Mont-de-Marsan punk festival, Lou’s review

Thank you, Fernand Naudin, for sending me again an article about the Lou’s! This time, a review of the August 1977 Mont-de-Marsan punk festival, including about the Lou’s.

I have translated the part about the Lou’s of this article in Best magazine #111 October 1977 into English:

LOU’S

…

Even though they seem so fragile, so delicate with big guitars against their bellies, the Lou’s had undoubtedly more to do with rock ‘n’ roll, being armed with monstrous cheekiness, they were, by very far, the best French band of the day. Undoubtedly, their name comes from the very familiar ‘louloute’ or ‘loubarde’ [motor cycle gang girl], so frequently used around the Place de la Bastille where our female street gang members are from. Yet, their music is in some respects so close to the Velvet Underground that I rapidly associate it with … Lou Reed. Their sound is as thin, as skinny as the hips of the bassist. Landed on her nest of black drums, the drummer (the French Mo Tucker, it seems), proud like an eagle, with her Eurasian face, whips her drumheads more than beating them. The front row is divided between a blonde guitarist and another guitarist, frail-faced, boyish hairstyle and a suave and deep voice. We cannot assert that these young ladies make themselves acceptable by conceding on their femininity. They don’t sell their sex appeal (rightly so) like the singer of Shakin’ Street tends to do too much. Though they really don’t have the attraction required to become sex symbols, they show on the contrary a sensuality faithfully reproducing the one of the Shangri-Las, these New York tigresses with leather belts and directed by Shadow Morton, the immortal creator of ‘Leader of the Pack’. Unmistakably, with the ‘Lou’s’, in their compositions ‘Wild Fire’, ‘Set Me Free’, or ‘Hey Stoned’, there is a scathing mood like a burning claw strike by a bristly pussy, a subtle mixture of finesse and of frank vulgarity. All very attractive to my liver.

Fernand Naudin has updated his article on the Lou’s; and his interview with Lou’s bassist Tollim Toto.

The Lou’s, two French 1970s articles

Lou’s Mont-de Marsan 1977, from Best magazine #109 August 1977

The part about the Lou’s from this article, previewing the August 1977 Mont-de-Marsan punk festival says, translated from French:

Lou’s. A completely new French group, of the Skydog record label, all-female.

Lou’s Rock rien que le rock, from Best #116 March 1978

This article about the Lou’s, from March 1978, is mainly a self-written interview by their rhythm guitarist, the late Raphaëlle Devins (later: Cheap ‘n’ Nasty saxophonist).

It says, translated from French:

ROCK FROM OUR COUNTRY. WOMEN IN ROCK SPECIAL

LOU’S: ROCK, NOTHING BUT ROCK!

As part of our big inquiry into women in rock, we could not ignore the LOU’S, the only real all-women band in France (though, as you will see, they don’t appreciate that label). The Lou’s have well-developed ideas, the rage to overcome obstacles and consider themselves a category on their own. Though they had attracted lots of attention playing at Mont-de-Marsan and in Parisian clubs, they decided provisorily to self-exile themselves to England, more precisely: to London. And everything seems to go well for them there. Raphaelle, the rhythm guitarist, explained it to me in a self-interview which she sent to me.

‘I will describe to you loosely the curriculum vitae of the four animals. First, solo guitar and singing, Pamela Popo, who so far has written most of our songs. Seven years of guitar experience (laughs).

The bassist Tollim Toto has played for three or four years with Pamela Popo. Sacha, the drummer, has played drums for only one year. Before that, she sang. Last, there is me, Raphaelle, who plays rhythm guitar and tries to write songs.

We met each other very much by chance. The three of them already played together. We called ourselves the Lou’s. We rehearsed in cellars, imagine that! Like all bands, rough, hoping for a contract with a record label. And at last, that hope came true, we signed with CBS France. And then, they turned out to pressure us, mainly not about money, but about the idea they had how our music should sound on the record. After we had gone on tour with the Clash, we contacted their manager Bernard Rhodes about it. He is trying now to transfer our contract with CBS France to CBS London in a friendly way.

Anyway, we will not record ourselves in France. I don’t say that to criticize France, where there are certainly advantages, but there, people have only just begun to consider music as real work, not as a hobby. England has profited from the Beatles/Stones generation to establish structures and to find out that there are ways to make money with music, that is, to work.

So, at the moment, we are exiles in England. We rehearse a lot, because we have a space, that is really important. We prefer to work at night, we also prefer to rehearse at night. In France, that was almost impossible. We always had to stop at breakfeast time, when we heard the noise of forks. We have opened two times for the Clash in the Rainbow Theatre in London. It went well, though the venue was maybe a bit big for us. We have also played in the Music Machine. Not really nice, as one is five meters above the audience. The balcony is the best place there.

At the moment, we try new stuff. We will play lots of gigs between 24 February and 24 March [with Subway Sect]. We would also like to record a 45 revolutions per minute disk at the end of February, as we hope that the transfer to CBS London will work.

Finally, we have self-exiled ourselves to England because it is the only place where one can make progress. Firstly, there is enormous competition, which is a big stimulus. In France, one might be contented with being on tour regularly. Also, four girls, that always provokes very unwelcome libidinous ideas. If I play my guitar, then I don’t play with my sexual organ. I play guitar, and that’s all. My hands do the work, it’s my feeling, that’s it! Every time that we have to answer questions related to feminism, we avoid them. And in France, one gets into that kind of issues very often. So, I would like the article not to focus on the fact of us being women, even though it is part of an article about women and rock. To put it exaggeratedly, I might deny being a woman. Also, I think that we have no sexual attraction at all on the audience, I don’t think that it works that way with them. Sometimes, sexuality may be an interesting aspect; but as far as we are concerned, it is more about quality, sincerity, violence, a punch in the face … ‘

Brenda JACKSON