VACARME - Noise, Sweat & Guts ! (France - HardCore/Punk - Interview with Didi, Max, Jess & Clem).

Hi—Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all started for you—how you discovered this musical world, what drew you to it, what fascinated you, and what made you want to make music? 
Didi: I mostly used to make music with my dad, and then I met some friends, and together we started playing punk more specifically.
Jess: I’ve always sung with friends, especially with Clem, who’s been my friend since childhood. When I moved to Paris, he was in a hardcore punk band; I’d go see them, and that’s how I discovered that scene, which immediately won me over. Shortly after, he asked me to come sing with them. Then, when his old band broke up, we wanted to keep going together.
Max: My older brother introduced me to punk rock. In his room, there was always something loud and a bit aggressive playing; he’d play his records for me, and I quickly felt a real connection to that music.
Later, when I was about 14, he started putting together a new melodic hardcore band called Regardless and was looking for a drummer. He asked me to give it a try—it really motivated me, and I had a little time to learn the basics, the rhythms, and a few breaks.
After a while, we started rehearsing with the whole band, and the experience was nothing like playing alone. In the end, I really got hooked on the drums, and since then—even with breaks here and there—I’ve kept playing them.

 
Tell me about the band… How did you meet—the current lineup—past experiences—and most importantly—WHY did you feel the need to form THIS band?
Clem: Jess and I met in Shanghai in middle school. She grew up there, and I moved there in 7th grade; we’ve been inseparable ever since.
We’d run into Max a few times without really getting to know him, and then, in late 2024, we lost a mutual friend named Kostya.
Early the following year, we organized a tribute party for him, during which Max, Jess, and I shared the stage. It was love at first sight.
In the days that followed, Max and I started messaging each other again, and we quickly decided to make music together.
Jess and I had known Didi for several years because, with our previous band, Emancipating Pit Fighting Fish, we’d toured with King Kong Meuf, where Didi is the drummer.
When she told us she also played bass, we got together to jam.
By the end of our first rehearsal, we were super excited and already had an idea in mind—when would the next one be.

Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all costs?
Max comes from D-Beat and hardcore, Jess from hip-hop and R&B, Didi from rock, and Clem is all about trash punk.
Recently, someone pointed out that we sound “old school, yet refreshing”—I think that sums up what we do pretty well.
Plus, since we’re all about the DIY spirit and the pay-what-you-want culture, it shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg to listen to us or come see us play.
 
Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences? How important are lyrics to you? Are there specific messages or ideas you try to convey and share through your lyrics? 
Jess: Lyrics are super important to us. For me, it’s an outlet that lets me express my feelings—especially frustrations—and I think a lot of our listeners can relate to that. I tackle everyday topics that I think a lot of people can relate to.

 
 
What about your latest album? 
Clem: Over the course of our concerts, we’ve met a lot of great people, especially a wonderful group from Lille and the surrounding area.
We share a lot in common—musically, personally, and politically.
Since most of them have more experience in the DIY punk scene, we asked them for advice on how to record a short EP.
Unanimously, they recommended Julien B, who recorded a single by Utopie, the Camellia Sinensis demo, and the Columba Triste EPs.
The guy is a gem—as professional as he is warm.
We recorded it in July 2025 at Le Câble Noir in Lille, and that resulted in our first EP—“A pleines dents.”
And since you don’t change a winning team, a year later, we finished recording a single together—“Toujours en l’Air”—recorded at home this time, at La Kunda, Vitry-city plage 94core. We’re shooting the music video for it right now; it’s a first for us. It should come out this fall!

What are your plans? 
Didi: Having the time of our lives!!!
 
What’s your wildest dream for the band? 
Max: Just to play more shows, go on tour, and for all of this to last as long as possible. It’s cool to see that, thanks to everyone’s efforts, we’re able to put on shows where people come to chill, hang out with their friends, and take their minds off things for a bit.


 
Upcoming live shows?
We’re playing on September 5 at the L’Ouïe Pleure festival in Aire-sur-la-Lys, on September 11 at the ZAD in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, and on September 26 at Le Moulin, near Rennes!

A few words about your local scene—are there any bands you’re friends with that you’d like to mention? 
Clem: It was when I moved to Paris in 2016 that I discovered bands and collectives for whom music wasn’t just a matter of fashion, leisure, or individual catharsis.
It inspired me deeply to see the potential for collective empowerment offered by a countercultural scene rooted in solidarity, anti-fascism, and anti-sexism.
I loved discovering that—whether on stage, in the audience, or as part of the organizing team—we could find our place within this scene and embody through music the struggles we’re fighting the rest of the time.
A warm thought goes out to our friends at King Kong Meuf, Spiruline, Utopie in Lille, and the Bretons at Spont ar Stad.
 
The last word is yours... 
WE’RE CALLED VACARME AND WE MAKE NOISE!!!