Bardcore — the internet niche that reworks modern pop into faux-medieval arrangements — has quietly produced a breakout act. Courseval, widely considered the genre's most successful group, has spent the last few years giving well-known songs a cheeky Middle Ages makeover, and their version of ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" is a good entry point if you've never heard the trend. Played on period-flavoured instruments with a knowing wink, it makes a surprisingly strong case that Benny and Björn's songwriting survives being dragged back several centuries.
But for holiday-minded viewers, the real hook is the backdrop. Courseval filmed the performance in front of Mont-Saint-Michel, the abbey-topped tidal island in Normandy, France — arguably the most photogenic stage any medieval cover band could ask for. The site has been a place of pilgrimage and monastic settlement since the 8th century, and its silhouette rising out of the bay is one of Europe's most recognisable views. The video is essentially a three-minute postcard of the place, complete with stone walls and sweeping skies, and it's hard to watch without adding the island to a Normandy itinerary.
Mont-Saint-Michel earns that reaction. The abbey crowns a granite tidal island connected to the mainland by a causeway, and the surrounding bay has some of the largest tidal ranges in Europe — the water can rush in fast enough that the island's island-ness changes by the hour. Visitors today cross a modern bridge (the old causeway is gone) and climb steep, narrow medieval streets to the abbey church at the top. It gets extremely busy in summer, which is partly why the early morning and evening light — and quieter lanes — are prized by photographers.
As for what Benedictine monks of the 700s would have made of a Renaissance-fair spin on a 1979 disco track: unanswerable, but the juxtaposition is exactly why the video works. It's a reminder that places built for solemn purposes can absorb a bit of silliness without losing any of their drama.
For travellers, this is a light-touch story with a practical payoff. If a whimsical medieval-meets-pop video is what finally sells you on Normandy, use it as inspiration: Mont-Saint-Michel pairs neatly with the D-Day beaches, the port town of Saint-Malo just across the border in Brittany, and the dairy-rich food culture of the region. And if you enjoy Courseval's sound, bardcore in general makes a fun pre-trip soundtrack — medieval fantasy vibes that will feel right at home walking the ramparts of a French abbey.
Credit: Kuriositas
