FRENCH SCENE REPORT

Hi ! Here's a scene report from France, It's a bit too much like a LIST, but I hope it'll INFORM you about what's going on in the punk scene here (like people are not writing a lot to BYOFL ...). A good scene, with variety, friendly people and all the usual quarrels !!! Zines : In english, there's only two zines as far as I know, my zine (Sanjam, Issue 5 just out with Seein' Red, unhinged, Cerulean, Luk Haas, Spk intx + articles + answers to 4 questions I asked to various scenesters + ...) and International SxE Bulletin (Yann Boislève, BP 7523, 35075 Rennes cedex 3). Like the name of this zine tells it, it deals mostly about the international SxE scene. If you're into this kind of music & Ideas, it's definitely a must. Issue #23 is just out (SC, Catweazle intx + scene reports, letters, reviews + ...). The interviews are always really well done and are pretty political and social. There's a zine from Paris called My World Is ... which is half in french and half in english (Yves Prigent, BP 07, 78110 Le vésinet). It's a very good one with interesting articles and it's free (or trade). A new big zine will appear soon here, DESIDARETA. It will be in french and very DIY, and will mostly focused on the emo and crust scene I think. It'll be done by people from Stonehenge records (ex Finger Print & Undone) and Alcatraz (ex Peu être - 50 rue edmond Proust - 79000 Niort). We're looking forward to read it ! That's a great project because there's no big zine in french in europe. Before this zine comes out, the biggest one around was Earquake, the issue 56 is just finished. It deals about all kinds of music in Punk. It's out every 2 months. It's the "news" zine in France (le ménil - 88160 Le Thillot). There's lots of good small zine in french around like 128, Acajou, Rad Party (Stephane is doing comics in english too - He has done lots of drawings for zines like Slug & Lettuce, Zips & Chains and Records like Skankin' Pickle - same address as My World Is), Scream, Bruit, Are you a man or a mouse ?, BLUNT, Riot and Dance, L'indescriptible chaos rampant, DIY Brigada, Pris sur le vif (photozine), DRAUGht, Co-existence, Ras l'bol (great one if you read french - about crust), No money etc.

Bands : Lee Majors (ex - Cause & Effect) are playing socially aware melo hc with a touch of emo (Sandro Cargnelli, l'enclos du manoir, 25 rue du pont créon, 14000 caen). They are on a split CD - 15 minutes for them and will appear on some compilations in the future. The Informers (Negative rds, 80 avenue de St Ouen, 75018 Paris) from Paris have put out a new ep last year. They are a political punk rock band that exist since quite a lot of time. The french scene is known everywhere for his emo scene which is quite big here. Lots of emo bands here have the "french emo sound" (screaming vocals). The best band for me is Undone, they have done one LP and 2 EP's (Christophe Mora / Stonehenge, 81 rue des chaises, 45140 St Jean de la ruelle). Peu être, from the growing scene of Niort has done an ep and a split CD with Rachel and Cather Matha. They had great reviews in HaC but they are dead now like Cather Matha and Rachel, but almost all the members of Peu être are now playing in Alcatraz. They put out in september 97 a 7'' and will do other stuff soon (same address as Desidareta). After an ep, Weep will release a LP (sebastien lacoste, lagrange, 33550 Capian). There's Season from Caen, less emo (same address as Lee Majors). They have just done a tape (they are a bit lazy !) but they will be on a comp. CD and a comp. LP this year. People from Lee Majors were playing in Anna O too (rip - with people of Anomie - mix of emo and death !!). An ep will be out on the german label Love records (the ep is very impressive and original !). Anomie (emo punk with female screaming vocals) is rip as well but a 12'' will appear soon on a canadian label. They had done a split LP with the german band Peace of Mind and a split ep with Peu être. The now biggest french band is probably Öpstand (Olivier Lacoste, lagrange, 33550 Capian), they are playing political grind punk. Their first ep has sold very well. A split ep with Seein Red just appeared (on Stonehenge) and a split ep with Spazz (usa) will be out soon. The singer of this band was doing one of the best zine in france sometimes ago, called Chill Out. Existence (Olivier Bresson, 9 impasse du ruisseau, 25400 Audincourt) is a good new band which is playing a mix of crust and emo with interesting lyrics. They have put out a good demo with a very good sound and released a split ep with Sapo (their music is hard to describe ... in fact I never heard it ! People say it's a mix of emo and crust and some other stuff like Indus ...). A very promising band is Aside (Boislève Pierre, BP 7523, 35075 Rennes cedex 03). They are playing political crust with female and male vocals. They have a great demo available and will appear on many records this year (2 split 7", one with NO ID from Holland and one with Rawness from France, "victory day" 1st ep, a comp CD and a comp LP). The singer has an incredible voice, very powerful ! SCRAPS (Rip) have a split live ep (on Panx) out with another old anarchopunk band called ATTENTAT SONORE (who used to sound like Metal urbain or a faster Berurier noir, but have a more Hardcore approach nowadays). ATTENTAT SONORE will be featured on a CD compilation soon (on Boislève). EDUSKATE are a skate melodic hc band (Rodrigue Berhault, 18 rue de la mare pavée, 35235 Thorigné-fouillard) and they have two demo out (nothing really original, but it's well played and good). SIX PACK are from St Etienne and have released in 1996 a LP/CD "Doubt", good melodic hc with a touch of emo a la Samiam. They just released a new LP/CD, more experimental and emo (right , Steph ?!). From that town, there's PERFECT COUSINS too (Punk rock - a 10'' and some ep's) and UNEVEN (interesting punk/hc, all girl band, a split ep soon - Beran geraldine, 32 rue michel rondet, 42 000 St Etienne). Rawness (JM Moratille, 10 rue chausson, 71300 Montceau les mines) was playing old shool hc (on their split CD with the brazilian band Personal Choice) but they are now playing more melodic stuff and have a new singer. They will put out an ep on Maloka and a split ep with Aside. Fight da suckas (rip) was a band from Le Mans (Stitou Manue, 3 rue du colonel Bockler, appt 120, 72000 Le Mans). They were playing melo emo in the DC vein. They have released an ep and were looking for a label to release a CD/LP, so ... L'invention de morel is the band from Olivier (libre expression records - 41 avenue paul vaillant couturier, 94 250 Gentilly), they are playing very good emo rock. A demo out and probably a record soon. The roommate of Olivier is playing in EL Vidal Sonido (emo too) and they've released 2 split ep on LE with Vanilla and Tokyo Montana. Kochise has released 2 LP's and a split 2xep with Conflict. They are playing melo anarcho punk with a female singer (padi, bp 232, 75264 paris cedex 13). Heyoka was a bit in the same vein but more punk rock. They have put out an ep and a very good LP, perhaps one of the best LP of a french band lately. But they're RIP as well. Ahorcados are like Heyoka, but less good. They just put out a 7" on Panx. Good, but not really original. Vanilla are an emo band and have released an ep (on LE) and an LP on Genet from Belgium. TROMATISM (featuring ex-Berurier Noir fame Loran) put out their first EP in late 94. Anarchopunk-rock with a slight metal touch. New ep out soon ? They are a band that must be see live ! LEGITIME DEFONCE have 2 albums out on Panx. They play fast punk rock, it's one of the most famous french punk band. LES PARTISANS (Norb's Grime, 41 rue Etienne Richerand, 69 003 Lyon) have put out their first LP/CD last year. Awesome punk rock with political lyrics. A split Lp and 2 ep's out as well. MAXIMUM BOYCOTT are a band from Paris. Their punk rock brings to mind the Flitox (an old great french hc band - Jeff Cotton, 20 rue de la diligence, 95310 St Ouen l'aumone). Jeff is also playing in EBOLA (punk rock). From Paris, there's COPYWRONG too. They have done an ep and it's really impossible to describe their music ! (Angrr ! Bp 347, 75232 Paris cedex 05). MOLAIRE are from the north of france and are playing political hc. Are DIVIDE & CONQUER french ?! The singer is now living in France and will continue the band with ex Oi Polloi people in europe. It's sometimes melodic, sometimes not, fast, very political and great ! They are on a split CD (15 songs) and just released a 7'' on their own label (Ginger, Tipa Brian, 9 rue stephen liegeard, 21180 Couchey). Coche bomba (rip I think) were playing crust/grind hc with political and humourous lyrics. A split LP, an ep and a 10'' on Bad card. Perhaps a split ep on a a french label this year. You probably know IVICH (famous french emo). A 10'' is just out on Ebullition and a split 7'' on Stonehenge. I don't understand very well why people are always doing records of this band like they're rip since many years ... Dispatch (hugh reinert, 3 rue mermoz, 57100 Thionville) are a political DIY ny hc style band. A demo out and they will be on a comp CD this year. DISBEER featured ex Enola Gay and are playing crust punk. I don't know if they've released something. I'm probably forgotten lots of bands ... that's the life !!

Labels : Sanjam (my label) - I've put out a MCD of the US band Emily (melo emo - 8$ ppd) and a split CD with 4 bands : Divide & Conquer (ex oi polloi & Blown apart bastards - usa), Eterna Inocencia (Argentina), Lee Majors (France) and Juggling Jugulars (Finland) - 10$ ppd. A 70 minutes CD of political melodic punk. Next will be the "victory day" 7" of Aside with the label El Trasgo. Boislève - (same address as international sXe bulletin) Yann has put out a split CD with Rawness & Personal Choice (sold out), a SxE comp. CD (Personal Choice, SC, By all means, X acto, Stonewall, Autocontrol, Meanstream) and a split CD with Pariapunk and Final Blast (old french punk bands). This year : a comp CD with almost all the french DIY punk bands (25 - melo punk/emo/sXe/crust ...) and a comp. CD with melodic punk bands (Frammenti, DDI, Affluente, Cojoba, Attentat sonore, Invazija and Szlobjeze rowero). Stonehenge - I'm often thinking that Christophe is the Kent McClard from France. He has put out lots of records yet, like Undone ep's + lp, Finger print eps + cd, Ivich/E-105 ep, Seein Red / Öpstand ep, Ivich / Jasmine ep etc. Panx - Pascal (BP 5058, 31033 Toulouse cedex) has realeased lots of records too, like the famous series "Panx vinyl zine" which were awesome to discover lots of small bands from everywhere in the world. Some of his records : Nothing More ep, Legitime Defonce Cds, Youth Gone Mad CD, Bad taste ep, Arturo CD, Cause & Effect ep, Abuso Sonoro ep, Ahorcados ep, a comp CD with Toulouse bands, etc. THEATRE - (38 rue jean bouchet, 86000 Poitiers) Cut 7'', Miam / Cut split 7'', Rogojine ep. In the emo vein. Maloka - They are doing lots of stuff like festivals and are politically active (BP 536, 21014 Dijon cedex). They have put out the LP of Heyoka and they will put out soon the ep of Rawness and a split CD with the first LP of Kochise and the reissue of the LP of Haine Brigade (probably one of the best band ever - not only in France !). ANGRR (bp 347, 75232 Paris cedex 05) has put out a comp LP with Tear of a doll, Coche bomba, King biscuit, Pleum etc which comes with a BEAUTIFUL big booklet filled with DIY art (Cribis, Fredox, Tapage, Stephane delevacque etc.). La libre expression - (same address as L'invention de morel) Ananda 10'', Vanilla ep, Symptom of isaac ep, El vidal sonido split ep's, a comp LP with Braid, Milhouse, In/Humanity, Vanilla ... etc. Le brun, Le roux - (same address as Alcatraz) Peu être ep, Peu être/Carther Matha/Rachel CD, Peu être/Anomie ep. Alcatraz ep. Emo label. Bad card - (sylvain vilette, 48 rue du potager,91270 Vigneux sur seine) Fight da suckas ep, a split LP with Coche Bomba and Enola gay (rip - crust), a Rupture ep, a 10'' (co-released with Revolucion, first release of another french label) and a 7'' of Coche Bomba and soon an ep with Catweazle (dutch band which has done a MCD on Profane existence japan). APE - Run by people from Anomie. They've put out the split LP and split EP of Anomie and the Autonomia Indigena ep (political punk from france - rip). The label just stopped. MASS PRODUCTIONS - Melmor (rip), Curbside, NCA ep's + Mass Murderers 12'', CD, live 10'' etc (bp 287, 35005 Rennes Cedex). SPORE : A tribute to the Hard ons comp ep, a split with condense and food (Henri Pierre Trocherie, 14 rue mordret, appt 15, 72 000 Le Mans). Tian an men 89 - It's the label from LuK Haas (28 rue de soultz, 67100 strasbourg) who has travelled everywhere in the world ! He is a member of the ICRC (Intl' comitte of red cross) and his last mission was in Afghanistan where he was in charge of military detainers and political prisoners. He has done lots of scene reports of far off countries in MRR (he began in 1986). He has done eps from bands from Thailand, Panama, Georgia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Cuba etc. ILLEGAL - They've realeased (BP 64, 67061 Strasbourg cedex) the LP of the now defunct band Pitfall (good french hc) and the demo of Ahimsa (with ex Pitfall) which are playing political modern hc ala Strain, Abhinanda. Praxis - it's the label of a member of the band Öpstand (Jeremy Profit, 27 crs intendance, 33000 Bordeaux). They have put out the first ep of this band and the split with Seein red. They have released the demo of Jean Seberg too (from the same town. People are saying it's a good band - 3 male singers !!). SMALL BUDGET PRODUCTIONS - (same address as Rad Party) Stéphane has released 2 split ep's : Nothing Cool / Spazboy (us melodic hc) and Los Subversivos / Urbn DK (argentinan & us political punk). More split later ...

Distros : Almost all the distros are done by the labels I wrote about (Stonehenge, Le Brun Le Roux, Sanjam, Boislève, Maloka, Bad Card etc.) and there's STAKHANOV (Marilleau Nicolas, 16 bis rue léonce Vieljeux, res le grand gallion, appt n°45, 17000 La Rochelle - Ex Rachel band) which is distributing only zines, LE REBOUTEUX (Troplain Stéphane, 10 rue des Tanneries, 52000 Chaumont), KLEINES MADCHEN (Stéphane Brochier, quai de la tour bt H2, 78200 Mantes la jolie) and EMERGENCE (Troplain Vincent, 29 rue le Nostre, 76000 Rouen). Oops ! I was forgetting LE KIOSK, it's an info shop in Paris which distribute zines, books, records etc. (21 ter rue voltaire, 75011 Paris). Small place but great !

So I'll let you here. It was a bit long, but it's not complete of course. If you've some questions, write to me or to the other people I wrote about. Bye and have a good day !

Yann Dubois - 9 rue des mésanges - 35650 Le Rheu - France - SanjamRec@aol.com