Oberkampf was first created in 1978 by a bunch of kids who hung around the Gibus, a little concert hall in rue du Faubourg du Temple, a stone’s throw from République. The catalyst was the new music that was coming in the form of 45s from London, primarily the Sex Pistols and the Ramones. Joe Hell, who joined the group in early 1979, remembers: “You really have to put it back in context. In 1977 the music was disco, Genesis, Pink Floyd, the Stones getting old… and the Stones wasn’t my music, it was my big brother’s music. Then, when I saw what they [the Sex Pistols] looked like, I said: “That’s it! That’s what I think!””