Kicking up a bigger and badder sound than one would reasonably expect from a two-piece band, Magnetix have earned a richly deserved reputation as one of the wildest garage punk acts in France. Hailing from Bordeaux, Magnetix was formed in 1998 by guitarist and vocalist Looch Vibrato (aka Stephane Loustalot) and drummer Aggy Sonora (aka Agnes Lestorte). Vibrato had previously worked with the groups Catchers, Complications, and Hero X's. Initially influenced by '60s garage rock, freakbeat, and surf music, Vibrato began aiming for a more radical sound after listening to Joy Division gave him an entryway into punk and new wave music. Perfecting a uniquely heavy guitar sound by using two amps, Vibrato initially formed Magnetix as a quartet, with him and Sonora joined by Easy Boy on guitar and A. Burners on bass. But by the time the group cut their first album, 2002's Magnetic Reaction, Magnetix were a lean and mean duo of Vibrato and Sonora, and they stayed that way for 2003's Flash EP. The pair collaborated with King Custer McCarthy for 2005's Just Me … My Pleasure and I, but returned to the classic two-person lineup for their self-titled 2007 LP. Positively Negative followed in 2009, and 2011 brought Drogue Electrique. In 2016, Vibrato and Sonora teamed up with synthesizer player Antoine Quincerot (from Catholic Spray) for Azimut, a project released under the name Avenue Z. In 2017, Magnetix were back in traditional noisy form for Live in San Francisco, a concert document recorded by John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees and Castle Face Records. ~ Mark Deming