MANY Kiwis’ mispronounce musician Luc Arnault’s name “Luck”, (say Luke)but luck is an appropriate title.
When Arnault arrived three years ago, he and three French friends spent six months busking their way around the country.
“We were busking on Cuba Street, and a lady (now one of his best friends), came up and said ‘you guys are amazing, what can I do to help you?’ She gave us the key to her house in Auckland, because she wasn’t going to be there for three weeks,” he laughs.
And just to prove Kiwis are a generous bunch, it happened again.
Arnault and his friends, who called themselves Ladybird, met another kind stranger in the Capital.
“It was New Year’s Eve, and it was raining and horrible. This lady sat there and watched us for two hours. Then she came up and said ‘I live in Christchurch, but I won’t be there, so here’s the key, and just leave it under the mat when you leave’. So off we went, down to Christchurch. It shows how welcoming New Zealanders are.”
Arnault and his friends travelled the length of the country on the back of their musical talent.
They made the papers in Invercargill, got fed kebabs as thanks for attracting customers, and played a variety of small music festivals including Campus a Low Hum, held just outside Bulls.
After the dream, Arnault’s friends returned to France, but he stayed on teaching at Alliance Française in Wellington.
He also plays the guitar and sings alongside clarinet player Pippa – the former flatmate of the Aucklander who opened her home.
Arnault and Pippa will play at Wellington’s upcoming Fête de la Musique, an event launched in France in 1982 that now takes place around the world to coincide with the summer solstice (in the Northern hemisphere).
Thanks to organisers, Congolese musician Sam Manzanza and the Alliance Française, Fête de la Musique has been held in Wellington for 14 years.
Last year more than 1,000 people turned up to enjoy the diverse range of music.
This year is expected to be even bigger with 22 bands spread over three stages, and music from jazz to tango, African, hip-hop to gipsy, and of course, French.
Arnault is glad Wellington is getting on board, because he says one thing the country lacks is big winter celebrations.
“In France it’s a huge event, and for the musicians it’s a good opportunity to show off their stuff. It’s on the solstice, so it’s the first outing for teens and families,” he says. “I’ve played at Fête de la Musique in France every year since I was 14. I remember once playing at two villages on the same night, driving to one, and then to the other.”
This will be Arnault’s first time experiencing the festival Kiwi style, because he’s been back home for Fête de la Musique each year since his arrival in New Zealand.
And in a lovely twist, the generous lady from Auckland is moving down to the Capital the same weekend, and will be able to enjoy Arnault’s music – this time off the street.
Fête de la Musique, 3pm to late, the Southern Cross, June 19.