by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

It's the 15th edition of Montreal's Francofolies, the fest that, like its counterparts across the pond, celebrates French-language music of all stripes from many corners of the globe. There are some fine indoor, ticketed shows this year - the grand Arthur H, Maghrebi/French artists Souad Massi and Rachid Taha, the volatile rap of Zebda and of course the lovely Jane Birkin - but also plenty of free shows worth catching, particularly for anglos looking to dip their toes in the cultural pool right on their doorstep. Here's a few picks.

Les Jardiniers: Once again, les Francos are doing the free midnight DJ madness thing, in the Savoy room at Metropolis - former coatcheck and acid jazz emporium, now the precious corner of civilization called "the smoking room." And smokin' it will be, indeed, when les Jardiniers kick the series off in style tonight, Thursday, July 24. Their latest album Train to Reofa offers solid, kickin' tech-house that never takes itself too damn seriously, but as for their DJ sets, well, who knows where that lil' choo-choo's gonna end up.

Sandrine Collard: Here's one Belgian who doesn't waffle - Collard knows exactly what she's doing and does it well. Between her background in classical music and storytelling streak, and the production support of Dan Lacksman of Telex (Belgium's answer to Kraftwerk, back in the day), she's got the chops to make her flavourful, lower-case e-pop work wonders and still stay intimate in a sofa-cushion-fort sorta way. Think a relaxed Stereo Total minus the sonic costume changes, or maybe a talented Miss Kittin minus the forced frostiness, and you're part way there. At le Monde Pop stage, in front of Complexe Desjardins, on Friday, July 25, 5 p.m., and at le Monde Trad stage, Jeanne-Mance at De Maisonneuve, on Saturday, July 26, 7 p.m.

Les Wampas: Right off the bat, you gotta give credit to a band that titles their latest CD Never Trust a Guy Who After Having Been a Punk Is Now Playing Electro. And you gotta give credit to a band that's been around a full two decades and haven't lost ounce of the rambunctious, playful punk bite that was their blueprint from square one (this despite the suicide of their original guitarist Marc Police in '92). These grand masters of French pop-punk follow the Ramones formula of backing colourful, catchy, sunny melodies with raunch and muscle. And lyrically, they don't pull punches - their dig at "populist" fat cats like, well, the titular "Manu Chao" is bound to scandalize more than a few. At la Zone Hip stage, Bleury at De Maisonneuve, on Saturday, July 26, 10 p.m.

Martin Léon: The summertime perfection of Léon's easy beatbox grooves and lackadaisical guitar strummin' set the stage for his clever and irreverent lyrics. There's clearly a cool, confident sense of humour going on here as he takes pokes at social foibles with a wink and a practiced shrug. Definitely a local act to keep an eye on. At le Monde Trad stage on Sunday, July 27, 7 p.m.

Camille: A cool new figure in the neo-chansonnier scene outta France, Camille shares Yann "Amélie" Tiersen's propensity for delicate, archaic and at times childlike instrumentation, as well as Arthur H's knack for dragging the vintage "music hall" sound into the new century. On the other hand, she displays neither Tiersen's melancholy nor Arthur H's grimy nonchallance. It's doubtful that she'll have the strings and things gracing her inviting new CD Le Sac des filles on stage with her, but I suspect that alone at a piano, she could get the good times rolling. Maybe she'll even do some of that tap dancing heard on "Paris." At le Monde Trad stage on Thursday, July 31, 7 p.m.

Kulcha Connection: The final outdoor show is one to catch. The dynamic duo of Face T and Rebel bring a snappy mash-up of roots, dancehall, hip hop and R&B, one that highlights their effective vocal interplay and a knack for melodies that stick. The number "She Boom," off their latest disc Plus Haut, is an excellent illustration of that. They've got hungry eyes on the market in France right now, but they haven't turned their backs on the home crowd - lucky us. At the L'Aire Ford Focus stage, Ste-Catherine at Jeanne-Mance, on Saturday, Aug. 2, 11 p.m.

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