Vive la fête

Vive la Fête hails from Ghent, East Flanders, where the Belgian duo was formed by vocalist Els Pynoo and guitarist/vocalist Danny Mommens in 1997. At the time of the group's formation, Mommens was also a member of dEUS, an experimental rock band whose most recent album, 1996's In a Bar, Under the Sea, had gone platinum in Belgium. He began exploring a different sound with Pynoo, creating a mix of synth pop, electronic music, and 1980s-inspired New Wave that Vive la Fête introduced with its debut album, Je Ne Veux Pas, in 1998. A second EP, Tokyo, was released in 2000, along with the band's full-length debut album, Attaque surprise. Although neither Attaque surprise nor its 2001 follow-up, République populaire, reached the charts in Belgium, Vive la Fête began a popular band in European fashion circles nonetheless, championed by designers like Karl Lagerfeld. Commercial success arrived in 2003, when the band's third album, Nuit Blanche, peaked at Number 10 on Belgium's Ultrapop chart. 2005's Grand Prix was a Top 10 hit, too, reaching Number 4 in Belgium while cracking the Top 100 in the Netherlands. Following a European tour, Vive la Fête finished the decade with another pair of Top 40 releases: Jour de chance, which reached Number 15 in Belgium in 2007, and Disque d'or, which charted at Number 27 two years later. The band released 2012's Produit de Belgique, 2013's 2013, and 2018's Destination amour before taking an extended hiatus from the recording studio. Meanwhile, their music continued to enjoy a large audience in Belgium, where the debut album Attaque surprise was eventually certified gold.