Les Vierges – Aux Mains Des Mongolo Boppers
Monsieur Vinyl Records – MVR 006 [1984]
Kill Kill Bop – Les Martiens Attaquent / Morte Ou Vive – Je Suis Cinglé – La Nochès De La Muertos Vivantès
Les Vierges formed in Montpellier in 1984 with Alain Picon (vocals), Gilles Picon (Bass), Stéphane Poisson (drums), and Philippe Rondeau (drums). Their first release was a split Ep with the Mongolo Boppers, an early incarnation of the band with Dom from OTH on guitar. OTH was a Punk-Rock band from the same town that covered the Meteors with French lyrics (Get Off My Cloud became Interdit Aux Chiens and You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down was turned into Ne Les laisse pas tomber.) Didier Banon, who played drums with OTH, also played bass with Les Vierges at the band’s beginning before Gilles came on board.
Les Vierges play Kill Kill Bop Bop and Les Martiens Attaquent. Both are a mix of Garage, Psychobilly with a bit of Twist that’ll become the band’s trademark.
The Mongolo Boppers play the remaining three tunes, which are a bit more Punkish, though one can hear the influence of the Meteors (Je Suis Cinglé sounding a bit like Get Off My Cloud.)
All five songs deal with zombies, necrophilia, Martians and boppin’ with chainsaws.
The single came in a beautiful silkscreened cover that perfectly sums up the spirit of the band. Only 500 copies were pressed.
Les Vierges – Sur La Planète De La Terreur
Monsieur Vinyl Records – MVR 007 [1984]
Le Jour Où Les Vierges Envahirent La Terre – L’Homme Fourmi Atomique / Surf Survie
That very same year, a three-song single (Sur la Planète de la Terreur) followed. Like the previous one, it comes in a beautiful package.
Musically it showed no significant changes in terms of style. Le Jour Où Les Vierges Envahirent La Terre is a superb instrumental with surf influences. Surf Survie also has a surf vibe, but with some Country and a bit of Twist thrown in for good measure, and L’Homme Fourmi Atomique is closer to the Nigel Lewis period of the Meteors.
All that in less than five minutes, that’s what I call a lesson of concision.
1000 copies were pressed.
Les Vierges – Pas La Peine D’En Faire Trop Pour Se Faire Remarquer
Virga 4 – 001 [1986]
J’En Fais Trop – Mongolo Stomp – La Créature Des Mondes Extérieurs – Les Martiens Attaquent – Déplaire / A Quoi Bon – Majorette – Je Pense A Toi – Les Mauvaises Filles Venues De Mars
Shortly after that, the band worked on a split 10“ with Les Shériffs. Some test copies were pressed, but it never saw the light of the day. The songs that the band recorded were Vittel, La Créature des Mondes Extérieur, A Quoi Bon, Je pense à toi, and Mongolo Stomp.
In 1986, they re-recorded these five songs for Pas La Peine D’En Faire Trop Pour Se Faire Remarquer. This excellent album, still entirely sung in French, is a superb collection of nine tunes in a general spirit close to the first Meteors and the Sting Rays, while some songs draw more towards the Cramps. The band invited some guests like Spi (OTH) and Pascal Comelade, whose organ brings a welcome Psychedelic touch in places.
Les Vierges – Detresse
Virga 4 – 002 [1987]
Detresse – Supplice / C’est ça / Sais Tu Pourquoi Lorsque Tu Poses La Main Sur Le Zip De Mon Jean Je Deviens Hystérique
Released in 1987, Détresse, the band’s third single, shows a slight change in their sound. The band added a healthy dose of Country music to their Garage, especially on side A. C’est Ça is more Rockabilly, whereas Sais Tu Pourquoi Lorsque Tu Poses La Main Sur Le Zip De Mon Jean Je Deviens Hystérique (whose title is almost longer than the song itself) is full throttle Garage.
Les Vierges – Les Vierges
Gougnaf Mouvement – GM 023 [1987]
Kill Kill Bop – Les Martiens Attaquent – Morte Ou Vive – Je Suis Cinglé – La Nuits Des Morts-Vivants / Surf Survie – Le Jour Où Les Vierges Envahirent La Terre – L’Homme Fourmi Atomique
Also in 1987, Gougnaf Records gathered the first two singles on one beautiful 10”, with one side playing at 33rpm and the other at 45.
Les Vierges – Guitares… Et Petites Pépés
Virga 5 – 090058 [1994]
Mon Jardin Est Un Paradis – Virga Stroll – Le Cubain – Elvis Zombies – Cimetiere – Je T’aime Encore – Plaire
Fans had to wait until 1994 to see another album from Les Vierges titled Guitares… Et Petites Pépées. It picks things up pretty much where the previous one left off. The sound is perhaps a little cleaner and tamer than their earlier releases and the whole is less unbridled. Musically speaking, the album leans more towards Twist and Country music than Garage. There’s also more variety in the instruments and one can hear a mandolin on Le Cubain and a banjo on Cimetière. But Les Vierges remain Les Vierges and their verve and humour are still present.
In recent years, the band reformed. They published one live album titled En Concert… Et En Quelque Sorte (that also includes some studio tracks) and a new album has just been released.
Les Vierges on facebook.
