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French connections >> Lofofora hop the pond to visit Quebec, USA by RUPERT BOTTENBERG
Reuno Wanjermez, singer of the funkified Parisian neo-hardcore unit Lofofora, is referring to the culture shock he feels whenever he's on this side of the Atlantic, touring with his friends in Grim Skunk. "If you listen to the radio, which represents what's going on, there's a lot of 'cowboy music,' blues and country, at least by my standards. I really feel like I'm in America." Funny thing is, aside from one 24-hour jaunt down to New York City, Lofofora have never been outside of Quebec. Not that Wanjermez is dissing the Québécois. He notes that, what with Wheel of Fortune knock-offs on the tube and watered-down R&B on the radio, France is suffering from the same rampant Americanization we are. "There's a part of the French rock scene, right now, trying to play New York-style hardcore, and they're really frustrated. They sing in English, dress like Madball, and you get the impression that they regret not having been born in Brooklyn." Lofofora themselves betray some American influences, be it musically [hardcore and hip hop] or in their accompanying graphic design [Native American iconography]. At the same time, how many U.S. hardcore bands can you name that close an album with an esoteric 16-minute Arabic jam? "Paris, I feel, is the most cosmopolitan city in the world. All nationalities are represented in Paris, so we're at the crossroads of so any influences and artistic vibrations. Personally, I live in a neighbourhood where Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, African and Antillean communities mix together." Thus, jamming with Ekova, sonic ambassadors of Iranian and Algerian cultures, makes a little more sense. France, however, is no polyglot paradise. "We have a real extreme-right nationalist party, the National Front, who got 15 per cent of the votes in the last election. What's more, now that they represent an electoral force, the other right-wing parties are trying to recuperate these lost votes by establishing equally racist platforms." This volatile political situation has kept the French punk scene in full combat mode, long after its American cousin drifted off into sports-accessory slumberland. Due to the multicultural environment Lofofora calls home, they avoid being too specific in their vehement attacks on racism, sexual abuse and soul-sucking militarism. "I don't want to give names to our targets, to our enemies, because the same circumstances arise in every country, every civilization. It's enough to suggest, because even without names, people know who they are." With Grim Skunk and Gangster Politics at the Medley, Saturday, Dec. 6, 7pm, $10. At Foufs with Stealth and Wazoo, Sunday, Dec. 7, 8pm, $7
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"Bien, vous êtes vachement rock'n'roll, quoi?"