LA FEMME NEVER SLEEPS: AN ETERNAL ELECTRIC DREAM
Sixteen years in, La Femme remains one of France’s most unpredictable exports, a band that never stays still long enough to be defined. From their early days mixing surf guitars with cold-wave synths to their Spanish-language odyssey Teatro Lúcido and the electrified Rock Machine, La Femme has built a universe where contradiction thrives.
Their music doesn’t follow trends, it warps them. Each record feels like entering a new dimension: punk energy tangled with poetic surrealism, irony laced with sincerity. Rather than teaching or preaching, La Femme holds up a mirror, reflecting the chaos, desire, and absurdity of modern life through a kaleidoscope of sound and style.
Whether channeling yé-yé nostalgia or ‘80s rock excess, their core stays the same: freedom, mystery, and play. On stage, they blur the line between concert and performance art, transforming every appearance into a cinematic fever dream.
In 2026, La Femme isn’t looking back. They’re still shapeshifting, still provoking, still proving that rock’s wild heart beats strongest when it refuses to behave.
GATA: Hey guys, thank you very much for your time! How does it feel to be back on tour for your newest album, “Rock Machine?”
La Femme: It feels so fucking fun! Every album is a blessing, and we love Rock Machine. It's great to be back with the '80s rock vibe, new wave, mixed with hard rock and machine; the energy is wild.
GATA: For those who may not know you, could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us how you met/how the band was formed?
La Femme: We’re La Femme, a French band that shapeshifts constantly. We met as teenagers making music in basements and bedrooms, slowly adding more friends along the way. The band has always been about freedom, curiosity, vintage lovers, reverb, psychedelic, cold wave, surf, '60s, etc. We have been touring all over the world for sixteen years.
GATA: La Femme is often described as a mystery: a symbol of ‘the woman.’ How do you feel that sense of mystery influences the music you create?
La Femme: Mystery is the best fuel for imagination. “The woman” is not one person, but many faces, many spirits. Sometimes we don’t want to explain everything in our songs, sometimes we do, sometimes mystery is more beautiful, more attractive.
Marlon Magnee & Sam Quealy x GATA @Beatcafe 29.08.25
Photos by @jmssrz
GATA: Marlon, you came to Tokyo and joined us for the event recently. Was it your first time? How was the experience?
Marlon: I love Tokyo! I had the chance to come a few times over the last 10 years, and we played in Astro Hall Harajuku in 2017 with La Femme. It was so good to be back in town and meet with Kato from Beat Café again. This party was one of the best this year!!!! I really loved it, thank you for hosting a legendary party! Viva GATA Magazine!
GATA: And for the rest of you, have you all been to Tokyo as well? How do you feel about the city?
La Femme: The entire crew came in 2017 for one month. It was the best time.
GATA: La Femme’s sound moves between cold wave, surf rock, and psychedelic pop. How do you decide which direction a song will take? Or do you simply let the music guide you?
La Femme: The songs decide for themselves. Sometimes we try to force a style, and it resists. Other times, a melody tells us it wants to be surf, disco, or punk. At the end of the day, we love to change styles but keep our sound. And as we said, we are big vintage lovers, so we love all the old aesthetics, in terms of visuals and music.
GATA: Your work often carries a layer of cultural critique and subtle irony. Beyond just the music, what do you hope people feel when they immerse themselves in the world of La Femme?
La Femme: We want people to feel both pleasure and questioning. You can dance, laugh, or cry. We don’t give lessons; we prefer to create mirrors. We like to be cold, mysterious, and serious, but we also like to be crazy. Don't give a fuck, and let's spread the raw energy. Sometimes, bands are too serious. I understand we need serious bands, but for us, we have to be both.
GATA: Each of your albums feels like entering a new world. What was the guiding vision or concept behind Rock Machine?
La Femme: The vision was to mix machine and rock. We did it naturally, and at the end, it's really interesting cause you can see the two opposite worlds from the ’80s between NEW WAVE and HARD ROCK.
GATA: With Teatro Lúcido, you recorded an entire album in Spanish. What inspired you to take that leap into another language? Did it shift the way you approached songwriting and production?
La Femme: We were spending time in Spain and Latin America, and the Spanish language just seduced us. We had some stories that we really enjoyed. Singing in another language is like wearing a mask; it changes your posture, your phrasing, and even the groove. It opened a new door for us.
GATA: Fashion has always been a strong part of La Femme’s identity. What’s the weirdest or most iconic stage look you’ve ever pulled off?
La Femme: There are so many… Maybe for Beach Goth 2016. I was dressed as a vampire disco travestie, Sacha was dressed as Harry Potter, and Clemence was a medieval princess. But honestly, we have a big list of crazy looks!
GATA: What are your biggest inspirations, whether from music, cinema, art, or elsewhere?
La Femme: Everything. Old French chanson, punk, Krautrock, cinema like Tarantino, Tim Burton, kitsch objects, forgotten B-sides, old gory movies, cold wave, new wave, rockabilly, surf music, psychobilly.
GATA: If you could collaborate with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be, and why?
La Femme: Maybe Daft Punk, Justice, Lou Reed, Bob Marley.
GATA: And finally, what do you want to express more through your music or performances this year?
La Femme: Freedom. Chaos. Love. Everyone can be whatever they want. We want to bring back rock n roll to everyone's lives, make people happy, and make their souls grow.
INTERVIEW AND WORDS BY SEUNGHEE RYU