L'Étranger (''The Stranger'' or ''The Outsider'') was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

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 ...

band based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario. Named for the novel '' L'Étranger'' by

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the s ...

,Guy Dixon
"Punks in the House of Commons"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', May 7, 2011. the band played a politically minded brand of punk music that drew on both Clash influences and the band members'

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

-oriented

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

faith. The band was best known for their anti-

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

single "One People", one of the first independent videos ever to gain airplay on

MuchMusic Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...

.Tom Hawthorn, "'Outsiders' bent on doing things their way". ''

'', August 21, 1986.

History

L'Étranger was founded in 1980 in

, Ontario.Jim Rankin
"Andrew Cash: From punk to politics"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', May 7, 2011. by childhood friends, singer/songwriter and guitarist Andrew Cash and bassist Charlie Angus, along with drummer Peter Duffin. That lineup released one six-song EP, ''Innocent Hands'' in 1982.Liam Lacey, "Inside the Sleeve: Innocent Hands, L'Étranger". ''

'', October 30, 1982. The songs were composed by Cash and Angus, and some had political themes; some critics referred to the band as "

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

with a sense of humour". At that time the band was playing in various clubs and music venues in Toronto, performing regularly at the Cabana Room in the Spadina Hotel. Bruce Meikle, under the stage name "Bruce P.M.", was added to the line-up in time for the second EP, 1984's ''Running Out of Funtown''. The band was by then performing more widely around Ontario, managed by James Booth. Angus left the band to form Grievous Angels, and was replaced by Tim Vesely for the band's final EP, ''Sticks and Stones'' in 1986. Liner notes for the EP mention him as a group member who was not involved in the recording. L'Étranger disbanded later in 1986, and Cash began performing as a solo artist. His first solo release was a reissue of ''Sticks and Stones''.Greg Quill, "Indie avalanche spills raw talent". ''

'', January 9, 1987. He went on to record several albums as a solo singer-songwriter and as a member of The Cash Brothers, and also worked as a freelance journalist. Duffin later co-founded the acoustic pop band Barnhouse Static with Canadian songwriter Kathy Evans. As of 2011, Angus and Cash were both in politics, sitting in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

as members of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

caucus. Cash lost a re-election bid in 2015, and Angus remained a Member of Parliament up to 2025 after choosing to not seek reelection. Angus ran as a candidate for the leadership of the New Democratic Party in 2017 and came in second place.

Discography

*1982: ''Innocent Hands'' *1983: ''Running Out of Funtown'' *1986: ''Sticks and Stones''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Etranger Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1986 Musical groups from Toronto Canadian punk rock groups Charlie Angus 1980 establishments in Ontario 1986 disestablishments in Ontario