Four bright red walls frame the studio of Samuel Sprent and Simon Quénéa, PAMELA’s “full time” members. Synths, drums, guitars and amps crowd the backdrop, feeding into a central computer that’s always recording. In between musical projects that take them further afield, the pair flock back to this familiar space to touch base on experiences they’ve gathered on the road. When inspiration hits, Simon crafts the instrumentals, and Sam responds with the topline. Most artists and bands can take days, months or even years to conjure up a track they want to release into the world. For this Franco-British duo, spontaneity is their sweet spot, bashing out thirty demos across thirty days.
Their sound is instinctive, bringing to mind a blend of LCD Soundsystem and The Cure, and each track needs only a few sessions before it’s ready to cruise into the French music scene. Their raw feel and idiosyncratic textures point towards a duo that strives for authenticity over perfection, resulting in a sound underscored by the gritty nature of human life.
It’s rare for a band to see success like PAMELA’s so early in their days. It’s likely due to a combination of the pair operating like clockwork, complimented by decades immersed in the music industry. Jersey-born Sam grew up in rural France from the age of ten, spending most of his early teens in a place where pastimes were limited to football and drinking. It was here he found a friend with a guitar and took up singing, before starting his own indie rock band at fifteen. The next decade was spent touring France and Europe – as did Simon, separately, in his electronic dance band.
A series of ad hoc events brought the two together, culminating in PAMELA’s take off. Simon, who knew of Sam through the wider music social scene, was feeling at a loss with some more personal tracks that didn’t gel with his band. That phone call to Sam – asking him to collaborate on a new style of music – began an electric bond, blending both their specialities into the niche sound of PAMELA.
The duo took off faster than either expected. Within a year of touring they were selling out shows and playing at prominent French festivals such as the Festival les Vieilles Charrues in Brittany and the Rock en Seine in Paris. They landed several opening slots for Zaho de Sagazan – a sensation in the French music scene, winning awards and performing at major events such as the Paris Olympics last year. These arena tours, across France and overseas, were either sold out, or completely rammed.
Performing in front of these crowds was an adrenaline-fuelled dream come true. Simon, his eyes bright, described the sensation as pure happiness. Even after years of touring with other bands, Sam revealed that performing in front of these crowds every night was an entirely new kettle of fish. “I love having everything to prove,” he vocalised. “We’re a new band, lots of people don’t know us. We have the job of opening up for a big act, making people dance, and getting the party started.” Just like the process of creating their tracks, performing seems equally instinctive, and PAMELA seamlessly charges up crowds with their electrifying sets.
Offstage, there’s plenty happening behind the scenes. Each track goes through the hands of their producer, Pierre Cheguillaume, the mastermind at the helm of Zaho de Sagazan’s sound. “I’d say he’s the third member of PAMELA,” Sam explained. “He’s not into photos or playing live, but he’s a really important part of the project.” Guillaume Ménard is considered the fourth member, bringing the band to life with tongue-in-cheek visuals. Sam chuckled as he described his unique character. “He’s ten years younger than us,” he said, “and he can act his age. But he can also act like an old, old man.” His crazy creative projects have led him down rabbit holes, such as painting PAMELA into dog form for the ‘On the Chin’ album cover, or carving miniature synthesisers that appear in the ‘Focused’ music video, complete with keys, buttons, knobs and sliders.
Light-hearted humour and emotion characterise the band that are taking France by storm. The excitement that carries them from place to place is as contagious in conversation as it is on stage. Now established on the mainland, they hope to spread their sound further afield, to a place where their music “touches people’s hearts as well as their feet.” Having played at UK festivals such as The Great Escape in Brighton and the LIDO Festival in London this summer, PAMELA are keen to hit up some more English-speaking venues next year, Jersey’s music scene included. “We love festivals, and our music goes down really well,” Sam affirmed. “They’re just full of people who want to dance.”
