Les Wampas () are a French

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

psychobilly Psychobilly (or punkabilly) is a rock music fusion genre that fuses elements of rockabilly and punk rock. It has been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music", it has also been said that it "takes the traditional country rock, countrified rock ...

band, who refer more exactly to their music as "

Yé-yé ''Yé-yé'' () or ''yeyé'' () was a style of pop music that emerged in Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term ''yé-yé'' was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music ban ...

-punk". The band was formed in Paris in 1983.

History

:''See also

Discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...

'' The band's first album, ''Tutti Frutti'' was released in 1986. Their third album, '' Les Wampas vous aiment'' (''Les Wampas love you''), released in 1990, contained the popular single "Petite Fille", whose

video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...

was played on French TV channel M6, and also includes crowd favorites "Ce soir c'est Noël" (a personal version of the Christmas Carols, available all year long on stage...) and "Quelle joie le rock'n'roll". Following this album's release they were signed by the major label BMG. However, a shadow was cast across the band for many years when guitarist Marc Police committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

in December 1991.

''Simple et Tendre''

''Simple et tendre'' (1993) was recorded at London's Roundhouse and

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although '' Let It Be'' (1970) was the last album completed before th ...

studios A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to Wiktionary:study, study or zeal. Types Art The studio o ...

and featured the

London Session Orchestra The London Session Orchestra was a film, TV, and pop orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1993 and led by Gavyn Wright and is known for its work on movies such as ''Run Lola Run'' (1998) ''V for Vendetta'' (2005), and '' Mission: Impossibl ...

. Recorded one year after guitarist Marc Police's suicide and probably their most inspired album, it includes a heart-breaking, breathtaking — and yet hilarious — tribute song to their friend ("Les îles au soleil", "Islands under the sun"). The video to the band's " Comme un ange (qui pleure)" (1992) was directed by

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...

''Never trust a guy...'' and "Manu Chao"

Having been back on the 'independent circuit' since their contract with BMG ended in 1998, Les Wampas released the single "

Manu Chao Manu Chao (; born José Manuel Tomás Arturo Chao Ortega on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish musician. He sings in French language, French, Spanish language, Spanish, English language, English, Italian language, Italian, Arabic, Catalan language ...

" in 2003. It, along with the album's full title, '' Never trust a guy who after having been a punk, is now playing electro'', made fun of

, who was a member of the successful punk band Mano Negra in the early 1990s (like Wampas guitarist Jo Dahan), but who now, according to Didier Wampas, "had accepted the system. You're inside of it, you profit from it, you're not going to criticize it 'on the side', or else you might not get back in." With a

riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...

similar to

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

' "

I Wanna Be Sedated "I Wanna Be Sedated" is a song by American punk rock band Ramones, originally released on the band's fourth studio album, '' Road to Ruin'' (1978), in September 1978 and as the B-side of the UK single "She's the One" released on September 21, 19 ...

", Manu Chao was the band's most popular single to date, reaching number 20 in France in June 2003 and features as a bonus track in the European version of ''

Rock Band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

''. Les Wampas played at the

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

and

Vieilles Charrues The Vieilles Charrues Festival (, ; , ; literally: Old Ploughs Festival) is held every year in mid-July in the city of Carhaix, France. History 1990s The first edition takes place in 1992. In 1994, 3,000 festival-goers attended the concerts. ...

festivals in that year, and a

rockumentary A concert film or concert movie is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert, by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history One ...

about them, '' For the rock'', was made in 2004.

''Rock'n'Roll Part 9''

On '' Rock'n'Roll Part 9'', Les Wampas' ninth album (not including two live albums), they released the controversial single "Chirac en prison" in January 2006. The song contains the lyrics: "''Elle ne pense qu'à ça, elle n'en dort plus la nuit'' ..br /> ''La seule chose qui lui ferait plaisir''
''Ce serait de voir Chirac en prison.''" "She thinks only of this, she doesn't sleep anymore at night ..br /> The only thing that would give her pleasure
Would be to see Chirac in prison." However, Didier Wampas said, "It isn't really a song against

Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Paris ...

..I just wanted to see how far freedom of expression can go". "Chirac en prison" was mainly

banned A ban is a formal or informal prohibition of something. Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some bans in commerce are referred to as embargoes. ''Ban'' is also used as a verb similar in meaning ...

upon its release by French TV and radio; some TV

advertisement Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

s for the single were even populated with bleeps and on-screen rectangles, to disguise the fact that the song was about the president. It was played by radio stations ''Ouï FM'' and ''Le Mouv, however, and achieved much more publicity when ''

Les Guignols de l'info ''Les Guignols'' (, ''The Puppets''), formerly ''Les Guignols de l'info'' (, ''The News Puppets''), is a popular satirical latex puppet show on the French television channel Canal+. The show, which ran daily, was created in 1988 and drew insp ...

'', a satirical puppet show on

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

television, made a video for the song. "

Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...

" was the most notable success from ''Rock'n'Roll Part 9''. This song has become widely popular among the fans. It is about the death of the famous Italian cyclist

Marco Pantani Marco Pantani (; 13 January 1970 – 14 February 2004) was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely regarded as one of the greatest climbing specialists in the history of the sport by measures of his legacy, credits from other riders, and record ...

who was found dead in an hotel of the Italian seaside resort of

2007 Eurovision entry

Les Wampas competed against nine other popular French acts for the chance of representing France at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2007 The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Helsinki, Finland, following the country's victory at the with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...

, with a song called "Faut voter pour nous" ("You gotta vote for us"), but did not win the vote.

Members

;Current members * Didier Wampas, frontman and lead (

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

) *Jean-Mi Lejoux (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, ex- Les Satellites) *Effello (

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

) *Niko Wampas (

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

s) *Tony Truant (guitar, ex-Dogs) ;Past members *Marc Police (deceased) - (guitar) *Ben Sam (bass) *Jo Dahan (guitar) *Phil Almosnino (guitar)

Didier Wampas

The group is best known for its

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

and also main lyricist and singer Didier Wampas (real name Didier Chapedelaine). He deliberately sings

off-key Off-key is musical content that is not at the expected frequency or pitch period, either with respect to some absolute reference frequency, or in a ratiometric sense (i.e. through removal of exactly one degree of freedom, such as the frequency of ...

and often high-pitched, hence his recognizable voice. His on-stage energy, and

crowd surfing Crowd surfing is the process in which a person is passed overhead from person to person (often during a concert). The "crowd surfer" is passed above everyone's heads, with everyone's hands supporting the person's weight. Origins Iggy Pop leapt ...

, hoisted and hauled up on garden chairs, are major features of the band's live shows, which frequently end up in a complete mess, Didier Wampas singing among the audience, and a large part of the audience going onto the stage. Since the release of the album ''

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

'' (2000), he comes to hug members of the audience at the end of the show and kiss them goodbye on each cheek. In interviews, Didier Wampas often repeats that he earns approximately a quarter of his private incomes from his activity as a singer, and the rest from his job as a mechanic at the

RATP The RATP Group () is a French state-owned enterprise (EPIC) that operates public transport systems primarily in Paris, France. Headquartered in Paris, it originally operated under the name (). Its logo represents the Seine's meandering path th ...

(public transportation service in Paris), which he kept in spite of the increasing fame and success of the band. He frequently asserts his opposition to the French system of giving grants to professionals in the performing arts — this attitude is unusual in the French culture. In October 2011, Didier Wampas released his first solo album entitled ''Taisez moi'' (Silence me) which was recorded in Los Angeles and Brussels with musicians

Ryan Ross George Ryan Ross III (born August 30, 1986) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work as the former lead guitarist, backing and lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the American rock band Panic! at the Disco b ...

(Ex

Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band formed in Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2004 by high school friends Ryan Ross (guitar) and Spencer Smith (musician), Spencer Smith (drums), who recruited classmates Brendon Urie (vocals and ...

), Nick Johns and Kevin Harp. The album included the songs "Chanteur de droite" (a defense of the French singer

Michel Sardou Michel Charles Sardou (; born 26 January 1947) is a French singer and occasional actor. He is known not only for his love songs ("La maladie d'amour", "Je vais t'aimer"), but also for songs dealing with various social and political issues, su ...

) and "Karmann"; a tribute to deceased ex-guitarist Marc Police. In May 2012, he announced his retirement from the RATP on French TV. In January 2013, Didier began recording his second solo album entitled ''Comme dans une garage'' (Like in a garage) at Toerag Studios in London with the Bikini Machine. It was released in April 2013 credited to "Didier Wampas & Bikini Machine". He also performs and records under the name "Sugar and Tiger", a band composed of various members of his family including his two sons. File:Didier Wampas IMG 4590.jpg, Didier Wampas (singer, guitar) File:Tony Truant IMG 4619.jpg, Tony Truant (guitar) File:Philippe Almosnino IMG 4458.jpg, Philippe Almosnino (guitar) File:Niko IMG 4536.jpg, Niko (drums) File:Jean-Michel Lejoux IMG 4524.jpg, Jean-Michel Lejoux (bass)

International reputation

''Simple et tendre'' (1993) was recorded in London; ''Les Wampas vous aiment'' and ''Never trust a guy...'' both had English producers, Andy Lydon and Clive Martin respectively, and ''Trop précieux'' was recorded in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. In 2008, the band headed off to Sweden at Pelle Gunnerfeldt's (

The Hives The Hives are a Swedish garage rock band formed in Fagersta in 1993. After gaining success in Sweden throughout the 1990s, they rose to worldwide prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. The band's line-upconsisting of H ...

) to record '' Les Wampas sont la preuve que Dieu existe'' released in 2009. Les Wampas have toured in most western European countries, as well as Quebec, Japan, India, and

La Réunion LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

. However, they had never played in English-speaking Canada or Great Britain, until January 2013 when Didier played a solo show the Paris is Burning show at the Lexington,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. They only played once in the United States (in Austin, April 1995). Commercial success has mainly been in France, Les Wampas mainly singing in

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Famous phrases/Glossary

* ''Les Wampas ont inventé le rock'n'roll'' - "Les Wampas invented

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

" * ''Didier Wampas est le roi ! !'' - "Didier Wampas is the king", the main message from the song ''Oï !'', and a classic shout of cheer, from the audience, while in public. * ''Tout à fond'' ("everything up to the max") - this is a phrase the band often say: the first words we hear on the album ''Les Wampas vous aiment'' are "''le rock, c'est tout à fond!''" ("rock is everything cranked up to the max"); the name of their 1997 live album is '' Toutafonlive''. * ''Chicoutimi'' - Les Wampas played a memorable show in

Chicoutimi, Quebec Chicoutimi ( , ) is the most populous borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in Quebec, Canada. It is situated at the confluence of the Saguenay and Chicoutimi rivers. During the 20th century, it became the main administrative and ...

, and named their 1998 album after the town.

Discography

Albums

;Studio albums *1986: ''

Tutti frutti Tutti frutti (from Italian ''tutti i frutti'', 'all fruits'; also hyphenated tutti-frutti) is a colourful confectionery containing various chopped and usually candied fruits, or an artificial or natural flavouring simulating the combined flavo ...

'' *1990: '' Les Wampas vous aiment'' (The Wampas love you) *1993: '' Simple et tendre'' (Simple and tender) *1996: '' Trop précieux'' (Too precious) *1998: ''

Chicoutimi Chicoutimi ( , ) is the most populous borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in Quebec, Canada. It is situated at the confluence of the Saguenay and Chicoutimi rivers. During the 20th century, it became the main administrative and ...

'' *2000: ''

'' *2003; '' Never trust a guy who after having been a punk, is now playing electro'' *2006: '' Rock'n'Roll Part 9'' *2009: '' Les Wampas sont la preuve que Dieu existe'' (The Wampas are the proof that god exists) *2014: '' Les Wampas font la gueule'' (The Wampas pull faces) *2017: Evangelisti *2022: Tempête, tempête (Tempest, tempest) ;Live albums *1988: '' Chauds, sales et humides'' (live album, but with previously-unreleased songs) *1997: '' Toutafonlive'' *2004: '' Never trust a live!'' (also released as

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

) ;Solo Didier Wampas *2011: ''Taisez moi'' ;Collaboration - Didier Wampas & Bikini Machine *2013: ''Comme dans une garage''

References

External links

official website

Didier Wampas Solo official website

Les Wampas' Myspace page
*

Les Wampas at Allmusic LES or Les may refer to: People * Les (given name) * Les (surname) * L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer Space flight * Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews * Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies * Lincoln Experimental S ...

* Les Wampas videos
"Rimini" on ''Taratata'' music TV show

"Petite fille" video

"Manu Chao" video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wampas, Les Musical groups from Paris French punk rock groups Rockabilly music groups