Les Thugs
Les Thugs are a punk band from France. Their records are distributed in North-America by Sub Pop Records.
Biography
The Thugs´ story begins in France, in Angers with two brothers, Eric and Christophe Sourice. The Sourice brothers were teenagers in 1977 and were influenced by the English punk wave that had swept France. Without knowing how to play any instruments, the band adopted a "Do it yourself" style towards the musical movement. The band was founded in 1979 as a group called IVG[1]. They then played in the group Dazibao, then in Stress, with Gérald Chabaud, Thierry Méanard and a fifth member as singer.
In April 1983, following the departure of the lead singer, Les Thugs officially formed. The group takes its name from an Indian sect of stranglers, worshipers of the goddess Kali called Thuggee. Eric then became the lead singer, the band quickly creates it's own repertoire and gave it's first concerts in bars in Angers and surrounding towns. In July 1984, during a concert in Juvisy, near Paris, Les Thugs met the very young independent label Gougnaf Mouvement with whom they decided to release a 45 rpm Frenetic Dancing, the first record of the group released in January 1985 at Gougnaf Mouvement. This 45 rpm includes two tracks : Night Dance and Femme Fatale, and is recorded in a basement in Juvisy with an 8 track tape recorder. The succes of the record was well beyond the expectations of the group: the single although limited, was internationally distributed and sold more than 3000 copies. Specialized fanzines reception was good, the group got reviews in maximumrocknroll in the United States and in Sounds in England. One hundred copies are sold in Vinyl Solution, a shop and a label held by two French expatriates in England. Greg Shaw, protagonist of the underground scène in California, had the title Femme Fatale in the United States on the compilation Battle of garage of Bomp! Records.
In 1989, Chabaud was replaced by Pierre-Yves Sourice. Although the band called it quits at the end of the 90s, they briefly reformed in 2008 for the Sub-Pop 20th Anniversary Festival and a short warm-up tour in France.
A mix-up by their recording company meant that the band would resurface, albeit only as the digital information on The Baseballs similarly named Strike album in 2010.
Discography
Demos
- Femme Fatale demo – 1984
- Les Thugs demo – 1984
- Never Get Older With Les Thugs demo – 1988
Singles
- Frenetic Dancing – Gougnaf Mouvement, 1984
- Something's Gone Wrong Again – 1988
- Les Thugs EP – 1989
Albums
- Radical Hystery – 1986
- Electric Troubles – Vinyl Solution, 1987
- Dirty White Race – 1988
- Still Hungry Still Angry – 1989
- I.A.B.F. – Alternative Tentacles, 1991
- As Happy As Possible – Sub Pop, 1993
- Strike – Sub Pop, 1996
- Nineteen Something – Sub Pop, 1998
- Tout Doit Disparaître – 1999
Compilations
- Les Héros Du Peuple Sont Immortels – 1985
- Raw Cuts Vol. 1 Garage French – 1985
- Ultraviolette 2 demo – 1985
- Battle Of The Garage Vol. 4 Tomorrow The World – 1986
- Eyes On You – 1987
- Alternative Tentacles Virus 100 – 1992
- SP 20 Casual Nostalgia Fest – 2010
External links
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- ^ "Éric Sourice, membre fondateur du groupe de rock, aujourd'hui disparu, Les Thugs". www.lejdc.fr. Retrieved 2016-01-16.