Les Naufragés

Les Naufragés, (“The Shipwrecked”) are a French group “of national notoriety” coming from the region around Montpellier (Occitaine) mixing popular and sea songs, rock, ska, traditional music, against a background of poetry, festive energy and human warmth.

Les Naufragés come out of a union between rock and Breton folk song. Those who do not know them may think by their name that they are a group performing maritime and French folk songs, but it is a lot more than that – Sailor’s songs, certainly but rock’n’roll above all, lyrics sung with great energy. Electric and acoustic guitars to the fore, along with bass drums, the sound of the accordion close to the great sacred organs of the cathedrals and voices red-hot, developed from thirty years of performing.

Although from Montpellier, the Naufragés play music with Breton, Celtic sounds and mixing popular song, (sometimes even mediaeval such as Le merle moqueur sung by accordionist Pascale De Franceschi “Fanfan la rousse”) with rock (sometimes punk like “Brûlure”). Their songs are often served by very elaborate and poetic texts written by Spi, talking about love, adventures and freedom (Lola has only one lover, The rose of the winds, The distinguished girl). Musically eclectic, the group has covered artists as varied as Léo Ferré (L’étrangère), Édith Piaf (l’accordionist), les Cramps (Reste avec moi which covers the riff of Blue Moon Baby, a song covered by the Cramps), Howlin Wolf (Le loup hurlant, a cover of Howlin’ for my Babe) or traditional songs (Saint James Infirmary became La rue de la soif but also and especially Black Berry Blossom, L’harmonica and Jean François de Nantes, sung by Samy le crabe).

After a hiatus of some ten years, the group returned to the stage in 2013 and has been performing regularly since then. This year, 2025 they will be attending the Chants de Marins festival in Paimpol, Brittany. 

For non-connoisseurs, Les Naufragés have often been compared to the Pogues, mixing rock and traditional music with a lot of poetry, festive energy and human warmth. … catch them live to listen to see them on stage to really appreciate them at their best!