Noir Désir is a French rock band founded in Bordeaux, in 1985 by singer Bertrand Cantat, drummer Denis Barthe, guitarist Serge Teyssot-Gay, and bassist Frédéric Vidalenc (replaced in 1996 by Jean-Paul Roy). Over the years, they became very famous in France, releasing albums every few years.
Punk
Noir Désir's second album, released in 1990, introduced punk rock elements. This continued with their next album, "Tostaky".
Fame
When Noir Désir released "666.667 Club" in 1996, the band really had risen to fame. They carried on releasing albums until disaster struck.
Death
Bertrand Cantat had travelled to Lithuania in 2003 with his girlfriend Marie Trintignant for a film shoot, which Trintignant was to star in. On July 27 Marie Trintignant was found badly injured. She died on August 1 and Cantat was placed in custody and charged with her murder. All the band's plans were cancelled at once. His trial is due to start in Vilnius, Lithuania before the end of 2003.