme, with other music acts including Eddy de Pretto, Claire Laffut, Tshegue, General Elektriks, Jordan MacKampa, plus comedians Joel Dommett, Fern Brady, Airnadette, and Paul Taylor.

The festival will also cover art, film and fashion, with gastronomic input from Chef Gregory Marchand (known as ‘Frenchie’), art displays from Toqué Frères, commentary from gallery owner and street-art champion Magda Danysz, as well as the Central St Martins Graduate Fashion Show. Laureated photographers Patrick Taberna, Maria Flore, Melanie Wenger and Clark et Pougnaud will be present, as part of HSBC’s Fondation pour la Photographie exhibition. Filmmakers Paul Webster and Marjane Satrapi and actress Stacy Martin will be on a panel, sharing their experience around ‘creativity beyond boundaries’ and how working with different cultures influences their work.

Uniting French and British cultures with its own inimitable curatorial style and supported by its ambassadors, TV and movie star Antoine de Caunes and comedian and actor Eddie Izzard, the Le Crxssing one-day festival will be a celebration of cultural collaboration and the unshakable friendship between two countries.

“The 21st century will be the most important century that humanity will have ever seen. It’s up to us to make this the century where we finally have a world where seven billion learn to live, work and create together in some shape or form. 

I am for Le Crxssing, and for going forwards with our hands across the seas”

Eddie Izzard, Le Crxssing Ambassador

French pop connoisseurs and winners of Best New French band, La Femme, have made a huge mark on modern Paris’ cultural landscape with their trademark grit and glamour. British-American indie rock band, The Kills bring their 10,000 watt voltage performance to Kings Cross, their restless and enigmatic music resonates with unstudied cool.

The stellar music line-up includes cutting edge ‘new’ R&B champion Eddy de Pretto and multi-disciplinary artist and beautifully unsettling singer Claire Laffut.  Hot Paris-based band Tshegue, whose music and art transverses the African diaspora and General Elektriks, vintage keyboard playing Hervé Salters’ blend of funk, old-school pop and hip-hop beats. The powerful troubadour, Jordan MacKampa returns for a second year, rising East London rapper, Jeshi and IAMDDB dubbed the lovechild of trap and jazz, add their creativity to the distinctively exploratory festival.

Pushing boundaries, Le Crxssing 2018 will once again include its hallmark ‘mash up’ showcasing two distinctive French artists, Claire Laffut and Tshegue in an exclusive musical alliance with British acts: rapper Jeshi and soul singer songwriter, Jordan Mackampa.

A variety of internationally acclaimed comedians will join the mêlée. Airnadette energetically lip-sync through 50 years of pop culture. Television and stage comedian Paul Taylor’s bilingual comedy reflects his hilarious cultural experiences living in France. Francois-Xavier Demaison, César nominated comic writer/actor and the head of Paris’ acclaimed Theatre de L’Oeuvre, Demaison shows us how it’s done.  ITV’s Joel Dommett, star of “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” and its spin-off show, a successful comedian in his own right, will take the stage as will exceptional writer and forward-facing comedian, Fern Brady.

Chef Gregory Marchand or “Frenchie” to his colleagues will showcase the culinary skills he learnt as an orphan helping the nuns to cook. An award-winning chef with “Restaurant of the Year” going to his Frenchie Covent Garden establishment. Expect a fusion of English and French foods.

The Festival covers art, film and fashion; Magda Danysz, gallery owner in Paris and Shanghai carries the torch for art at the festival.  An international driving force for street artists’ careers, a supporter of contemporary artists and a Chevalier of Arts and Letters, Magda is committed to all art not just pieces confined to gallery walls. 

La Fémis, founded by film director Raoul Peck, which trains 50 filmmaking students a year and The National Film and Television School, one of the world’s leading film, television and games schools will curate a short film festival presenting the best talents from either side of The Channel.

For more information, please visit www.lecrxssing.com and follow Le Crxssing on Twitter and Instagram.

Le Crxssing is proudly supported by our returning co-founders Vivendi, Google, HSBC, Eurostar and Blue Solutions, as well as new partners EDF, The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, LionTree, Master & Dynamic, GetLink, L’Institut Français, The French Chamber of Great Britain, Atout France, Urban Partners, UniFrance, The Creative Industries Federation, L’Occitane, Ascential, Argent, Sassy Cidre, Cylo and Pierre Hermé.

ANTOINE DE CAUNES

Avid music lover and enthusiast, Antoine de Caunes is a celebrated Canal+ presenter, actor, producer and writer. As a true anglophile, Antoine has successfully become one of France’s most popular cultural exports. Antoine De Caunes creatively expresses his love for all things art and isn’t afraid to break the boundaries.
Son of journalist and French TV presenter Georges de Caunes and of Jacqueline Joubert, Antoine de Caunes first appeared on television in the 1970s in the rock show ‘Chorus!’. He continued to forge his career in musical rock shows with Houba-Houba in ‘Enfants du Rock’. Antoine continued his career on Canal+ from 1977 onwards with the hit show ‘Nulle part Ailleurs’ and launched his cinema career in 1989, appearing in a number of key roles in cult French films, culminating in his direction of the biopic ‘Coluche: l’histoire d’un mec’ in 2008. Antoine is a great explorer, who continuously pushes his own boundaries to discover new cultures, talents and creative outlets. He travelled throughout the US and launched a travel series on Canal+ while also hosting a number of shows on the BBC. Antoine continues to focus on his love for uncovering new talent and contributing to pop culture with his daily radio show POPOPOP. Antoine de Caunes perfectly embodies the ideals of creativity beyond boundaries that are at the core of Le Crxssing.

EDDIE IZZARD

Eddie is a world class comedian, fashion icon, political campaigner, runner and tireless supporter of charity. His surreal style is inimitable and unique. He sold out shows in France and Germany where he performed his individual style of comedy in multiple languages with extraordinary ease. Eddie Izzard is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer. Eddie is also well known for his love of politics and political activism and has been a long-standing supporter of the Labour party. Eddie’s Force Majeure comedy tour has played in over 30 countries and in all 50 US states. He now tours his show in four languages (English, French, German and Spanish) and recently spent two months in Paris devising his new stand up show in French. Eddie recently received critical acclaim for his performance alongside Judi Dench in the film, Victoria and Abdul. In 2010, Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story received an Emmy® Award nomination. His recent autobiography, Believe Me, entered the top ten in the Sunday Times Best-seller list. On March 20^th 2016, Izzard completed running 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa as a tribute to Nelson Mandela and raised over £2.6 million for Sport Relief.  He is currently working towards a world tour of an exciting new live show.

LA FEMME

Direct from the Parisian overground, French pop connoisseurs La Femme have made a huge mark on modern Paris’ cultural landscape, by engraining in their music the two sides of the city: the glamour and the grit. Since the release of their debut album, Psycho Tropical Berlin, they have gained momentum and a growing young audience. They won French Best New Band of the Year at The French Music Awards and topped the French charts. Their music was also used for three major worldwide TV adverts for Apple, Renault and Sonos which has brought them great attention. They have toured three times in the UK, including a support tour for Maximo Park in 2012. Returning with a more psychedelic sound and numerous female guest vocalists that slice through the starkest of electro beats, La Femme celebrates their wonderful city and tackles the enigmatic question of falling in and out of love. Mystère is indeed a compendium of short stories describing love and loss and each song breaks down language barriers through an inventive and astute knack for melody.

THE KILLS

For a decade and a half, The Kills have mastered the savage balance between chaos and equilibrium, salvation and obliteration, 10,000-watt voltage and intense darkness. They have reimagined the possibilities of modern duality, unleashing artful detonation and subtle vocal and guitar violence. For their latest attack, the Domino artists The Kills re-wired the circuits of Saul Williams’ “List of Demands (Reparations)” to create a wounded, volcanic, and urgent anthem. An opaque but powerful litany that could incite the most apathetic to action, it is a wake-up call capable of being interpreted as personal or political. The song comes backed with a dazzling cover of Peter Tosh’s “Steppin’ Razor”.

PAUL TAYLOR

Paul Taylor has a passion for making people laugh. From an early age, he has been exposed to multiple cultures and languages and embraced them. With an English dad and an Irish mum, this British comedian, currently living in Paris, is fluent in English, French and Spanish. Using his multicultural perspective, he started his stand-up comedy career in January 2013, performing on English-speaking comedy shows in Paris. Later he was able to perform abroad in multiple countries including the USA, Spain and China. Drawing inspiration from his daily life, he created a bilingual one-man show called #FRANGLAIS where he shares with his audience, in both French and English, his hilarious experiences as a British expat in France and his unique take on French cultural habits.  After performing on stage for a number of years, he decided to take his comedy to the screen. Paul was soon after contacted by Canal+ and Studio Bagel to work in partnership with them for a mini-series on TV. Paul Taylor is redefining the bicultural approach to comedy.

JESHI

Born and raised in east London, 22-year-old rapper and musician Jeshi is making it difficult to shackle or pigeonhole music. Ranging from ultra-minimal and alternative monotone crooning to ethereal drum-lead songs filled with compact, tightly woven raps, he has already started to map out his own, idiosyncratic path. With an open approach to collaboration and a firm desire to continuously build and improve, his new mixtape ’The World’s Spinning Too Fast’ lands as a 23-minute-long statement, meshing together Jeshi’s complex and abstract sound design with tight, thoughtful lyricism. Recorded in various studios, bedrooms and kitchens across London as well as an apartment in Marrakech where the idea first blossomed, it serves as a compelling introduction to one of London’s brightest new rap stars.

CLAIRE LAFFUT

Claire Laffut is both mysterious and transparent in her artistic essence. Her tattoos, drawn with intricacy and endless imagination, are part of her unique self-expression and reveal a little piece of her as an artist. Never motivated by fame or a desire to shine, it’s art, history, poetry and her personal quest of self that drive her to create. Sharp, groovy, surprising, modern and instantly endearing, her music is built from emotional milestones, fortunate accidents and a telescoping of ideas, sounds and memories. A product of deep collaboration with the producer and multi-instrumentalist Tristan Salvati, she has the freshness of pop yet does not shy away from soul, jazz, reggae and bossa nova. Her first album shares her own truth, and it is both beautiful and unsettling.

AIRNADETTE

Airnadette is an Airband who combines lip-syncing with a dynamically energetic stage show. This unique concept reinterprets the last 50 years of pop culture, covering the hits of your youth [including those you hoped you’d forgotten] right up to the latest buzz on YouTube. Each of the six-strong team (Jean-Françoise, Scotch Brit, M-Rodz, Chateau Brutal, Gunther Love and Moche Pitt) incarnates the look and style of a particular time period. In the past 6 years they have performed over 400 shows in over 7 countries, perfecting their art to claim the title ‘Masters of Lip-sync’. Today, Airnadette presents its latest creation “We Will Dub You”. Part theatre, part rock, part musical, the show combines multiple aspects of the musical culture to break the boundaries of creativity.

TSHEGUE

With these two it was destined to work; a story of timing, energy and the essence of their individuality. On one side, Nicolas Dacunha, suburban Paris native, and on the other Faty Sy Savanet, born in Kinshasa, raised in Lemba, the hip neighborhood of the Congolese Capital, who landed at nine years old in the suburbs of Paris, before being discovered in the garage rock band Jaguar. The name of the band, Tshegue, has a double meaning: it is the singer’s nickname, and it is also the name given to street boys of Kinshasa. From the start, her deep voice and soul gives the tone and the rough atmosphere, intense sentences, boosted by the epileptic rhythm, with tribal references. There is no doubt, Faty Sy Savanet drops punchlines that hit and slam you in the head. Urban, that’s one certainty, their music is a witness to an attachment to ambiguity, freed from the laws of labelling music into categories.

GENERAL ELEKTRIKS

Thinking differently to everyone else, General Elektriks blends impressionist touches and a carnal dimension with the electronic sounds and seminal influences of great black music. His knowledge of more than one language allows him to use multiple influences in his music. Described as versatile and thrilling, he uses multiple cultures, multiple languages and multiple genres. One man and his keyboard is all it takes to create a stunning amalgamation of funk, electro and pop. His attempt to create an alchemical musical melting-pot creates a dazzling effect when shared with the crowd.

GREGORY MARCHAND

Gregory Marchand, who obtained the nickname “Frenchie” whilst working under Jamie Oliver, began his culinary journey in western France at the age of 15. At the orphanage he grew up in, Gregory first learned his trade by helping the nuns cook. From there he trained and worked in France, England and Hong Kong. It is believed that his early cheffing days are the reason for his inevitable and eventual return to London. Frenchie Covent Garden opened in January 2016 and has already won Squaremeal’s Restaurant of the Year award. The globally-influenced menu echoes its Parisian counterpart with simple yet generous flavours and dishes inspired by Gregory’s travels, from London to New York through to Spain and Hong Kong.

JORDAN MACKAMPA

Jordan Mackampa is often described as a troubadour, gorgeously soulful, someone who can tear at your heartstrings whilst filling you with joy. Over the past year Jordan has sold out 3 headline shows in London, played support slots for Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks, whilst also packing out stages and venues at multiple festivals where his powerful live show is imbued with rich potential. Join us at Le Crxssing to see him break the boundaries of creativity.

JOEL DOMMETT

Joel burst onto the comedy scene in 2007 and quickly established himself as one of the most exciting comedians on the circuit. He has become a regular face on TV, from being a finalist in 2017’s “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!” ITV, to Comedy Central’s “Joel and Nish vs The World” and as a panelist on Sky 1’s Bring the Noise alongside Nicole Scherzinger, to presenting Live In Chelsea, the live E4 after-show to hit series Made In Chelsea. Joel boasts a constantly increasing array of TV credits for Comedy Central, Channel 4 and BBC Three participating in a number of successful shows. The last year has been huge for Joel after his highly memorable performance on ITV’s “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here”. He gained thousands of new fans due to his unique brand of humour and his lovable personality; so much so that he went on to finish second on the show. After hugely successful time in the jungle he took over hosting duties of ITV2’s spin off Show.

EDDY DE PRETTO

Hailing from Créteil, young Eddy de Pretto brings a breath of fresh air to the French music scene. Amongst his influences are Frank Ocean, Kanye West and Claude Nougaro. By intertwining their styles, he is venturing into new territories, blending together traditional French Chanson with cutting-edge new-R&B. His unfiltered, raw and sexual style, where he evokes nightlife, parties and drugs in a very direct way led to a sensational win at the Le Printemps de Bourges’ award last April. The sudden announcement of him being nominated at the Victoires de la Musique before the release of his first album only increased the frenzy around his forward facing, cutting edge music.

FRANCOIS-XAVIER DEMAISON

François-Xavier Demaison has had a passion for comedy since he was young. After witnessing the attacks on the World Trade Centre, he decided to make a difference in his life, count his savings, and invest them in a show he wrote and financed himself. After seeing this, Samuel Le Bihan decided to produce it in a concentrated version. This was a huge success for Francois-Xavier and after playing a number of small roles in films, Antoine de Caunes chose him to embody the lead role, Coluche, in his film Coluche. This role earned him a César nomination for Best Actor. He has since played roles in films that have been hugely successful at the box office with more than a million entries.  Francois-Xavier is now at the head of the acclaimed Theatre de l’Oeuvre in Paris.

MAGDA DANYSZ

Magda Danysz is a gallery owner in Paris and Shanghai. She organised her first exhibitions aged 17 in 1991. Since then she has continued to present major street artists like Shepard Fairey, JonOne or VHILS as well as contemporary photographers such as Erwin Olaf, Julian Schnabel and Charles Petillon. She also introduced Chinese contemporary artists such Maleonn, Yang Yongliang, Zhang Dali and the famous Wang Keping to a worldwide audience. In 2007, she was awarded the title of Chevalier of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture. Magda Danysz’s commitment for art is not confined to the walls of the gallery. She is a curator for many exhibitions in La Condition Publique in Roubaix in France, the Centquatre in Paris, the ArtScience Musuem in Singapore or the Cafa Art Museum in Beijing. She also participated in the Executive Committee of the Shanghai Biennale in 2010, for which she produced the project Wrinkles of the City by artist JR on the city scale. In 2013, she was also the curator of a new project of artist residency that met over 4 months, including 50 major figures of Street Art in the Bains (the legendary Parisian nightclub). She also participated in many art fairs around the world from Brussels to Hong Kong, New York and Miami. Danysz has also written several books, monographs and specialized works on Street Art and is a recognized expert in Street Art and contemporary Chinese art. She lectures regularly on the subject.

FERN BRADY

Fearless writing and lightning fast wit make Fern an exceptional comedian. While writing her own sitcom, she has performed stand-up comedy on numerous successful TV shows. Her quick thinking is not only clever but provides forward facing entertainment for her audiences.

IAMDDB

IAMDDB is a 21-year-old artist who makes music that naturally balances between the yin and the yang of the intrinsic human experience. She is the lovechild of trap and jazz, soaking up influences from her Portuguese and Angolan roots, and has taken inspiration from samba, Bob Marley, Nat King Cole and her stint playing with bands in Africa. She rides spiky hip hop beats with a drawling, elastic flow that glides between singing and speech giving her sound the feel of urban jazz.

LA FÉMIS

Founded in 1986 and chaired since 2010 by film director Raoul Peck.  Every year La Fémis trains over 50 students in 10 filmmaking skills as: directors, screenwriters, producers, editors, DoP, sound engineers, production designers, continuity supervisors, distributors and exhibitors. In 2013, La Fémis created a new department for training students in TV series’ writing. Every year, La Fémis produces around 260 short films and 60 of them are selected and awarded in 100 national and international film festivals.

THE NATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL

The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is one of the world’s leading film, television and games schools. Thanks to a recent £20 million investment, the NFTS boasts state-of-the-art facilities and operates like a production house with its own industry standard film studio, 4k Television and rehearsal studios, and cutting-edge workspaces for all courses, resulting in an unparalleled student experience. With its specialist and practical courses led by industry professionals, NFTS provides fast-track access to successful careers in film, games and television with a 93% graduate employment rate. In 2018, the NFTS was awarded the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema BAFTA and over the years its students and alumni have won over 137 BAFTAs and 10 Oscars.