French punk

Last updated

French punk is punk rock from France. Punk rock developed in France in the mid-1970s, strongly influenced by the scenes in the United States and United Kingdom, but also influencing the latter. The first European Punk Rock Festival took place at Mont-de-Marsan in France in August 1976.

Contents

History

The 1970s

By the early 1970s, Les punks, a Parisian subculture of Lou Reed fans, had already become well established. [1] Initially, two central figures were Marc Zermati, who had founded Skydog Records in Paris in 1972, owned the Open Market record shop, and promoted American and British bands in France; and Michel Esteban, the owner of the Harry Cover rock merchandise shop and founder of Rock News magazine, who had associated with leading punk and new wave musicians in New York City. The first European Punk Rock Festival, organised by Zermati, took place at Mont-de-Marsan on 21 August 1976, and featured French bands Bijou, Il Biaritz and Shakin’ Street, as well as The Damned. [2]

Zermati later said: "The real punk movement started in New York, and Paris came before the UK because we were really connected to New York... it was exciting because we thought we were conspiring against the establishment." He also claimed that he persuaded Malcolm McLaren to call the movement "punk" rather than McLaren's preferred term, "new wave". An important influence on the style and content of the movement in the UK was the French Situationist movement, led by Guy Debord. [3]

Formed in 1976, Métal Urbain and Stinky Toys were two of the first French punk bands, although at the time most French punk fans preferred English or American punk. Generally regarded as the most original of the early French punk bands, Métal Urbain gave their first performance in December 1976. [2] In August 1977, Asphalt Jungle played at the second Mont-de-Marsan punk festival. [4] Stinky Toys' debut single, "Boozy Creed", came out in September 1977 and was perhaps the first non-English-language punk rock record. The following month, Métal Urbain's first 45, "Panik", appeared. [4] After the release of their minimalist punk debut, "Rien à dire", Marie et les Garçons became involved in New York's mutant disco scene, encouraged by Esteban at ZE Records. Asphalt Jungle's "Deconnection" (feat. Best Magazine critic Patrick Eudeline on vocals), Gasoline's "Killer Man", and Factory's "Flesh" also came out before the end of 1977, and other French punk acts such as Oberkampf and Starshooter soon formed. [5] Other French groups formed, such as Abject and Dentist in Nice, Strychnine in Bordeaux, Starshooter in Lyon. In London, French all-girl group The Lou's were part of the scene, as well as Private Vices, who featured three French members out of four, including Bruno Blum , who at the time wrote for influential French rock magazine Best. Most of these early groups, including Les Olivensteins and The Dogs, can be heard on the 1984 Les Plus Grands Succès du Punk (Skydog) double CD anthology.

The 1980s and later

More and more punk rock groups appeared in France during the 1980s, such as Ludwig von 88 and Bérurier Noir. These bands are two of the most famous punk rock groups in France. Les Wampas appeared during the 1980s but had more success in the 2000s.

During the 1990s Noir Désir became one of the most famous bands in French rock. Their style is a mix between punk rock and grunge. The band Mano Negra also had worldwide success.

During the 2000s there became more and more hardcore punk groups, like Guerilla Poubelle or Tagada Jones. The most successful group from the 2000s is Les Wampas with the songs Manu Chao and Chirac en Prison.

French Punk Bands

In the 1970s

In the 1980s

In the 1990s

In the 2000s

In the 2010s

Related Research Articles

In France, music reflects a diverse array of styles. In the field of classical music, France has produced several prominent romantic composers, while folk and popular music have seen the rise of the chanson and cabaret style. The oldest playable musical recordings were made in France using the earlist known sound recording device in the world, the phonautograph, which was patented by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville in 1857. France is also the 5th largest market by value in the world, and its music industry has produced many internationally renowned artists, especially in the nouvelle chanson and electronic music.

Noir Désir was a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold. They have been an influence on numerous French musicians including Cali, Louise Attaque and Miossec. While active, the band consisted of Bertrand Cantat, Serge Teyssot-Gay (guitar), Jean-Paul Roy and Denis Barthe (drums).

Bérurier Noir was a French punk rock band active from 1983 to 1989. The band reformed from 2003 to 2006. The band is associated with anarcho-punk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rencontres Trans Musicales</span>

Les Rencontres Trans Musicales is a music festival that lasts for 3 or 4 days. It is held annually in December. The festival takes place in Rennes, Brittany, France. Since the festival's beginning, it has been renowned for revealing the "next big thing" in music. The festival has become one of the most significant musical events in Europe, attracting over 62,000 people in 2013. It attracted over 80 groups and artists from over 26 nationalities and music industry professionals coming from all continents.

French rock is a form of rock music produced in France, primarily with lyrics in the French language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Métal Urbain</span>

Métal Urbain was one of the first French punk groups, formed in 1976 in Paris.

Akuma were a Canadian punk band from Montreal, founded in 1998 by former Banlieue Rouge member Safwan Hamdi. According to a post on the Facebook page of Rock My World Canada, "the band distinguishes itself through its opposition to neoliberalism, both through its lyrics and through its actions."

Stinky Toys were a French punk rock band from Paris which formed in 1976 and featured Elli Medeiros (vocals), Denis Quilliard, alias Jacno,, Bruno Carone, Albin Dériat, and Hervé Zénouda (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurockéennes</span> French rock music festival in Belfort

The Eurockéennes de Belfort is one of France's largest rock music festivals. The Eurockéennes, a play on words involving rock and européennes (Europeans), is a festival based in a nature reserve beside Lac de Malsaucy Belfort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guerilla Poubelle</span> French rock band

Guerilla Poubelle is a French punk band formed in 2003. The name translates to 'Dustbin Guerrilla' in English.

<i>Les hommes morts sont dangereux</i> 1981 studio album by Métal Urbain

Les Hommes Morts sont Dangereux is the only studio album by the French electro-punk band Métal Urbain. The album was originally released in 1981 on vinyl.

Les Satellites is a French alternative rock band that was formed in 1985 and split up in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Zermati</span> French record producer (1945–2020)

Marc Zermati was a French producer and promoter of punk rock music, and businessman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gogol Premier</span> French singer

Jacques Dezandre, better known by his stage name Gogol Premier, is a French punk rock singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Stups</span>

Les Stups is a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 1989 in Montreal, Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz Treichler</span> Musical artist

Francisco José Conceição Leitão Treichler, better known as Franz Treichler, is a Swiss singer, songwriter, musician, composer and record producer. He is best known as the vocalist and sole consistent member of the Swiss industrial rock band The Young Gods, which he founded in 1985 with sampler player Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. Treichler was instrumental in the band's adoption of samplers as a main instrument. He released his solo debut album, Braindance in 2001.

Marie et les Garçons were a French new wave band formed in Lyon in 1976. After Marie Girard left, the remaining members continued as Garçons.

54 Nude Honeys was a Japanese punk rock band formed in 1992, in Tokyo. The band was primarily composed of the bass guitarist and co-founder Vivi, the guitarist and co-founder Kotome and the vocalist Yuri. The band and its membership went through a number of reconfigurations between 1992 and 2007, the year in which the band was disbanded. The group has been jokingly likened to the satirical heavy metal group Spinal Tap, due to the number of different drummers that have been involved in the band over separate line-ups. For a portion of the groups active years a second guitarist, Fumi, was added to the line-up. Since 2001 Fumi is a member of the Japanese synth-pop band Polysics. The band has also been noted for its large cult following status in underground music circles and provocative stage outfits, choosing to dress in all leather.

Skydog Records was an independent record label established in Paris, France, in 1972 by Marc Zermati and Pieter Meulenbrocks.

<i>Punk 45: Les Punks</i> 2016 compilation album by Various artists

Punk 45: Les Punks is a 2016 compilation album of French punk rock music by Soul Jazz Records.

References

  1. ↑ Roger Sabin, Punk Rock, So What? The Cultural Legacy of Punk, 1999, London: Routledge, ISBN   0-415-17030-3
  2. 1 2 Rockfort: Vive Le Punk
  3. ↑ Geoff Bird, How France gave punk rock its meaning, BBC, 3 March 2011
  4. 1 2 George Gimarc, Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock, 1970–1982, 2005, San Francisco: Backbeat, ISBN   0-87930-848-6
  5. ↑ "French Punk New Wave 1975–1985" Francomix, January 20, 2005. Retrieved on November 25, 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.