Noir Désir

Noir Désir was a French rock band from Bordeaux that formed in 1980. The band’s main members were Bertrand Cantat, who sang and played guitar, along with Serge Teyssot-Gay on guitar, Frédéric Vidalenc on bass guitar, and Denis Barthe on drums. Later, Jean-Paul Roy joined as the bassist after Vidalenc left in 1996.

The band released six albums, two of which became very popular in France, earning double platinum awards, and three others won gold awards. Many French musicians, such as Cali, Louise Attaque, and Miossec, were inspired by their music. One of their most famous songs, “Le vent nous portera,” reached the top of the charts in Italy and was also very popular in France.

The band stopped making music after Cantat was imprisoned in 2003. Although Cantat was released in 2007, the group faced disagreements and officially ended in 2010.

History

Formation: 1980–1985

Bertrand Cantat and Serge Teyssot-Gay met in 1980 at secondary school after Cantat moved to Bordeaux from Normandy. Teyssot-Gay was 17 years old and Cantat was 16. The two teenagers shared a love of music, particularly Led Zeppelin and the Who, so they decided to form a band. Teyssot-Gay had a strong musical background and training in classical guitar; Cantat became the singer. While on summer vacation they met Denis Barthe, who agreed to play drums for the band.

They went through a series of temporary bassists, eventually settling on Vincent Leriche. The band originally called themselves "Psychoz", then "6.35", "Station Désir" and finally "Noirs Désirs" (later changed to Noir Désir). In 1982 Teyssot-Gay and Leriche left the group. The remaining band members, Barthe and Cantat, found a replacement guitarist and bassist. When the guitarist quit in 1985 Cantat got their original guitarist, Teyssot-Gay, back into the band. The new lineup continued for 11 more years.

Early albums: 1985–1991

Now with a solid lineup the band decided to try to get a recording contract. They created a demo which was heard by Théo Hakola of the American band Passion Fodder. Hakola urged the French label Barclay Records to sign the band. The label wanted the band to produce a single, but it was agreed that a mini-album would be made instead. In 1987 they released the mini-album, Où veux tu qu'je r'garde?. After two months it had sold 5,000 copies.

Their first big success came in 1989, with their next album, Veuillez rendre l'âme (à qui elle appartient). The album won an award and became recognised as one of the best French rock albums ever made. It also produced the hit single: "Aux sombres héros de l'amer", a sea-shanty-like song.

Post-success: 1991–2001

With a harder sound, the third album Du ciment sous les plaines (1991) did not receive good reviews. In May 1991, a concert in Besançon was cut short when Bertrand Cantat became ill on stage. The band took a break from touring until the release of their next album, Tostaky.

Tostaky was released to much acclaim and popular success. In August 1993, The Christian Science Monitor called Noir Désir France's leading rock group. In January 1994, the live album Dies Irae was released. After this tour the band took a year's break. During the break, Bertrand Cantat received voice training and bass-player Frédéric Vidalenc left the group; he was replaced by Jean-Paul Roy. Serge Teyssot-Gay recorded a solo album, Silence Radio, which would be released in 1996.

In December 1996 the success of Tostaky continued with the release of 666.667 Club. In 1998, they released an album of remixed songs.

Des visages des figures: 2001–2003

Their most recent studio album, 2001's Des visages des figures was very well received, selling over 1 million copies. The group won awards for Best Rock Album of the Year and Music Video of the Year for "Le vent nous portera" in collaboration with the artist Manu Chao. The band played few concerts for their tour, but all were in large venues except for the Middle East tour, where they played in small clubs. They performed a one-off concert in 2002.

Return and disbandment: 2005–2010

In September 2005, Noir Désir released an album and a DVD set. In November 2008, the band released two free tracks on their website. The group was working on a new album, which would be completed in January 2010.

On 29 November 2010, it was announced that guitarist Serge Teyssot-Gay was leaving the band. The next day, drummer Denis Barthe announced that Noir Désir is "disbanded for good".

Future developments

In November 2011, a greatest hits album was released.

On 24 January 2020, Noir Désir released an Acoustic/Live album, Débranché [fr] Débranché.

On 4 December 2020, Noir Désir released Integrale, an 18-disc collection. It also included an unreleased song, "Imbecile", which was a collaboration with Alain Bashung.

Discography

Noir Désir released several albums. Some of their well-known albums include:

• Où veux tu qu'je r'garde (1987)
• Veuillez rendre l'âme (à qui elle appartient) (1989)
• Du ciment sous les plaines (1991)
• Tostaky (1992)
• 666.667 Club (1996)
• Des Visages des Figures (2001)