Indochine

Indochine are a potent reminder of just what can come from the chance meeting of two young men, in this case Nicola Cirkis and Dominique Nicolas. They both joined a band called Spies as their singer and their bass player, respectively, and became friends soon after they joined. Unfortunately at the time, they were kicked out of the band for not being proficient enough to keep up with the rest of the band, but it was no matter to them. They were dead set on forming their own band, and by May 1981 Nicolas had switched to guitar, they formed Indochine together and had begun to write their own songs.

At the end of the September of that year they had booked their first live show, and recruited a cousin of one of Cirkis’ friends, Dmitiri Bodianski, to play the keyboards and saxophone in it. Despite the odd line-up, the band were signed to their first record label on the strength of their very first, very brief live show. They were in the studio recording their debut single by November 1981, and while "Dizzidence Politik" wasn’t a hit it received strong critical acclaim and made them one of the hottest new bands on the French rock scene. By the start of 1982, Cirkis’ twin brother Stéphane had joined the band as their rhythm guitarist just as they headed into the studio to record their debut album “L’Aventurier”.

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The band spent the rest of the 1980’s as one of the biggest names in French rock, headlining Paris’ Zenith arena for their fifth anniversary show and even having a music video of theirs directed by Serge Gainsborough himself. However, by the end of the decade a backlash was starting to creep in by fans and critics suspecting that the band were little more than rip-offs of The Cure. Their albums still sold strongly but the critical acclaim they’d seen was starting to wane and in 1989 Bodianski left the group. The 90’s very nearly destroyed the band, with decreasing critical and commercial interest in the band and tragically, Stéphane Cirkis passed away in 1999 of Hepatitis. His last message to his band mates was to carry on the band, and he would be very proud to see where they went next.

With a change in attitude and sound, the bands 2001 effort “Paradize” completely rejuvenated the band, selling one million copies and giving the band a chart topping hit single in the form of "J'ai demandé à la lune". For this to come from a band that many had written off as passed it to the point of ridicule was totally miraculous. After releasing a few more successful albums they solidified their place as the biggest rock band in France by becoming the first French rock band to headline a concert at the 80’000 capacity Stade De France in 2010, selling it out with aplomb.

Indochine have one of the most inspiring stories in rock and roll, and are an outstanding live band to boot. For that reason, they come highly recommended.