Laval, France

Formed by brothers Nicolas and Frederic Boisnard, Archimède began combining French rock & roll with elements of classic British pop in 2004. Based in Laval, a tiny riverside village in northwestern France, the band spent its early years touring the country before returning home to record an album in 2008. Released one year later, the self-titled debut began attracting an international audience thanks to its lead single, "Vilaine Canaiile," whose music video revolved around clever re-creations of classic album covers. With growing fan bases in the U.K., Germany, Australia, and Asia, Archimède returned to the studio for a second album, Trafalgar, which was released by Sony in 2011. ~ Andrew Leahey