Les Wampas

Les Wampas
Les Wampas at Balelec 2011. Clockwise from top left:Jean-Mi Lejoux (bass), Didier Wampas (lead vocals), Niko Wampas (drums), Tony Truant (guitar), Philippe Almosnino (guitar)
Background information
Origin	Paris, France
Genres	Punk rock, Pop-punk, "Yé-yé-punk", Psychobilly
Years active	1983–present
Labels	BMG, Atmosphériques
Website	www.wampas.com
Members	Didier Wampas Jean-Mi Lejoux Tony Truant Niko Wampas Phil Almosnino
Past members	include Marc Police (deceased) Ben Sam (bass)

Les Wampas are a French punk rock/psychobilly band, who refer more exactly to their music as "Yé-yé-punk". The band was formed in Paris in 1983.

The band's first album, "Tutti Frutti" was released in 1986. Their third album, Les Wampas vous aiment (Les Wampas love you), released in 1990, contained the popular single "Petite Fille", whose video was played on French TV channel M6, and also includes crowd favorites "Ce soir c'est Noël" (a personal version of the Christmas Carols, available all year long on stage...) and "Quelle joie le rock'n'roll".

Following this album's release they were signed by the major label BMG. However, a shadow was cast across the band for many years when guitarist Marc Police committed suicide in December 1991.

Simple et tendre (1993) was recorded at London's Roundhouse [1] and Abbey Road studios and featured the London Session Orchestra.

Recorded one year after guitarist Marc Police's suicide and probably their most inspired album, it includes a heart-breaking, breathtaking — and yet hilarious — tribute song to their friend (Les îles au soleil, "Islands under the sun").

The video to the band's "Comme un ange (qui pleure)" (1992) was directed by Michel Gondry.

Having been back on the 'independent circuit' since their contract with BMG ended in 1998, Les Wampas released the single "Manu Chao" in 2003. It, along with the album's full title, Never trust a guy who after having been a punk, is now playing electro, made fun of Manu Chao, who was a member of the successful punk band Mano Negra in the early 1990s (like Wampas guitarist Jo Dahan), but who now, according to Didier Wampas, "had accepted the system. You're inside of it, you profit from it, you're not going to criticize it 'on the side', or else you might not get back in."