Charles De Goal

Initially a solo project formed by Patrick Blain shortly after the 1979 break-up of his earlier band C.O.M.A. (often compared to Devo), Charles De Goal were first signed to emerging record label New Rose, the now notorious independent giant of 1980's France, and released debut album 'Algorythmes' in 1980. 

Their music could be described as a collection of minimal synth, punk / post-punk, experimental / avant garde pop and new wave -usually polished with a dark edge, leading the band to be placed on the borders of the Nouvelle Vague scene and often labeled as 'cold wave', a term which first became popular for French dark wave bands at the time. 

Charles de Goal began as a mysterious entity with virtually zero information being available about the elusive Blain or his sometimes-band, even within the sleeves of releases, and they remained largely anonymous in the early years -not touring their work or revealing their true identity until 1985. Despite this, Charles De Goal found acclaim, underground fame and a large amount of airtime on French independent radio stations, managing to shift over 15,000 copies of their debut record. 

The second Charles De Goal album, 'Ici L'Ombre', followed quickly with a 1981 release but was considered much darker than their first effort and faired less well with critics. A three year break then came (during which time Blain contributed to the Danse Macabre project) before the release of the bands third album '3' in 1984. '3' was a far more accessible affair which saw the band go on to reach a much wider audience and find greater radio and TV success -a popularity which increased with the bands unveiling and the 1985 debut tour that came after. 

Two years later and 1986 swallowed the arrival of 'Double Face', the bands fourth and final album before a mammoth hiatus, interrupted briefly with the release of the compilation album 'Commemoration' in 1989. 

In 1992 Charles de Goal completed work on their 5th studio album, 'Revolution', which found itself without a home -or a launch pad- following the purchase of the bands label, New Rose, by Fnac Music in the same year. With no other interested parties the album was shelved, only to be picked up by Last Call Records in 1997 and released as a double album (alongside a remastered edition of 'Algorythmes') under the title of 'État Général'. 

As well as appearing on the 'Crucifixation' EP with the band Danse Macabre in 1983, Blain also went on to form the mythical punk / electro band Monkey Test in 2000. 

Some years later, in 2006, Patrick Blain performed, along with fellow Monkey Test members Etienne Lebourg and Jean-Philippe Brouant and AE (of End of Data, Raendom) as Charles de Goal once more in what was intended to be a one-off concert. The success of the show was so great that the band played further dates in France before launching a full European tour and beginning to write new material together. 

Released on Self-Control (Blain's own record label) in April 2008, 'Restructuration' was the result - the first official release from Charles de Goal in over two decades. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]