Les Wampas () are a French punk rock/

psychobilly Psychobilly is a rock music fusion genre that fuses elements of rockabilly and punk rock. It's been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music", it has also been said that it "takes the traditional countrified rock style known as rockabilly, ram ...

band, who refer more exactly to their music as "

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

-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 electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

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. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

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. It is the last album the group started recording, although ''Let It Be'' was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly re ...

studios A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial d ...

and featured the

London Session Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...

. 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 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 of the writers ...

''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 Thomas Arthur Chao on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish singer. He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Arabic, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Greek, and occasionally in other languages. Chao began his mus ...

" in 2003. It, along with the album's full title, ''

Never trust a guy who after having been a punk, is now playing electro #REDIRECT Never Trust a Guy Who After Having Been a Punk, Is Now Playing Electro {{R from other capitalisation ...

'', 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 repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

similar to

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

' "

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. The B-side of the UK single "She's the One" was released on September 21, 197 ...

", 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 A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

''. Les Wampas played at the

Eurockéennes The Eurockéennes de Belfort (; en, Eurockeans of Belfort) are one of France's largest rock music, rock music festivals. The Eurockéennes, a play on words involving ''rock'' (rock music) and ''européennes'' (Europeans), is a festival based in ...

and

Vieilles Charrues The Vieilles Charrues Festival (french: Festival des Vieilles Charrues, ; br, Gouel an Erer Kozh, ; literally: Old Ploughs Festival) is held every year in mid-July in the city of Carhaix, located in western Brittany, France. This festival is the l ...

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 The ...

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. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

..I just wanted to see how far freedom of expression can go". "Chirac en prison" was mainly banned upon its release by French TV and radio; some TV

advertisement Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

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''), was a daily satirical latex puppet show broadcast on the French television channel Canal+. It was created in 1988, inspired by '' Le Bébête Sho ...

'', a satirical puppet show on

Canal+ Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...

television, made a video for the song. "

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

" 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 the greatest climbing specialist in the history of the sport by measures of his legacy, credits from other riders, and records. He rec ...

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 act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

) *Jean-Mi Lejoux ( bass, ex- Les Satellites) *Jo Dahan (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, ex- Mano Negra) *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 she ...

s) *Phil Almosnino (guitar) ;Past members *Marc Police (deceased) - (guitar) *Ben Sam (bass)

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), transferring the person from one part of the venue to another. The "crowd surfer" is passed above everyone's heads, with everyone's ...

, 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 touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

'' (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 (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 remarkable 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 lead guitarist and primary songwriter of the band Panic! at the Disco before his departure in 2009. Ross and former Panic ...

(Ex

Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...

), 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". 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 capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

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

The Hives The Hives are a Swedish rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the album ''Veni Vidi Vicious'', containing the single "Hate to Say I Told You So". T ...

) for their next record to be 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 largest city in the United States. 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 Smith on ''Figure ...

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

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. 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.

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, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

" * ''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 comm ...

, 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 colorful confectionery containing various chopped and usually candied fruits, or an artificial or natural flavouring simulating the combined flavou ...

'' *1990: '' Les Wampas vous aiment'' *1993: '' Simple et tendre'' *1996: ''

Trop précieux Hebrew cantillation is the manner of chanting ritual readings from the Hebrew Bible in synagogue Jewish services, services. The chants are written and notated in accordance with the special signs or marks printed in the Masoretic Text of the B ...

'' *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 com ...

'' *2000: ''

'' *2003; ''

Never trust a guy who after having been a punk, is now playing electro #REDIRECT Never Trust a Guy Who After Having Been a Punk, Is Now Playing Electro {{R from other capitalisation ...

'' *2006: '' Rock'n'Roll Part 9'' *2009: '' Les Wampas sont la preuve que Dieu existe'' *2014: '' Les Wampas font la gueule'' ;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 kin ...

;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 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