FRENCH SCENE REPORT (November 2007)
Bands :
In case you’re not aware yet, here is a list of bands that split up in the last two years : LYSTERIA (powerful punk), YA BASTA (left-wing ska, one split Ep and three Cd’s out), HK (noisy/emo/Hc, two Cds out), VALUE DRIVEN (old school Hc, one Cd out), LES TRAVAILLEURS DE LA NUIT (ska-punk, one Cd out), LES FEMMES (pop-punk, two albums out), SOUP TOXIC (long running melodic Hc band. one album and one Ep out), GANTZ (emo, two records out), SENS INTERDIT (punk, one album out), … Many of the individuals involved have started new bands :
It’s a bit silly, but to make things easier to read, I’ve separated bands according to music styles :
Punk/ Oi stuff :
Some ex-members of PITFALL, SECRETOS DEL CORAZON and BRIDWELL HOSPITAL have started a glam/ punk/ rock’n’roll band called SPARKLING BOMBS (two Cds out). KOCHISE always seem to split up and then get back together. But besides reunion shows, KOCHISE’s bass player teamed up with two AHORCADOS members to start CRIA CUERVOS (melodic punk-Hc, one Cd, one demo Cd-r out, one new album in the works). She also plays in TURTLE RAMBLERS, a country-punk band, as well as sings for CARTOUCHE, a melodic punk-rock band featuring ex-members of BRIGADA FLORES MAGON, YA BASTA and RAYMONDE ET LES BLANCS BECS. ATTENTAT SONORE are the oldest-running French punk band, they have lots of ep’s/ tapes/ comps out (the latest being an Ep that came out in 2006). METAL URBAIN (’77 punk), BERURIER NOIR, PARABELLUM, and OBERKAMPF, (classic punk bands from the 1980’s) all got back together, put out a couple albums and play gigs once in a while (for money, I guess). THE WARRIOR KIDS (Oï/punk-rock) also play shows from time to time and have put out an album in 2007 called "Fais du rock". KIDNAP, LES TROTSKIDS and AL KAPOTT also play reunion shows once in a while. HAYMARKET (punk-Hc reminiscent of the Dead kennedys, featuring one ex-member of TOXXIC TV) did a long break, but are back and playing shows. THE INFORMERS, starring ex-BRIGADES vocalist’s Vlad probably split up, I haven’t heard from them in ages. J’AURAIS VOULU play typical French punk-rock, they have two Ep’s and two Lp’s out. They now play with a real drummer instead of a drum-machine. NEVROTIC EXPLOSION (tight rockin’ punk-rock from Brittany) put out their third album and tour intensely. BACCHUS TEMPLE ADDICTS feature ex members of MASS MURDERERS and MELMOR, they play metallic punk (one 10" out), but don’t play shows too often. LA FRACTION are a famous punk-rock band from Paris with melodious female vocals (three albums + one Ep are available). BRIGADA FLORES MAGON (Oï) have three Cd’s out and are working on a fourth one. ACTION DIRECTE (Oï/ska) changed their name to MUNDO DI MIERDA and are more crust-punk influenced now. CHARGE 69 are our own ’82 type street-punk band, they feature some guy behind the famous punk-rock label COMBAT ROCK. SKUDS & PANIC PEOPLE play tight ska-core with political lyrics, they recently put out their third Cd. CORE Y GANG sound a lot like the almighty MELMOR. They play powerful celtic punk (with a violin), and have one split Ep, two Lp’s, and one split Lp out with DOBERMANN (punk-rock). DOBERMANN have also released a demo, and a brand-new album in 2006. BRIGITTE BOP (tight punk-rock a la LES RATS or SHERIFF) have already released 4 albums. One ex-LES PARTISANS and ex-PARIAPUNK member now plays in NO REASON VOICES (punk-rock, two ep’s out). LA ZONE are a new female-fronted punk band with an Lp out on MASS PROD. Speaking of MASS PROD, they recently put out 100 RAISONS’ second album (tight and original folk-punk from Paris). BURN AT ALL are a punk-Hc band who appear on some comps, and have an album out. THE WANTED, from the deep end of Brittany, play raging punk-Hc with political lyrics (one Cd out). HORS CONTROLE are a basic, lo-fi skinhead band with lots of releases under their belts. They now play with a real drummer. Ex-STEROIDS people now play in TANKER CHAOS. Their style is similar and they have one Lp out. HHM (female fronted punk-rock/riot grrl band) have put out their first album. KTS (punk-Oi from Paris) just put out their third Cd. FICTION ROMANCE (typical French punk-rock) tour a lot and have released three albums.
Emo/ new school stuff :
Ex-ALCATRAZ, ex-PEU ETRE, ex-SEASON and ex-HIPPIES OF TODAY members have teamed up to play melodic emo under the name AMANDA WOODWARD (they have several albums out on various international labels). NOTHING TO PROVE have switched from positive Hc to modern emo/ metal/ Hc sounds and have put out a second album, but I haven’t heard from them in a long, long time... GAMENESS started as a NyHc band, but now play emo, and have about 3 records out. I haven’t heard from them in a long time either... AGHAST are another french emo band (early Ebullition style) from the south of France, I believe they put out about 4 records in all. MYRA LEE (Ebullition style emo) tour quite a lot and have released their first album in 2004. Same goes for LOISIR, their brother-band (in a more emo-rock style). ROBOTNICKA are a funny electro-punk band, they put out an album on their own label MALOKA.
Old school/ Hardcore stuff :
RIGHT FOR LIFE (old school NyHc) recently put out their third album. They’ve been around for about 10 years, but I believe they played their farewell show in 2007. NINE ELEVEN (ex-NO TIME TO LOSE) play melodic old school Hc and have one mini Cd out. These guys tour a lot. UNLOGISTIC (melodic Hc) changed their style to more minimalist straight-forward/ melodic Hc with a drum machine. They have a whole bunch of records out, including one or two discography Cd’s. FACE UP TO IT (ex ÖPSTAND and JEAN SEBERG - old style Hc) still play once in a while, at their own pace. Some members have started side-projects like DAYMARE (crust – now defunct ?) or GASMASK TERROR (crust-punk). FTX tour a lot, and play tight & typical old school Hc (two records out). BY MY FISTS (old style NyHc) have probably split up. They featured ex-members of HATE PM (one split Cd out). IMPLY IN ALL started as an old school Hc band but play metal-core nowadays. Their first record is out. KEN PARK play mid-tempo old style Hardcore and have put out one Ep and one Lp.
Grind/ crust stuff :
SUBMERGE (featuring ex-members of DISCORDE) is a strong noisy/ grind/ emo/ metal band. Check out their discography Cd on the Spanish label Throne records. DISBEER play pure dis-core/ Motorhead-style punk and have a couple Ep’s and Cd’s out. Are they still around ? Not sure… Ex-MURDER ONE and DISRUPTIVE ELEMENT folks re-ignited an old french Grind/thrash band from the 80’s called THE MAD THRASHERS ; they released a couple Cd-rs, as well as two split Ep’s. VÖMIT FOR BREAKFAST hail from Saint Etienne, they’re France’s most well known thrashcore/ grind act. They share members with COCHE BOMBA, who got back together, but might have split up again ? BLOCKHEADS have a new album out ! They are a long-running, powerful, not too metal, grindcore band. TEKKEN still play lo-fi, goofy grindcore and have released hundreds of tapes and split records. But I believe the band’s over now. SICKNESS (crust) appeared on various comps, Ep’s, and recently released a split Lp with an American band. GEORGE BITCH JUNIOR sounded a lot like Spazz (one Lp and one split Ep available), I think they split up but one of them now plays in a sludge-core band called ?.
Look out for those new bands :
REVIVE (old school Hc, one mini Cd out), BACKSIGHT (old school Hc, one miniCd out), LUTECE BORGIA (Oi, one mCd, one split Ep, one album out), ASIDE FROM A DAY (metal-core, two Cd’s out), SLEAZY JOKE (punk, one Ep + one Lp out), YOUSSOUF TODAY (old school Hc, their first Ep is out), ARRACH (punk-Hc, first mini Cd available), GU GUAI XING QIU (technical/experimental grindcore), PLAINE CRASSE (anarchopunk), ELYSIUM (grindcore), BOOTER (noisy-Hc a la Born against), LOUT SOCIETY KURSE (crust, one Lp out), STRONG AS TEN (old style Hc), BRIXTON CATS (punk-rock, one demo and one album out), CHICKEN’S CALL (punk-Hc, one Ep out), RATWASTER (punk with horns), CHACHI ARCOLA (modern Hc), MEDEF INNA BABYLONE (punk-ska), CHAROGNE STONE (one Ep out, power violence a la Spazz), GASMASK TERROR (crust-punk, one Lp + one Ep out), TROMATIZED YOUTH (old style NyHc, one mCd out), FOR THE REAL (NyHc, one mCd out), GOLDEN DISTRICT (NyHc), YEARS OF DECAY (crust-punk, one Lp out), DHIBAC (Grind-crust), LES RAMONEURS DE MENHIRS (folk-punk featuring ex-BERURIER NOIR’ guitarist) etc, etc.. That’s it for bands. Of course there’s more, but these are the ones who put out records. Read zines if you want info on more unknown ones, Ok ?
Zines :
There are basically no zines in English around here, but I’ll drop a couple names : EARQUAKE, france’s biggest punk/ Oï/ Hc zine (in French — over 80 issues out, although it comes out less regularly nowadays). HEY YOU is quite the same, maybe more Hardcore/NYHc oriented than EARQUAKE. WE’RE GONNA FIGHT (SxE/ Hc/ punk/ Oï) is also worth checking out and is written in English ! (write me for addresses !). MONONOKE is a hardcore zine written in French with a big emphasis on international DIY scenes. Maybe I should also mention one big zine called SEDITION (emo, metal, Hc, noisy…) ; it’s probably the only big (I mean, professional looking) zine around.
Labels :
PANX has slowed down a lot label-wise, but he still runs one of the biggest french web-sites. Huge database there (photos, MP3’s, distro…) ! TIEN AN MEN (distributed by DARBOUKA) regularly put out ep’s by bands from far-off countries (Iran, Iraq, ex-USSR, South America, etc). MALOKA releases and distributes hundreds of international punk, Hardcore, crust records, zines, pamphlets… (Piloophaz, GUARAPITA, LA FRACTION, ROBOTNICKA, YA BASTA, etc)… STONEHENGE has a pretty big online mailorder, and put out several records by international emo/ Hc bands (HYACINTH, LA FRACTION, Asfixia, Ballast…). MASS PROD still organizes lots of concerts, and puts out (punk) records on a regular basis : CORE Y GANG, HAPPY KOLO, NEVROTIC EXPLOSION, ADRIFT, VIKTIMS, Inner terrestrials, Sensa yuma,… RATBONE : (Hc/ crust) HEIMATLOS, FACE UP TO IT, GASMAK TERROR…. RURAL MUZIK (punk-rock) ; The filaments, AL KAPOTT…, TRAUMA SOCIAL (punk-rock : BRIGITTE BOP, GILBERT ET SES PROBLEMES, GASTEROPODES KILLERS, SYLNOX, ROUGE KIT HASCH…), SOLITUDE URBAINE (punk-rock, Oi) : BRIXTON CATS, J’AURAIS VOULU, LOS FOIROS, Nabat, Klasse kriminale, etc... KAWAII label & distro (old school Hc, Hc-punk and rap) specializes in bands from far-off countries, but also put out a couple records by French Hc bands (KEN PARK, BOOTER, CHACHI ARCOLA, KRAP NEK, FIRST FAILURE, PAVLOV…). SOLITUDE label/distro releases stuff by weird, noise, experimental bands, and distributes stuff ranging from emo to grindcore. FIGHT FOR YOUR MIND (crust/punk) put out a lot of records recently, amongst which : Witch hunt, Fall of efrafra, SHALL NOT KILL, Visions of war, SICKNESS, CALAVERA,…
Distros :
I’ll just drop a few distro names (the biggest and most reliable). Panx, Boisleve, Maloka, Stonehenge, Emergence, Walked in line, New wave, Mass prod, Burn out, Kanivo chaos, Guerilla front, Punkahontas, High hopes, Crucial action, Hardcore trooper, etc... (if you wanna deal with one that doesn’t appear on this list, write and ask me first).
Web sites :
The biggest and most interesting ones are those : from there, you can follow the links and find out about our whole scene !
http://www.panx.net, http://www.LimogesPunx.com, http://www.stonehengerecords.com, http://www.massprod.com, http://www.chez.com/maloka, http://www.punk-hardcore.info
Politics :
People interested in politics, antisexism, antiracism, anticapitalism, whatever, should contact the hardest-working organization in France : Maloka, BP 536, 21014 Dijon cedex (see website above). Another hard-working collective is THEY LIE WE DIE : these guys have a huge database at : http://www.theyliewedie.org. People interested in animal rights can check out : www.vegetarisme.info. There are very few squats in France that are "socially active", you can find them in most major cities, but they usually don’t last long ; Paris, St Etienne, Rennes, Dijon (Les tanneries - longest-running French squat, where they organize shows regularly),...
You can also check out this cool online libertarian library. They specialize in books, magazines, fanzines, and videos. They carry items in French and English : http://www.la-petroleuse.com
And now onto some personal plugs (did ya really think I was doing this for free ?!?) :
I run a fairly big web-zine/ Hc resource at http://punk-hardcore.info (international scene reports, interviews, reviews, photos, MP3s, etc – send your stuff in !). Still available on my label (last copies !!) : New days rising (punk-Hc compilation, 8 international bands) + Agent 86 (Classic US punk-Hc from 1985-1990, discography) + MDC (Us Hc re-release, their two first Lps) + ASIDE/ SHORTCUT split cd (two albums = two fast & raging Hardcore bands from France) + TAKE NO HEROES (international old school Hc comp : 10 bands from 10 countries, 70 minutes) + FEUD (filippino political old school Hc). I also run a big NON-PROFIT punk/ Hc/ SxE/ crust distribution with thousands of records from around the globe, check out the website !
For more info on the French scenes and for contact addresses do not hesitate to write me !
Yann, 3 place Adrien Ruelle, 05400 Veynes, France.
coinxxxcoin@yahoo.fr
http://www.punk-hardcore.info
Addresses :
Earquake, Fred Leca, Le ménil, 88160 le thillot.
Panx, Bp 5058, 31033 Toulouse cedex. (http://www.panx.net)
Darbouka/Tien an men c/o Fréderic Brahim, 17 rue de la forêt, 67340 Menchoffen. (darbouka@netcourrier.com)
Ratbone/ Scream zine, BP 11, 33023 Bordeaux Cedex. (http://ratbone.free.fr)
Stonehenge, Bp. 46, 33031 Bordeaux cedex. (http://www.stonehengerecords.com)
Burn out, 2, rue de la Colinette, 51110 Bourgogne (http://www.burnoutzine.net)
Addresses in Paris :
Sonic machine, 143 rue St Maur, 75011 Paris (record shop)
Le Kiosk, 21 ter rue voltaire, 75011 Paris (anarchopunk infoshop)
Librairie parallèles, 47 rue Saint Honoré, 75001 Paris (alternative record, book and zine shop)
Le Silence de la rue, rue Faidherbe, 75011 Paris (record shop)
Born bad, 17 r Keller 75011 Paris (record shop)
Monster melodies, 9 rue des déchargeurs, 75001 Paris (record shop)
Plus de bruit, 35 rue de la Rochefoucault, 75009 Paris (record shop)
Librairie Publico, 145 rue Amelot, 75011 Paris (anarchist library)
Violette and co, 102 rue de charonne, 75011 Paris (feminist library)
Quilombo, 23 rue voltaire, 75011 Paris (antifascist library)
La Miroiterie, 75020 Paris (squat)
Addresses in Lyon :
La gryffe, 5 rue S. Gryphe, 69007 Lyon (anarchist library)
Street 69, 4 rue de la fronde, 69005 Lyon (record shop)
Addresses in Dijon :
Maloka, 61 rue Jeannin, 21000 Dijon (anarchopunk collective)
Les Tanneries, 17 bd de Chicago, 21000 Dijon (squat)
Addresses in Limoges :
Undersounds, 6 rue de Gorre, 87000 Limoges (record shop)
Addresses in Rennes :
Rockin’Bones, 7 rue Motte Fablet, 35000 Rennes (record shop)
Rennes musique, 19 rue du Marechal Joffre, 35000 Rennes (record shop)
Addresses in the Basque area :
Patxoki, 23 bis rue des Tonneliers, 64100 Bayonne (self managed place)