Martin CircusEvolution Francaise2025 Born Bad Martin Circus was formed in the late '60s by bassist and composer Bob Brault as well as lyricist and multi-brass player Gérard Pisani. Both eclectic and talented personalities, they lived between Paris and various French provinces, constantly moving back and forth. By having their friends Patrick Dietschand and Paul-Jean Borowsky sing in French, Martin Circus invented a whole concept. By summoning figures such as Bluebeard, Asterix, Robert Desnos and Frank Zappa, they infused words with bold, playful references to French poètes maudits and countercultural material. The people who saw them on stage witnessed a dangerous and violent aspect to them. There was screaming, there were challenging lyrics blurted out, the audience was exhorted to face their own dullness. Sometimes an angry mood would run through the set and everybody seemed on edge, making the atmosphere even more electric. In 1973, the Martins were invited to join the huge cast of a musical called La révolution française, alongside young Bashung, Balavoine and Les Charlots. They produced some of the best songs on the record. They were also heard on the credits of the À vous de jouer Milord series, which they cowrote with François de Roubaix. Their music blended doo-wop and rockabilly with glam rock and funk music. They eventually hit disco when starring in a really bad, corny film called Les bidasses en vadrouille, which was first intended for Les Charlots. Vogue label president Léon Cabat and his lieutenant Gérard Hugé harbored dreams of greatness for their band. They commissioned a new disco album sung in English. Only three musicians were left in charge, who heavily resorted to some Bee Gees/Village People-aesthetics. Unfortunately, at the time, the disco wave was coming to an end. As the '80s arrived, Martin Circus once again changed the way they looked and their style. Inspired by Devo and their cold dance music, by Buggles' synthpop and Plastic Bertand's postpunk, the three of them crafted a highly modern album, in which Gérard Pisani returned as a lyricist and a saxophone player. As inspired as ever, he wrote genuine punchlines for lyrics, managing to encapsulate and reveal, here and there in just a few words, what was the epitome of the early decade. Despite a few revival attempts without him, the band eventually really came to an end. Throughout their career full of ups and downs, Martin Circus nonetheless managed to keep up with one stable element: contrary to what they seemed, the musicians never took the easy way out.
