Flossie Malavialle
From the South of France to the Northeast of England
Why is Britain’s music scene worth fighting for? Perhaps it’s worth looking overseas for a moment to get a sense of what we have, and why it’s so special.
This story starts in the South of France, where Flossie Malavialle was teaching English and performing at village fetes. It takes in the best part of two decades in and around Darlington and continues this week with a “homecoming” tour for the likeable singer.
After signing up for a teaching exchange in 2000, Flossie found herself working in Stockton and living in Darlo. Touching distance of the Tees isn’t quite the same as a short hop to the Med, but jumping into the local music scene – nurtured and inspired by Darlington Folk Club – proved the perfect antidote to culture shock.
“It’s so different that it was difficult to explain to people back home what it even is,” Flossie said, in an accent that combines a gallic lilt with the flattened vowels of a night out in Darlo. “A lot of my friends thought I was busking on the streets or singing in the background in a pub with nobody really listening.
“Things are completely different in France, so it was hard for people to imagine such a lovely, friendly, welcoming scene.
“It was very new to me, and I can be a bit wary of new people but there was such a community spirit. There’s nothing like it that I know of in France. And it’s a beautiful thing. This is music – and music-making – that belongs to the country.”
‘A fantastic performer and an all-round good egg’
Flossie’s story has echoes of Mills & Farrell, whose own journey from Canada to Consett – trying an open mic or two, finding a warm welcome and quickly becoming immersed in the scene.
The entrée into performing came via Tom Hughes at Darlington Folk Club. He invited Flossie to take on some support slots, recognising her ability to hop effortlessly across styles from chanson classics to folk-rock covers. And the rest was history. By the end of that exchange year, Flossie was appearing at places like the Saltburn Folk Festival. It wasn’t long before she decided to come back to the Northeast full time and try to make a living as a singer. With a bit of time, and some shifts as a supply teacher, it worked.
A partnership with Keith Donnelly, performing as Dark Horses, brought support slots with Fairport Convention. Flossie also played the Cropredy Festival, one of many occasions to rub shoulders with folk-rock royalty.
“For me it was all new and sometimes I didn’t really know who these people were, so it was so lovely,” she said.
But one figure from the local scene stands out. Vin Garbutt, the Teesside Troubadour, was one of the first artists Flossie supported in Darlington.
“I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately because it was the anniversary of his death earlier this month,” she said. “I was very lucky that we were both playing at the same time.
“He was a fantastic performer and an all-round good egg. I remember how he asked me to be his roadie, driving him from gig to gig, it was a fantastic adventure. I’ll always be grateful for that, and it was hilarious. He has this very subtle sense of humour and after getting to know him, I would often be the first person to get his jokes when he was on stage.
“Then everyone else would catch up!”
‘People were listening in almost religious silence’
After struggling to explain to friends and family back home exactly what a music career in England looked like, headlining an Edith Piaf show at the old Darlington Arts Centre Theatre gave Flossie a chance to show her parents what it was all about.
“They didn’t know what to expect. But the theatre was full and all these people were listening in an almost religious silence, it was a very respectful atmosphere,” she recalls. “They were amazed that people in England would fill a theatre for an evening of French songs sung by a French lass. It was the first time they understood how warm and welcoming audiences could be here, what a great environment this is for performing.”
Although now back in France – a move that coincided with the pandemic, but not prompted by it – Flossie makes regular returns to perform in England. This week she starts her third tour in as many years, a whistle stop run of 16 gigs in 17 days. That culminates with festival dates in Yorkshire and the New Forest before she heads back to the Costa Festival in Portugal at the end of September.
It’s a chance to catch up – The Witham’s sound man Ian Rigby, for example, has been behind the desks for Flossie’s shows since the early days at Darlington Folk Club.
And while Piaf and Jacques Brel will be on the setlist, along with some other French songs that deserve a wider audience, the show also promises songs from her 2024 album True Colours. That release includes a take on Pete Davies’ Vin, our Teesside Troubadour, a tribute to one Flossie’s earliest backers.
Most of all, though, it promises to be a “welcome home” for an artist who neatly combines the heritage of two regions – and reminds us what is special about both.
Flossie Malavialle plays at Stokesley Town Hall on June 21 (tickets £15) and The Witham, Barnard Castle, on June 25 (tickets £16). Full UK tour listings here.