Fléau – brutal oi!/street punk/hardcore from Lyon – started out as a covid project, but with their first EP from March 2021 (Fléau) they gained international attention. In 2025, they released their second self-titled EP (s/t), which includes new songs as well as tracks from their debut and a cover. With a dark medieval visual aesthetic and a simple yet explosive sound, the band is gearing up for a European tour at the turn of September and October 2025. Their music and the mystery surrounding the band caught our attention, so we interviewed them for you. Speaking on behalf of the band was Slapos – let’s get into it.

Let’s start with the classics. How did Fléau come together and why „Fléau“ (Scoff, Scourge)?

Fléau came to life during the Covid pandemic. Fléau is a french word that can be used to define an event, person or object that is a menace to the rest of its environment.
It could be a weapon, a bad human or a disease like the plague. It suited us.

How would you describe your musical identity to someone who has never heard you?

We’re trying to make a simple but impactful music. If you like punk rock, hardcore, oi, Fléau might be something for you.

Was there a clear medieval and war aesthetic from the beginning, or did that come later?

We’ve had this medieval aesthetic from the start. Fléau wasn’t made to tour, it was just a fun Covid project. So wearing medieval helmets looked like a cool idea at the time. Then we started playing shows and I guess these helmets are glued to us now.

How did you get into the oi/punk scene? Can you tell me what it was that grabbed you and pulled you in. And what kept you going for years?

We’ve all played in punk bands before Covid. Our first guitar player, Simon, was the main oi guy in the band. He left us to start the really good Claimed Choice, I think that speaks for itself.
Screamos is now the biggest oi enthusiast in the band. I’m more a fan of melodic bands like Cock Sparrer, The Chisel, Bishops Green, The Enforcers, Cuir, Lion’s Law, Puffer… For me the high hat does it. What kept us going is that people seem to like us enough to ask Fléau to play shows. We’re having a good time doing this as a band so why not keep doing it?

Are you influenced by the French punk/Oi! scene or more by foreign things? Which bands or genres have shaped you the most, and what do you take from them?

I’d say we are influenced by good bands no matter where they’re from. We are lucky to have great bands in France like Lion’s Law, Syndrome 81, Cuir, Cran, Komintern Sect, Rixe… I guess we’re trying to reach the simple but efficient side of oi with the brutality of hardcore. When we write a song and one of us says it’s almost too much, it means we’re onto something good.

The French punk/Oi! scene seems big and lively from the outside, are you in contact with other bands or are you more of a lone wolf? What is it like in Lyon where you live?

The french scene is cool and exciting indeed. Lyon is hometown to excellent bands like Claimed Choice, the Scaners, Videoflip, Bongo Kids, Lùlù,… Since Covid there are less venues in the city center but beside this downer, we’re still a city touring bands come to play. For now we are more into lone wolves as Fléau, we only played a handful of shows. But beside what you might think of us, we smile sometimes.

What should someone who likes oi!, punk and beer definitely not miss in Lyon?

Shows at le Trokson, le Groom or Warmaudio
Drinks at La Torpille or Le Trokson
Dangerhouse Records
and all the other tourist classic shit, this is a beautiful city.

I read in an interview with your band that if you could make one thing disappear from Lyon, it would be the Nazis. I ask because I’ve been through a lot of this shit myself, but it was many years ago. Is this a current problem? Is there a real physical confrontation going on in the streets?

Lyon has a reputation of being a right wing city, with far right being active, especially among Lyon football fans. To be honest it’s been a while since I’ve witnessed one of these assholes being a threat at a punk show. Hopefully they all died! They are still some right/left oppositions during protests but in day to day life, I think it’s not as it used to be.

Most of your lyrics have medieval, war and apocalyptic motifs – why these images? Do you also talk about the contemporary world through these metaphors? If so, what exactly?

We use a medieval imagery but these songs can be applied to all eras of human history. I think it made sense for us to go back to more violent times for Fléau’s music. We don’t have any hope for the human race.

 

What is the process of writing lyrics – first the music and then the words, or vice versa? Is there a text that is the most important to you personally and what do you feel about it?

We write the music first then Screamos write lyrics on top of it. „Dans la Nuit“ is the song that impacts me the most. The lyrics are less obvious than the other Fléau songs and the inner demon theme speaks to me.

Are you inspired by real history, or rather fiction and legends? Are these specific stories or is it mainly a gloomy medieval atmosphere?

We try not to use specific dates or stories that could be used by fascists not in the way we intended. We’re inspired by real events. Violence from the middle ages is a great source of inspiration for us.

How did you come up with the idea of using the Polish film Krzyżacy from 1960 for the video clip?

To be honest, it wasn’t intentional. We wanted to use a movie with great battle scenes and we found it on a Zmovies website. We didn’t do our homework on the movie before releasing the video clip. Now we know better!

What is the meaning of the medieval helmets you wear on stage? Is your image supposed to enhance the music, or does it have its own, separate message? Or is it just fun?

The idea was to have some mystery around the band. We wanted to look mean and strict. I guess people tend to focus more on the music and how it makes you feel when you can’t identify who’s making it. We aim to be disturbing enough so it enhances the music.

Do any of you take history seriously, I mean at work or something?

No, none of us are smart enough to do so. We try our best.

Now let’s move on to your recordings. In your opinion, what is the difference between the first and second EPs? How has your approach to recording changed between 2021 and 2025?

We had a line-up change between the first and second EPs. We wrote the skeleton of the 2nd EP songs with Simon but when Pierre joined the band, he arranged a lot of the music. Most of us are touring technicians/musicians so after Covid we had a lot of work to catch up on. Recording the second EP took us almost a year. We have a steady line-up since early 2025 and we’re working on a new record. The songs will be a bit different from the previous records but we still keep the same musical approach of being simple but brutal, always.

Where would you like to take your sound next?

Our records sound great. We’ll keep on digging in that direction.

The last song on the second EP is a cover – La Noble Cause by Uncommon Men From Mars. Why this song, what does it mean to you?

UMFM was a band that 3/4 of Fléau’s first line-up worked for as touring techs. When Kicking Rds did a tribute record to UMFM, we felt that we had to cover a song, as a thank you. We don’t forget about our brothers in arms.

The inevitable question. What are your plans for further recordings? And are you planning a big album or do you think it’s better to continue releasing smaller formats?

Fléau is not the main thing in our lives. We are busy people so we try to make the most of it. There’s no point for us in waiting years to make a big album. Smaller formats is the way to go for a band like us. We do have one new record in the making and we hope to have it out soon enough!

What does playing in a band mean to you personally – is it fun, escape, outlet, or fight?

Playing in a band like Fléau means getting out of your comfort zone and shoving it into people’s faces. Just do it.

What do you think is the biggest „Fleau“ in the world lately? Do current events inspire you to create?

I can only speak for myself because every one of us would give you a different answer. For me, the human race has been the biggest fléau for a long time. We are a constant source of inspiration in terms of horrors and mistakes. We never disappoint.

How does playing in Fléau translate into your daily life?

At the end of 2025, Fléau will have played 23 shows in 14 months. This is a hobby for us.
No one knows what we look like so we can go on to fight our daily battles as unknown soldiers. We just need to make sure we polish our helmets to avoid being rusted as fuck for the next show.

And almost to the end. Do you have a question that you would like to answer that no one has asked you?

No one ever asked us how to pronounce Fléau. It’s funny to talk to non french speaking people about it. They usually can’t pronounce it.

And we are done. Please give our readers a major message.

Get out there, grind the bastards and make sure they won’t be able to wreck havoc again.

Discography:
Fléau EP (Contra records, Red Scare, Pressure, 2021)
Fléau LP (Contra Records, 2025)

Instagram: https://1url.cz/VJTLa

Bandcamp: https://1url.cz/EJTL3

Facebook: https://1url.cz/TJTLV