Les Wampas

A charismatic frontman named Didier Wampas, born Didier Chappedelaine, guided the French punk rock outfit that took shape after the peak of Britain’s 1977 punk explosion. The group came together officially in 1983 and issued its debut single, “Creepy Crawley,” the following year. An intense schedule of live dates kept their early profile rising, leading to a self-titled EP in 1986. Their first full-length effort, Tutti Frutti, arrived in 1987, after which the core membership stabilized, with only minor subsequent changes.

A 1990 deal with Eurobond proved disastrous when financial disputes buried the album Vous Aiment, compelling the band to seek another outlet. They landed at BMG in 1992, at which point they also parted ways with their bassist, yet still delivered Simple et Tendre in 1993. Several years passed before the next release, during which a replacement bassist joined and the group performed at the historic Paris hall L’Olympia. Trop Précieux, issued in 1996, marked a commercial breakthrough, and by the appearance of Never Trust a Guy Who After Having Been a Punk Now Plays Electro! in 2003 the Wampas had become fixtures on the French rock landscape, maintaining a relentless calendar of high-energy concerts and extensive tours. In March 2006 the documentary Never Trust a DVD! chronicled their story.