Les Sheriff

Formed in 1984, French alternative rock and punk band Les Shériff split up in 1999, before being reborn in 2012 and again in 2014. Hailing from Montpellier, it brought together three former members of the band Vonn, including singer and lyricist Olivier Tena and drummer Emmanuel Larnaud, who hired bassist Michel Conegero and guitarist Frédéric Bessière. In 1987, Pan !, their first studio album released on the Gougnaf Mouvement label, caught the attention of critics and audiences alike, who raved about the follow-up 3, 2, 1... Zéro ! (1988) and Le Grand, le Maigre, le Petit et le Gros (1989), featuring a new guitarist in the person of former Tulaviok, Fabrice Albert-Birot. 1991 saw the release of their fourth studio album, Du Goudron et des Plumes, on the Étoile label, followed by their first live recording, Les Deux Doigts dans la Prise (1992). Les Shériff were at the height of their career when Soleil de Plomb (1993) was released, and French alternative rock had been in its golden age for a decade, with the emergence of numerous bands, new labels and a large audience. Considered a forerunner for its punk heritage and adherence to the independent scene, Les Shériff took advantage of this momentum and continued in the same vein with the albums Allegro Turbo (1995) and Pagaille Générale (en public, 1996), produced for the À Donf' label, a subdivision of PIAS, under which Électrochoc (1998) was released. After several changes of musicians, the band split up in 1999 in the middle of an Italian tour. In 2004, Emmanuel Larnaud joined forces with Fabrice Alber-Birot and Olivier Tena to form a new group, The Hop La! and then Brassen's Not Dead, while Michel Conegero continued with Les Concubins. Three groups, Les Fanatiques in Germany, Pourvu Xa Dure in France and Bongo Kidz in Switzerland, are dedicated to recreating the French band's repertoire. Reunited in 2012 for a one-off concert in aid of an association, Les Shériff then performed regularly on stage over the following years, including a performance at the Hellfest festival in 2018. Twenty-three years after Électrochoc, a new studio album, Grand Bombardement Tardif, was released in 2021 by Kicking Records, followed three years later by the live recording Près du Chaos.