FRIDAY 21 | The seeds of punk’s anarchic politics, far from being American or British, in fact sprouted from mid-20th century French philosophy – philosophy that continues to shape punk to this day. The theory is most famously laid out by Greil Marcus in Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century, in which the author examines punk in the context of everything from Dadaism to Guy Debord. For as Andrew Hussey, head of French and Comparative Studies at the University of London Institute in Paris, once told the BBC: “…without the French, without their big ideas and their politics and fanaticism, punk rock in the UK would’ve been nothing more than growly old rockers with shorter hair”. This is not lost on Didier Wampas, lead singer with French punk band Les Wampas. He’s rare among his brethren, refusing for three decades to resign from his job as a public transport electrician despite having produced 11 albums and a top 20 hit. Where the Sex Pistols were famous for spitting at fans, Didier – more famous for singing off-key and in a high-pitched squeak – prefers to climb into their midst and kiss as many cheeks as possible. But just how long can he keep it up, after a punishing 30+ years as a punk frontman? “If you don’t want to stop, you don’t stop. I eat peanut butter sandwiches, like Elvis! Yes, yes, yes. It’s the secret of rock ‘n’ roll…”
WHO: Didier Wampas
WHAT: French ‘Ye Ye Punk’
WHERE: Sharky Bar, #126 St. 130
WHEN: 9pm February 22
WHY: French philosophy inspired punk rock. No, really.