Indochine

Biography

Indochine (French pronunciation: [ɛ̃dɔʃin]) is a French rock and new wave band formed in Paris in 1981. It achieved significant success in the 1980s across the Francophone world, Europe, and Latin America with hit songs L'Aventurier and Canary Bay. After releasing several critically praised but commercially disappointing albums in the 1990s, the band experienced a resurgence with the 2002 album Paradize×Paradize14 May 2002 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Paradize4:502Electrastar5:303Punker2:504Mao Boy!5:425J’ai demandé à la lune3:296Dunkerque5:487Like a Monster3:568Le Grand Secret5:509La Nuit des fées4:5810Marilyn5:5511Le Manoir5:0512Popstitute4:0013Dark4:3714Comateen I6:0715Un singe en hiver3:46. To date, Indochine has sold over 10 million albums and singles worldwide.

1980s

Indochine (French for Indochina) was formed in 1981 by two Frenchmen in their early twenties, Nicola Sirkis and Dominique Nicolas, in Paris. They soon added Dimitri Bodiansky, the cousin of one of Nicola's friends.
They gave their first concert at Le Rose Bonbon, a café in Paris on 29 September 1981. This brief performance on stage earned them their first contract with a record company.
They recorded their first single in November 1981. It included two songs, "Dizzidence Politik×Dizzidence PolitikFebruary 1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksADizzidence Politik3:10BFrançoise (Qu’est-ce qui t’a pris ?)2:35" and "Françoise", but drew more attention from critics than from the mainstream media and only reached a limited audience.
Stéphane Sirkis, Nicola's twin brother who had already performed with the band on stage, officially joined the band, and in April 1982 the group recorded their first album, L'Aventurier, which sold more than 250,000 copies. The album was well received by the press and by an emerging new wave audience.
L'aventurier was the song of the summer 1983 in France.
In 1983, Indochine released a second album entitled Le Péril Jaune×Le Péril jaune1983 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Le Péril jaune (Ouverture)0:51A2La Sécheresse du Mékong3:29A3Razzia3:39A4Pavillon rouge3:10A5Okinawa4:53A6Tankin2:12B1Miss Paramount3:02B2Shangaï2:41B3Kao-Bang5:30B4À l'est de Java5:04B5Le Péril jaune (Fermeture)1:30 ("Yellow Peril") which sold 225,000 copies. Indochine had by this stage become a major act in French music. In 1984, the band toured France. They were also successful in Scandinavia, most notably in Sweden. The Swedish releases of the singles "Kao Bang×Kao Bang1984 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAKao Bang (nouveau mixage)3:40BOkinawa4:53" (and later "Canary Bay×Canary Bay1985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksACanary Bay3:01BLe Train sauvage3:17") became hugely successful, spending several weeks on the Swedish top 10 sales chart and on the radio chart Trackslistan. Arriving at the venue for a show in Stockholm soon after, the band were met by hundreds of screaming fans described as similar to Beatlemania.
By 1985, they had achieved a large following, reflected by the success of such songs as "Troisième sexe" ("third sex"), "Canary Bay", and "Trois nuits par semaine". Their third album, 3, sold 750,000 copies in Europe. Serge Gainsbourg directed the video to "Tes yeux noirs×Tes yeux noirs2001 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Tes yeux noirs3:55", one of the group's most successful songs.
Indochine becomes the largest "new wave" band in France. The single "L'Aventurier" won the French awards "bus d'acier 1983".
In 1986, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the band, Indochine decided to release the recording of the concert given at the Zénith in Paris.
Their fourth album, 7000 Danses×7000 danses1987 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1La Bûddha affaire2:45A2Les Citadelles3:51A3La Chevauchée des champs de blé5:44A4Il y a un risque (Le Mépris)4:30A5Les Tzars5:57B1La Machine à rattraper le temps5:06B2Un grand carnaval4:02B37000 danses6:05B4Une maison perdue...5:56, produced by Joe Glasman, was released in 1987. It sold about 320,000 copies making it a successful album though far less so than its predecessor, 3. This is partly due to the band's efforts to produce a less mainstream, commercial album. 7000 Danses was also released amidst a controversy stemming from rock critics claiming that Indochine were a mere copy of British band The Cure. In spite of the controversy fans continued to support the group.

1988 Tour

Starting in 1986 the band gained a following in Lima, Peru as a result of the radio broadcast of their 'L'Aventurier' single. Then, in early 1987, the small record label, El Virrey, negotiated the rights to the 'Au Zénith' album, which it released as 33 rpm LP and on cassette tape.
Surprised by this development, Indochine decided to add a stop in Lima after their transatlantic debut in Montreal. Following their appearance in Montreal on 6 April 1988, the band traveled to Peru. There, they performed before their Lima fans in four shows, on 29 and 30 April, and on 6 and 7 May 1988, at the Coliseo Amauta, reaching a total audience of over 40,000 people. In that period the band sold some 400,000 recordings in Peru.
That was the only Indochine tour in the late 1980s. For this tour the quartet had the participation of guest musicians such as Diego Burgard (Bass) and Jean-My Truong (Drums), a documentary about the tour was filmed in different cities in Europe, Canada and Peru and it was released for sale on VHS tape in 1989.

1990s

Drained after many months touring, the band took a break. Their fifth studio album, Le Baiser×Le Baiser1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Le Baiser4:102Des fleurs pour Salinger3:143More…7:024Alertez Managua3:555Les Années bazar3:526Punishment Park3:507Soudain l'été dernier, je suppose3:528Les plus mauvaises nuits3:479Persane thème2:2910Tant de poussière4:3511La Colline des roses3:59, was released in early 1990. Fans were shocked to discover that Dimitri Bodiansky was no longer part of the group, having decided to leave the band in January 1989 . His departure can be attributed to a number of reasons. First of all, Indochine's sound had evolved over the years and Bodiansky found he had less and less to do as a saxophonist. He was also feeling pressure at home having recently become a father. All this contributed to tension between him and the rest of the band. Bodiansky remains a much loved member of the original Indochine line-up and since his departure has guest starred with the band on stage.
1991 marked Indochine's tenth anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, Le Birthday Album was released. It was a best of compilation, including one new track, "La Guerre Est Finie" ("The War Is Over"), which was released as a single. The album's success was considerable (it sold 600,000 copies across Europe) and rekindled interest in the group. However, the single's title proved unfortunate in light of the fact that the Persian Gulf War had just started at the time. For this reason, many radio stations opted not to play the track.
Un jour dans notre vie, their sixth studio album, was released in 1993. It proved unsuccessful, both commercially and critically.
"Un jour dans notre vie×Un jour dans notre vie19 March 1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Savoure le rouge4:232Sur les toits du monde5:073Un jour dans notre vie4:014Anne et moi3:145La Main sur vous4:556Some Days3:427Bienvenue chez les nus4:078D'ici mon amour4:449Candy prend son fusil3:1610Ultra S.4:2511Vietnam glam4:0512Crystal Song Telegram2:35" wins French awards " video clip fantastique Gerardmer 1994"
On 27 February 1999, Stéphane Sirkis, guitarist, keyboardist and Nicola's twin brother, died at the age of 39 of hepatitis. He had requested that the band continue after his death.

2000s

In October 2000, the band started a small but successful acoustic tour named Nuits Intimes. The album is released in January 2001.
2001 begins. Nicola and Oli de Sat compose most of the album Paradize×Paradize14 May 2002 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Paradize4:502Electrastar5:303Punker2:504Mao Boy!5:425J’ai demandé à la lune3:296Dunkerque5:487Like a Monster3:568Le Grand Secret5:509La Nuit des fées4:5810Marilyn5:5511Le Manoir5:0512Popstitute4:0013Dark4:3714Comateen I6:0715Un singe en hiver3:46 that would be released the next year. Ann Scott, Camille Laurens, Mickey 3D, Gerard Manset, Jean-Louis Murat and Melissa Auf der Maur collaborated on the album.
In 2002, they enjoyed renewed success with the Paradize album which sold 1,000,000 copies, including the chart topper J'ai demandé à la lune×J'ai demandé à la luneJanuary 2002 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1J'ai demandé à la lune3:292J'ai demandé à la lune (Frédéric Sanchez mix)6:33.This album has marked a change in aesthetics and genre, moving towards a darker tone and more introspective lyrics, influenced by popular acts such as Nine Inch Nails, Placebo and Marilyn Manson.
In 2003, the band received the MTV Europe Music Awards for: "Best French Act", the NRJ Music Awards for: "Album of the year" and La Victoires de la Musique for: "Best pop album of the year"
In December 2005, Indochine returned with Alice & June, featuring a collaboration with Placebo frontman Brian Molko. On 6 and 7 June 2006, the group had a concert in Hanoi Opera House to celebrate their 25th anniversary.
In December 2007, Indochine released a triple live DVD and double CD album entitled Alice & June Tour×Alice & June Tour3 December 2007 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Dunkerque8:002Ceremonia3:553Alice & June4:534Marilyn5:215Adora4:236Punker3:077Gang Bang4:068Lady Boy4:179J'ai demandé à la lune6:0610Sweet Dreams5:0611June5:3112Electrastar5:50133 nuits par semaine6:0914Club Paramount : Miss Paramount / Popstitute / Stef II / Astroboy9:07Disc 21Crash Me6:342Set acoustique : Justine / Révolution / Salômbo / La Colline des roses10:523Vibrator3:194Punishment Park4:415Pink Water5:286L'Aventurier9:137Black Page5:218Talulla5:13. The album featured the full concert recorded in Lille, France in March 2007.
In 2008 Indochine joins the Reporters Sans Frontières campaign, for the boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games's opening ceremony. The cover of the 80's single 'You Spin me Round×You Spin Me Round2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1You Spin Me Round3:12' is released (all the collected founds were entirely given to RSF).
Their 11th studio album, La République des Meteors×La République des Meteors9 March 2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Republika Meteor Ouverture0:572Go, Rimbaud Go!4:093Junior Song3:104Little Dolls4:385Le Grand Soir3:436Un ange à ma table4:207La Lettre de métal3:428Le Lac3:309Republika4:1610Play Boy2:5011L World3:5412Je t’aime tant3:0513Bye Bye Valentine4:4114Les Aubes sont mortes4:0715Union War3:1716Le Dernier Jour7:33Disc 21We Are the Young3:502Mexicane Syndicate3:533You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)3:164Junior Song (a cappella)1:595Play Boy (a cappella)2:33, was released on 9 March 2009. The album marked a change in their musical style, slowly moving away from the dark and quirky realms they had explored with "Paradize" and "Alice & June×Alice & June16 December 2005 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Les portes du soir5:092Alice & June (Version album)3:433Gang Bang3:244Ladyboy4:485Black Page4:136Pink Water 35:007Adora4:068Un homme dans la bouche4:379June5:0410Sweet Dreams5:0011Belle & Sebastiane3:3412Talulla2:5313Morphine5:13".

2010s

Indochine was the first French band to perform at the Stade de France, on 26 June 2010 their biggest gig ever, sold out and in front of 80,000 people.
In November 2012, the band released their new single Memoria, from their upcoming album Black City Parade×Black City Parade11 February 2013 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Black Ouverture0:492Black City Parade5:343College Boy4:474Memoria7:135Le fond de l'air est rouge4:566Wuppertal6:477Le Messie5:078Belfast6:059Traffic Girl5:1910Thea Sonata5:0211Anyway4:0412Nous demain5:5613Kill Nico5:5314Europane ou le dernier bal4:32.
Black City Parade was released on 11 February 2013 with much anticipation from the fans. The album, despite its almost gloomy cover art, features much brighter and warmer music than the last two albums. The band seemed to want include references to their synthpop and new wave beginnings.
Indochine played several sold-out shows during the first leg of the "Black City Tour×Black City Tour1 December 2014 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 23 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Black Ouverture1:282Black City Parade5:123Traffic Girl5:044Belfast6:015Kissing My Song4:316Atomic Sky4:427Memoria6:268Little Dolls5:359Miss Paramount3:4410Wuppertal7:4111Mao Boy1:5912Un Jour dans notre vie2:3713J'ai demandé a la lune4:4914Tes yeux noirs5:10Disc 21College Boy6:482Alice & June5:153Black City Club18:204Marilyn6:235Trois nuits par semaine9:106A l'assaut3:347L'Aventurier9:038Le fond de l'air est rouge5:159Pink Water4:33" which kicked off on 21 February 2013. Five legs are planned for the "Black City Tour". The band stated that they will be playing around the world. They later announced that they will return to the Stade de France on 27 June 2014.
The second single for Black City Parade was College Boy, a song widely acknowledged to narrate the life of a homosexual teenage boy dealing with bashing and harassment. The video for the single was directed by Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan. The video premiered online with a disclaimer stating that it contained violent scenes and would not be suitable for a young audience. The video depicts a young male student facing mobbing and harassment from his schoolmates. The video culminates in him being brutally crucified and shot in the torso by his fellow students. Many criticisms have poured over the Internet about whether the video should be broadcast or not.
The band played two nights at the Stade de France on 27 & 28 June 2014. They followed the stadium concerts with a much smaller show at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on 14 July 2014.
In April 2015, the band undertook the eight dates Europe City Club Tour, which saw the band extend beyond its Francophone base by visiting Spain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands.
2016 was the year of The Festival Tours with performances at Papillons De Nuit (20 May), Les Ardentes (6 July), Carcassonne festival (15 July), Sion Sous Les Etoiles (18 July), Poupet (22 July), La Fête Du Bruit (12 August) and Cabaret Vert (25 August).
Their 13th album, named 13 (2017) had a big success in France, with singles like Un été français×Un Été Français9 February 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Un Été Français5:262Un Été Français (instrumental)5:263Un Été Français (Joachim Garraud & Ridwello Remix)5:094Un Été Français (Joachim Garraud & Ridwello DUB Remix)5:05 or La vie est belle.
In 2020 the band announced a new tour to come in 2021 to celebrate their 40 years of career, the Central Tour, with 5 dates in the biggest French stadiums, making their 4th Stade de France.

2020s

The group released their single "Le chant des cygnes×Le Chant des cygnes14 June 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Le Chant des cygnes5:412Le Chant des cygnes (instrumental)5:423Le Chant des cygnes (single version)3:37" on June 14, 2024. The release of this title is accompanied by the release of the 14th album on September 7, 2024 and the launch of a 68-date tour in the biggest French and Belgian concert halls.

Band members

Current Members
Nicola Sirkis – lead vocals, guitars, synthesizers, harmonica (1981–present)
Marc Eliard – bass guitar (1992–present)
Boris Jardel – guitars (1998–present)
oLi dE SaT (Olivier Gérard) – keyboards, guitars (1999–present)
Ludwig Dahlberg – drums (1995–present)
Past Members
Dominique Nicolas – guitars (1981–1994)
Dimitri Bodiansky – saxophone (1981–1988)
Stéphane Sirkis – guitars, keyboards (1982–1999; his death)
Arnaud Devos – drums (1985–1986)
Jean-My Truong – drums (1988–1994)
Jean Pierre Pilot – keyboards (1994–2001)
Alexandre Azaria – guitars (1995–1997)
Monsieur Tox – guitars (1996–1997)
Monsieur Yann – drums (1996–1998)
Matthieu Rabaté – drums (1999–2002)
Monsieur Frédéric (Frédéric Helbert) – keyboards (2002–2004)
Mr Shoes (François Soulier) – drums (2002–2015)
Mr Matu (Francois Matuszenski) – keyboards (2005–2015)

Biography

Indochine (1986) by Jean-Eric Perrin
Le Septennat (1988) by Marc Thirion
Indochine de A à Z (2003) by Sébastien Bataille
L'Aventure Indochine (2004) by Christian English and Frédéric Thibaud
Insolence Rock (2004) by Sébastien Michaud
Le Roman Vrai d'Indochine (2005) by Jean-Claude Perrier
Sur la Muraille d'Indochine (2007) by Phillipe Crocq
Indochine Story (2009) by Anouk Vincent
Kissing my song (2011) by Agnès Michaux