Les Wampas

Steered by Didier Wampas, French punk misfits Les Wampas formed in Paris, France in 1983 and took their cue from the golden age of '70s British punk-rock. Describing their rockabilly-tinged garage as "Yé-yé punk," the band – also comprising Phil Almosnino (guitar, ex-Dogs/Wanderers), Niko (drums) and Tony Truant (guitar, ex-Dogs) – have been a colourful presence on the country's rock scene for the past four decades, beginning with the release of their debut single "Creepy Crawley" in 1984 and taking in a 1987 debut LP, Tutti Frutti, a string of albums in the '90s, and even a punt at Eurovision in 2007. They signed to major label BMG in 1992, with bass player Ben Sam also exiting the group that year and Jean-Mi Lejoux taking his place. After upping their game with 1996 album Trop Précieux, they scored a personal best with 2003's career-defining Never Trust a Guy Who After Having Been a Punk Now Plays Electro!, which led to the release of the Never Trust a Live album of 2004, on which they captured a live recording of a concert they had performed at the infamous La Cigale in Paris the previous year, and later yielded the Never Trust a DVD! in 2006, which featured additional concert footage. A celebrated new album, Rock'n'Roll Part 9, also landed that year with the amusingly titled Les Wampas sont la preuve que Dieu existe (Les Wampas are proof that God exists) following three years later. Three more LPs have since been materialised: 2017's Envangélisti, 2019's Sauvre Le Monde, and 2022's Tempête, tempête.