La Souris Déglinguée, or LSD, is a pivotal French punk band that emerged in 1977, led by the iconic Tai-Luc. Renowned for their energetic performances and musical diversity, they faced controversies such as violent audience altercations. Despite their tumultuous history, their albums, especially the iconic “Banzai,” showcased an evolution incorporating various influences, notably reflections on Asia.
Author: Teresa Jardim
“The Perfect example of the band that makes parents hope they don’t see their kids attending the concerts”
La Souris Déglinguée (or LSD for short) is a highly influential French band often associated with the 80s Parisian punk scene. More than 40 years after their debut album their music still lives in people’s hearts, especially now after the death of the singer Tai-Luc. The band was mostly known for their live performances, as well as their numerous musical influences that they successfully incorporated in a number of their albums as they grew. Nonetheless, they were no strangers to controversy, with fights often breaking out within their audiences.

The band was originally formed in 1977, by the singer and guitarist Taï-Luc, the bassist Rikko and a second guitarist Jean Pierre. Finally, after some months, they meet their drummer, Jean Claude. They then started performing some gigs at banlieue Paris, as well as releasing their initial EP (now a lost relic) at the New Rose label.
In 1979, amidst their normal concerts, they performed the concert that would stop them from being booked in the center of Paris: L’ópera Night concert. It is known for its notorious vandalism, as the public, “literally destroyed the establishment” (quote by Tai-Luc; 2017, November 25). From then on, the band gained fame, as well as more and more tense audiences. Within the same year, at the “Fête de la paresse”, a punk festival, punks and bikers beat each other up as the band simply tried to protect their instruments from getting stolen. That’s how the name La Souris Deglinguée gained its infamy and fear in French households.
Their “Eponymous” album (1981) saw the release of what would be a classic in French Punk. Their music was defined by harsh riffs, lyrics that speak to an audience looking to revolt and have fun, as well as a unique voice. It was everything they needed to succeed. After this, they would only keep on evolving. “Aujord’hui et demain” (1983), continued their success with emblematic songs, such as “Parti(e) de la Jeunesse”, which they played live at a show room in Paris for the “Antenne Deux” now known as “France Deux”.

Their musical evolution would also be seen in their 1991 album “Banzai”. This album has more visible influence of reggae and ska as well as rockabilly and punk. It is the culmination of all their musical influences in one, and arguably their best album. I would dare to say there is not one song that isn’t worth listening to again and again.

Whilst the band is not short on songs to explore, there is a theme that is found again and again in a lot of songs and all throughout the albums. This is the theme of Asia. Whilst this seems quite vague and somewhat out of place, there are multiple songs where the singer Luc-Tai speaks about a number of Asian countries as well as some political issued related to those countries and even in several different languages. The first song in their discography that includes this theme is found directly in their first album, “Coeur De Bouddha”. This theme is found due to the singer and guitarist’s ethnicity, as he himself is half Vietnamese.
Nonetheless, there is something for every type of music fan in their discography, more pop-inspired, like “Tambour et Soleil”, or more punk, like “Quartier Libre”, or even albums with a better instrumentality, such as “Lá Cité des Anges”.

Cover Image by: https://www.vice.com/fr/article/en-tournee-avec-la-souris-deglinguee-v10n10/
Edited by: Hedvig Paulander