The Greatest FRENCH Bands Ever!

French popular music. From rock to house to the avant-garde and everything in between, France is a power house. Some French bands are huge international names, and others remain massive in their homeland only, but there’s a wealth of great music to check out regardless.

Today, I aim to do exactly that. Taking in prog, synth pop and metal amongst other things, I present to you a multifaceted list of the best bands and musical artists from France!

Gojira are currently one of the biggest metal bands on the planet. Doing things the old way - by relentlessly touring and being excellent live - Gojira have laid down the law with chunky, stomping grooves and riffs that help deliver their signature ecological message. 

Truly a band with a purpose, Gojira’s music has addressed the problems of deforestation, oceanic issues and the plight of the Amazonian tribespeople.

Brothers Joe and Mario Duplantier (Vocals/guitar and drums respectively) are the engine room of this most mighty of French metal bands, who started out back in 1996 (believe it or not!) as Godzilla, before adopting the anglicised phonetic take on the Japanese pronunciation.

Before riding the synthwave crest with their excellent Midnight City tune in 2011 (complete with saxophone solo), M83 were a synth-toting indie band with 5 albums under their belt. The breakthrough album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming was an audacious double album of stellar soundscapes and idiosyncratic indie rock, and it briefly made them a huge band.

Formed around the nucleus of Antibes native Anthony Gonzalez, M83 are nowadays based in Los Angeles.

If your only experience of Air is their hit tune Sexy Boy, then I reckon you’re missing out on some special music! Inhabiting some alternative universe made of 1970s post-Futurism, Air’s music is melodic, atmospheric and just on the right side of kitsch.

Air’s debut record Moon Safari really caught a moment when it was released in 1998, with its mysterious yet sun-drenched downtempo sound offering a fresh flavour for fans who liked their indie and trip-hop but wanted something different. The duo (Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel) also produced a very underrated soundtrack for Sofia Coppola’s movie The Virgin Suicides.

Synth wizard and gajillion-selling solo artist Jean-Michel Jarre is a rare blend of innovation and popularity. His spectacular sounding music was, for its time, truly cutting edge, and his light-festooned stage shows followed suit.

Since his megahit Oxygene in 1976, Jarre has kept his eye on the big prize, as it were, with a love of large outdoor events. His Moscow concert back in 1997 was attended by 3.5 MILLION PEOPLE, according to reports! Music was in the family blood for sure: his father was Lawrence of Arabia composer Maurice Jarre, and sees himself more as a ‘painter with frequencies and sounds’.

From the acid-303-squelch of Da Funk to the thundering timpani and symphonic strings of Tron: Legacy, Daft Punk are a significant force in electronic music. Hailing from Paris, the duo - Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo defined the whole French house genre with their debut record, Homework.

Always featuring retro sounds and vibes alongside the futurism, Daft Punk’s sound was accessible enough for the masses and hard enough for the scenesters. Unusually for a mega-successful band, after conquering the worlds of house and film scoring, the duo amicably called it a day in 2021 and creatively went their own ways.

Hard-hitting French hip hop duo Supreme NTM were a force in the 90s. Hailing from Saint-Denis, Ile-de-France (north Paris), rappers JoeyStarr and Kool Shen are well known for shining a light on the more underrepresented social groups of France.

Championing the forgotten, the neglected and the underprivileged, their socially-conscious raps spoke out about state-legislated violence and racism. Technically they never split up, but they’ve not released anything together since 1998. Still, the message lives on!

French smoothie Serge Gainsbourg was pretty much the definitive example of the louche, cigarette smoking, scarf-wearing Gallic hipster. Unspeakably cool, effortlessly stylish and a specialist in provocative pop music, Gainsbourg is a study in the art of international swagger.

Music-wise, he actually adopted a number of styles, from Chanson pop to funk and early electronic music. On top of that, the guy acted, directed and generally ran the place.

Fantasy-prog music sung in a made-up language? It can only be Magma! Formed by drummer Christian Vander as a response to a forthcoming ecological disaster, Magma have had loads of members, but all incarnations of the band have made use of the Kobaian language, which was created when Vander naturally made sounds as he wrote lyrics.

Going since 1967, Magma describe their music as ‘celestial’, and could also be described as an alien rock opera, so if you haven’t heard them yet, hopefully that descriptor will capture your curiosity!

For ten years only (1976-86), Telephone were one of France’s biggest bands. Combining the vibes of The Rolling Stones (whom they supported) and The Clash, Telephone brought a catchy, somewhat punky guitar sound that encapsulated the best of Gallic pop and rock: tight tunes with a hint of rebellion. 

After ten years, the members felt collectively that a loss of passion, plus the invasion of business elements, were major contributors to the band’s split.

Les Discrets (The Discreet Ones in English) is a shoegaze/post-rock band fronted by musician/artist Fursy Teyssier. Beginning in 2010, the project - described as “a platform gathering music and art” - was originally a solo proposition until further members joined in 2009. Sometimes described as ‘blackgaze’ (and sometimes as ‘atmospheric post-doomgaze’ which is both appropriate and a bit much), their sound is noisier and more intense than typical shoegaze, with ambient sections and elements of black metal.

Have you heard of Manu Chao? I bet you have, and if you were a student at a certain point in the last two decades, it might have been difficult to dodge him. Born in Paris to Spanish parents, Manu Chao’s solo albums have become an international rallying call for peace-loving globetrotters, but prior to this, he was in a kick-ass rock band called Mano Negra.

Mano Megra (“Black Hand”) magpied all the best bits from rockabilly, latin and punk music, and created a carnivalesque sound that was full of combustible energy. Another band who were a big deal outside of the UK and unknown within, Mano Negra did wild things such as touring South America from a ship, playing at port towns and using a stage built into their boat. Energetic, colourful and lively, Mano Negra are both very familiar and unlike anything you’ve heard before.

Let’s end on an enduring classic. The chanteuse of chanteuses! French singer Édith Piaf was an iconic cabaret singer, renowned time and again as France’s greatest vocalist. Born in 1913, Piaf (real name Édith Giovana Gassion) only lived for 47 years, but left an enduring legacy, not just of great songs and performances, but as part of the very fabric of French culture. Non, je ne regrette rien indeed!

If I were to try to sum up the sound of France, I guess these twelve bands and artists would be collectively as close as I’d be able to get. There is no sound of France, of course, any more than there is a sound of England or Canada or anywhere else. What is interesting though, is that many of these bands are not necessarily big in the UK (particularly when they don’t sing in English) but are enormous overseas. Jean-Michel Jarre is something of an exception, because his music is almost entirely without vocals, but for the rest, it seems that the language barrier is our barrier, not theirs. 

There’s a lot of great music from France, both now and from the past, and a rich tradition of both contemplative and outspoken art to become acquainted with as your earliest opportunity. Take this list as your starting blocks, and then run with it!