Indochine

A cornerstone of France's fresh wave movement, the pop outfit Indochine achieved massive commercial peaks during the middle of the 1980s through releases such as the breakthrough Le Péril Jaune from 1983 and their widely praised 1985 triumph 3. Although the group's momentum faded toward the close of that decade and across much of the 1990s, Indochine kept refining its sound and achieved a striking return to prominence in the early 2000s via the chart-topping track "J'ai Demandé à la Lune" alongside the 2002 set Paradize. Securely restored to prominence, the band reinforced its revival through 2005's Alice & June, the initial entry in a run of French chart-topping records. As performers they became regular festival draws across Europe, headlining an enormous sold-out concert at the nation's premier soccer venue while extending their inventive studio output with later standouts including 2013's Black City Parade and 2017's 13. Entering the early 2020s they marked the ensemble's 40th year via a retrospective singles anthology and a subsequent nationwide stadium trek.

Indochine's foundation traces to a classified notice placed in print by vocalist and guitarist Nicola Sirkis, which drew the attention of Dominique Nicolas, an experienced guitarist whose résumé included several short-lived punk outfits. Once they had assembled sufficient material for stage work, the pair brought aboard Sirkis' identical sibling Stéphane on keyboards and enlisted acquaintance Dimitri Bodiansky for saxophone duties. Indochine gave their inaugural paid performance on September 29, 1981, at Paris venue Rose Bonbon; the next February they delivered debut single "Dizzindence Politik," a modest success that cleared the path for EP L'Aventurier. As its title cut exploded into a major summer 1983 hit, the group was hailed as the embodiment of French new wave, its wistful yet catchy electro-pop earning approval from buyers and reviewers alike, the latter bestowing the Bus d'Acier prize at year's end.

With sophomore album Le Péril Jaune in 1983, Indochine leaned into the Asian motifs suggested by its name, and singles "Kao Bang" and "Miss Paramount" propelled them to fresh sales peaks, igniting the phenomenon the press labeled "Indo-mania." The 1985 appearance of 3 nonetheless represented the band's defining peak. Lauded as a classic by writers and a generational touchstone by listeners, the record resonated widely across Western Europe, driven by hit singles "Canary Bay," "Tes Yeux Noirs," and "3ème Sexe."

Yet 1987's 7000 Dances ushered in the expected critical reversal. Reviewers derided the band's somber aesthetic and teased, flowing locks, drawing clear comparisons to British gloom-rock purveyors the Cure, and although sales stayed healthy the set could not match its predecessor's impact. Twelve months later Bodiansky departed to begin family life, after which, joined by guests such as Silencers drummer Martin Hanlin and Iranian kamanche master Mahmoud Tabrizi Zadeh, Indochine returned to the studio in mid-1989 for Le Baiser. Led by single "Des Fleurs Pour Salinger," the album performed adequately, yet the group's commercial zenith had evidently passed.

Nicola Sirkis released solo single "Dans la Lune" in 1992 before regrouping with his brother and Nicolas for 1994's Un Jour Dans Notre Vie. Following its muted reception Nicolas stepped down, prompting the Sirkis twins to add former Le Cri de la Mouche guitarist Alexandre Azaria for the Brit-pop-inflected 1996 outing Wax. During work on the subsequent project Stéphane Sirkis succumbed to hepatitis complications on February 27, 1999. Nicola elected to continue as the last original member standing, and with Dancetaria Indochine registered their strongest chart showing in over a decade through the single "Juste Toi et Moi."

Via the star-studded 2002 release Paradize, shaped by input from ex-Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur and singer/songwriter Gérard Manset, Indochine reclaimed the summit with "J'ai Demandé à la Lune," securing Victoires de la Musique recognition as Best Pop/Rock Album of the Year. The blockbuster Alice & June arrived at the end of 2005, and on June 6, 2006, Indochine observed their 25th anniversary via an opulent show at Vietnam's Hanoi Opera. The event surfaced in 2007 under the plain title Hanoï.

Indochine's appeal held firm into the following decade. One year after 2009's La République des Meteors they became the first French act to appear at Stade de France, the national stadium. Before a capacity crowd of 80,000 the concert stood as their largest to date and paved the way for twelfth studio album Black City Parade. Issued in 2013, its luminous, synth-driven textures echoed their formative era and restored them to the summit of both the French and Belgian charts.

Indochine devoted the ensuing years to European touring, festival slots, and preparation of their next record. Anchored by consecutive French number ones "La Vie Est Belle" and "Un Été Français," 2017's 13 proved another substantial success. A standalone joint single with Christine and the Queens, "3Sex," appeared in 2020. After leading France's primary album chart with both Singles Collection (1981-2001) and Singles Collection (2001-2021), Indochine extended 40th-anniversary festivities through performances at five of the country's largest stadiums during 2022.