STARSHOOTER

Formed in Lyon around Kent (guitars, vocals), Jello (guitars), Mickey Snack (bass) and Phil Pressing (drums), Starshooter was one of the most famous bands to come up with punk rock in France, releasing "Pin-Up Blonde," their first single, as early as 1977. Unlike most punk bands, Starshooter was actually quite a joyous gang, making them closer to straight-up rock & roll than commonly understood nihilistic and/or socially concerned punk music. Therefore, they might be considered as Telephone's colleagues much more than Metal Urbain's. Their second 1978 EP, Get Baque (a quite funny and provocative hijacking of the Beatles' "Get Back") earned them a slightly more sulfurous image and the fast withdrawal of that second effort from the French market. But the next single, 1978's "Betsy Party" would be their breakthrough. The band released their first self-titled LP that same year, which was warmly received. They kept touring until 1981, and released three more LPs in that time: Mode (1979), Chez Les Autres (1980), and Pas Fatigue (1981). After their split, singer Kent went on under his own name for a long and prolific solo career.