Pleymo, a six-piece from Fontainebleau (a well-to-do town just outside Paris) got together in 1997. Their first release was a four-track CD – of which a mere 500 copies were pressed, but two years later Pleymo went on to record their first album, Keçkispasse? Meanwhile, the group continued to build their wild and noisy reputation on the live scene, performing gigs at smaller more obscure venues where they soon amassed a cult following – and burst a few eardrums in the process! Pleymo's fame spread like wildfire, largely on a word-of-mouth basis, and before long major record labels started picking up on the Pleymo buzz. Indeed, convinced that the "Fontaineblow" six had enormous commercial potential, several major labels launched a bidding war to sign the "next heavy metal big thing". But in the end it was Sony/Epic who won the day.

"Epic offered us a budget on our scale and we knew we could make a decent album with it," explains Pleymo's DJ, Franck, "To be honest, Epic weren't offering the best financial deal but they took us for what we are. They didn't want to change us in any way. They just turned round and said "OK, be yourselves, be Pleymo with everything you've got in your guts!" And these days there's much more than a motivated team behind us. We get solid support from our record company." Having consistently refused to be pigeon-holed in any neat musical category, Pleymo took more than a few fans by surprise when they chose Fabrice Leyni (French rap outfit NTM's producer) to mastermind the recording of Medecine Cake. And the result is a Molotov cocktail of throbbing bass, razor-sharp guitars and knife-edge vocals wild enough to rival the best American groups. Pleymo, the spiritual sons of No One Is Innocent, Mass Hysteria and Lofofora prove that France's "hard-core generation are here and we're ready to take over!"

In fact, France's thriving heavy metal/hip hop scene is fuelled by a veritable posse - Team Nowhere – made up of groups such as Pleymo, Enhancer and Aqme. Taking their cue from the militant spleen and anger of the rap world, this tribe rails against society, via the same music and the same hard-hitting lyrics. "Our working mantra revolves around giving one another mutual support and keeping a permanent state of open-mindedness," explains Franck, "People should realise that if you're prepared to throw some energy into things you can make a hell of a lot happen on your own. At the end of the day it's a question of maintaining your willpower and curiosity. It's culture that pushes everything forward!"

France's young up-and-coming generation, bred on a diet of manga, junk-food, skateboarding and new technology, appear to have adopted Pleymo as their mouthpiece for teen issues. But the group reject any idea that there might be any kind of political slant to their work. "Basically, our message is that there are lots of things that could be done in France," says Franck, "Kids shouldn't feel everything needs to be wiped out – and they shouldn't let their minds get fucked over by crap TV shows like Star Academy either. But inculcating kids with political ideas is not our role. The way we see it, it's all a question of respect. We believe in leaving it up to individuals to decide which road they want to go down. Our role is to get up there and party and entertain everyone, you know, to inject a bit of magic and energy into things."

Pleymo, the alternative rock ambassadors

Pleymo’s explosive mix comes particularly alive on stage with the Fontainebleau six in their techni-coloured jumpsuits leaping around creating a whirling vortex of sound. Audience participation is actively encouraged – indeed, Pleymo fans need little urging to pogo away to Pleymo classics like Braveheart! And the group have developed their own technique for whipping audiences into a frenzy, dividing the crowd in two, working them up to fever pitch then screaming out a final countdown before they launch the two groups against one another! Meanwhile, vivid Manga-style cartoon images play across giant video screens backstage, adding to the riot of colour and sound. These Manga-style graphics, created by the group themselves (who all happen to be talented graphic designers as well as musicians), also liven up the group’s videos and album covers. (As any modern urban tribe knows, identity is affirmed through one’s own graphic codes and music simply wouldn’t exist without the image!)

After having conquered France with an onslaught of vibrant stage shows, Pleymo now have their ambitious sights set on world domination. Yes, fans, after Europe it’s Japan! Caught up in the tornado whirl of their lightning rise to fame, Franck admits the group have not really had time to take stock of their new star status yet. "The way things are at the moment, our heads are stuck right into things. It's difficult to get the necessary distance, you know, stand back and be aware of the extent of the phenomenon. The tour kicked off the moment the album came out and we noticed phenomenon. The tour kicked off the moment the album came out and we noticed that the small clubs, then the medium-size clubs and soon the really big venues were all filing up most of the time. But even though it's phenomenal to be able to make a name for ourselves outside France, it’s like we’re living in a dream right now. All we've really been able to take in so far is the fantastic welcome fans have given us everywhere."

After having kicked off their career by making their name on the live scene in France, Pleymo now look set to expand beyond national frontiers via the same route. "In Germany," says Franck, "We managed to get ourselves on tour with an American band. It's like here we are these little Frenchies sharing the support spot with a major band. I must admit audiences do look a bit bemused when we first come out on stage with our bright red and green jumpsuits. You can see them thinking "What the hell's going on here?"… But we put our all into it! And when you see the guys who'd looked so sceptical at the start slam-dancing during the set and clapping and cheering at the end, you feel great, you know you've won the day! It's like our different approach and our French background, the four years we've spent touring and all the buzz that's built up around us in the meantime are finally paying off… although I have to say it's still one hell of a challenge!"