From the birth of Édith Piaf to the final resting place of the poet Guillaume Apollinaire via the artisans of the Belleville district, you may already know the artistic past of the 20th arrondissement of Paris. Perhaps a little less his role in the alternative punk movement of the 80s. And yet!
While real estate speculation and the municipal policy of Paris City Hall pushed the working classes a little further towards the outskirts of the city, the 20th arrondissement became, in the 1980s, the theater of the emergence of the Ile-de-France punk scene. Closely linked to the punk movement, several squats emerged in the 20th arrondissement, rue Vilin and rue des Cascades in particular. Both a place of life and artistic creation, Rémi Pépin – musician in the Parisian punk group Guernica – remembers: “Rue Vilin, we didn’t stay there long. And then we went to rue des Cascades. […] They let us organize concerts at free prices. And there was also theUsine Pali-Kao. »
Excerpt “Live free or die: punk and alternative rock in France, 1981-1989” – Glénat
Indeed, a few streets away, four artists are taking over a former stationery store at 22 rue de Pali-Kao. L'Usine Pali-Kao aims to be avant-garde, combining live shows, performances and exhibitions. Thanks to the organization of a recurring program, many punk groups came to perform there between 1981 and 1983. Thus, Rita Mitsouko shared the bill with Antena and Art&Technique in February 1982. Coming to perform their farewell concert, the group Bérurier Noir finally signs their rebirth on the stage ofUsine Pali-Kaocarried by the fervor of the public present one evening in June 1983.
Doomed to be ephemeral, the space closed its doors at the end of 1983, in accordance with the precarious non-renewable lease from which the collective benefited. This alternative hotspot from the early 1980s was replaced by a nursery school – still open today.
1984, the turning point of the movement
That year marked the end of the squats in the 20th arrondissement. News events shake the punk scene – headquarters of the Moto Club des Vandales in Saint-Blaise leaving one dead, violent fights on rue de Tlemcen, defenestration during a concert on rue des Cascades – forcing the movement to move to take on a different life .
Jimmy'sa bar located at 104 rue de Bagnolet, a group of friends decide to create an association that will allow alternative punk to continue its journey: Paris-Bar-Rock. With the help of the place, they organize punk and rock concerts on Sunday afternoons (to avoid alcohol problems). “We played there several times, first as a threesome with Manu [Chao] and Schultz [du groupe Parabellum]. That's where we met Alain, the double bass player of the Wampas”, says Antoine Chao, member of the alternative rock groups Los Carayos, Chihuahua and Mano Negra.
Concert by the punk group DOA at the L'Auvergne bar (Paris 20), organized in 1986 by the Barrocks association © MXWL photography
Other places in the district will also host Paris-Bar-Rock concerts in the years that follow, such as Auvergnerue de Buzenval, as well as La Bellevilloise. In 1987, the association – renamed Barrocks – left its historic district and continued its journey; first in the 14th arrondissement, then at Gibus (Paris 11th), and finally at Java (Paris 10th) where she continues to organize punk/rock concerts.
What's left of punk in the 20th
If most of the places which saw the birth and growth of punk in the 80s are closed today, a few addresses have taken over for those nostalgic for the era. So go to Leather goods (Ménilmontant), at The Golden Arrow (Porte de Bagnolet) and Electric Circus (Porte des Lilas), which concentrates most of the punk concerts in the district, giving pride of place to artists and groups of the movement in their musical programming.
Electric Circus, Porte de Bagnolet
Charlene Gilouppe
Freelance writer
Sources :
-Live free or die: punk and alternative rock in France, 1981-1989 – Arnaud Le Gouëfflec and Nicolas Moog – Glénat
(for the quotes from Rémi Pépin and Antoine Chao in particular)
A history of alternative rock by Rémi Pépin – France Culture
5 places to listen to a punk concert in Paris – Les Inrocks
Rascal or the adventure of the Barrocks! – Buzz on web
First photo: Concert by the punk group DOA at the L'Auvergne bar (Paris 20), organized in 1986 by the Barrocks association © MXWL photography
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Also read:
La Flèche d’or wakes up: practical information on reopening
Indie music: La Maroquinerie, an essential concert hall of the 20th century
Porte des Lilas: Welcome to the electro-punk big top of the electric circus
Before and after: La Bellevilloise, from workers’ cooperative to trendy concert hall
