Call Me Poupée is a Montreal duo consisting of Ken Fortrel (Les Breastfeeders, Les Secrétaires Volantes, Demon’s Claws) on guitars, keyboards and electronics along with Poupée (The Slips, Les Slotmachines) on vocals and guitars. Formed in 2004, their first two song demo was a firecracker on the college radio charts and soon generated a dedicated following amongst fans and critics alike. Word of the duo’s Suicide meets spaghetti western sound and their cabaret inspired live shows spread fast and led to performances with King Khan, Les Georges Leningrad, We Are Wolves, Der Plan, Malajube, Eleni Mandel, Les Prototypes and Katerine.
Their debut album, “Western Shanghai” (produced by Ramachandra Borcar aka Ramasutra) draws from all their musical heroes of the past 60 years and adds today’s technology making their own cinematic, hip shaking gogo tunes of the future. The songs combine electro, garage, surf, rockabilly, 60’s spy themes and exotica, paving the way for a “new west”. Imagine cowboys and Indians drinking from cocktail glasses and dancing to the pounding kick drum of an 808, while Gainsbourg and Bardot sing along with an orchestra conducted by Morricone.
Guest musicians include the cream of the crop from Montreal’s underground music scene, members of Les Georges Leningrad, The Gruesomes, Demon’s Claws, Bionic, The Kingpins and the brass section from Ram’s “Steel and Glass”.
Being invaded by the French never felt so good!
