Le Gop

French folk rock band Le Gop were originally formed in 1989 to play at a festival in the suburbs of Paris. The original line up featured no less than 10 musicians. It was from their greatness of number they derived their name - Le Grand Orchestra Parisien, or Le Gop in shorthand. However, as their numbers decreased they moved from concentrating on authentic traditional dances to improvising their own material, albeit usually based still on elements of those same dances. The group, led by guitarist and founder Michel Le Cam, feature hurdy gurdy and fiddle in addition to more familiar rock elements, and include former members of both Malicorne and Ti Jaz. Their 1994 debut album confirmed the promise shown on several European tours, with original songs such as ‘Nuit De Gala’ and ‘Rendezvous’ encouraging a positive critical response.