Gamines, Les

Websites:  No
Origin: Montréal, Québec, 🇨🇦
Biography:

A rare and powerful entry in Quebec’s 1960s rock history, Les Gamines stand out as one of the few all-female garage bands to emerge from the province’s thriving live circuit. Formed in Montréal, the quartet featured Jo-Ann Barette-Lecouteur (drums), Danny Landriault (guitar), Lison Talbot (guitar), and Mychèle Montreuil (vocals). Each member brought her own regional flavour—hailing from Matane, Sudbury, Sainte-Thérèse-des-Colombiers, and Montréal—and together they toured extensively across Quebec, parts of Ontario, and even into New Brunswick. Their repertoire blended Quebec and French pop with the rawer energy of contemporary American rock.

Their lone single, released on Sonore in 1968 and produced by François Carel, is a gem for collectors and garage-rock devotees alike. The A-side, “Je reviendrai”, is an urgent, minor-key declaration of love and defiance, built on sharp guitar interplay and Montreuil’s commanding vocal delivery. On the flip, “Vis ta vie mon gars” punches harder—bare-bones garage grit with a no-nonsense lyric that matches its stomping beat. Both songs were self-penned by the band, a rarity for the era’s female acts, and showcase an authenticity that sets them apart from the many studio-assembled girl groups of the time.

Les Gamines disbanded in the early ’70s, leaving behind this single as their sole recorded legacy. Today, Je reviendrai b/w Vis ta vie mon gars remains a coveted $150-plus collector’s piece—part artifact of the vibrant Quebec rock scene, part testament to the province’s trailblazing women in music.
-Robert Williston

Mychèle Montreuil: vocals
Lison Talbot: guitar
Danny Landriault: guitar
Jo-Ann Barette-Lecouteur: drums

Written by Les Gamines
Produced by François Carel
Published by Éditions Tournesol