Leading lights of the French alternative and anti-folk scenes, Les Ogres de Barback were formed in 1994 by a group of multi-instrumentalist siblings from Jouy-le-Moutier whose parents are of Armenian origin. Singer/accordionist/guitarist Fred Burguière, violinist/trumpeter Sam Burguière, cellist/double bassist Alice Burguière, and her twin, pianist/reedist Mathilde Burguière poured their interests in French chanson and literature, Eastern European folk, '80s alternative music, and other sonic styles into a diverse musical soup that resulted in their debut 1997 LP, Rue du Temps. The follow-up, Irfan, Le Héros, came two years later. Another three albums emerged in the early '00s, including 2003's La Pittoresque Histoire de Pitt'Ocha, before the group scored a hit with the 2004 concept album Terrain Vague. A year later, Fred Burguière branched off into solo territory for his first release without the group, Fredo Chante Renaud, while a live band release, Avril et Vous, surfaced in 2006. Les Ogres de Barback continued to put out albums periodically and in 2015 marked their 20th anniversary with the double live album 20 Years!. Four years later, they went to number 22 in France with Amours Grises & Colères Rouges and released the fourth volume of their children-oriented Pitt Ocha series, Pitt Ocha et le Vélo à Propulsion Phonique, in 2022. This same year saw the integration of a new family member with the arrival of Léo Burguière for the tour with La Rue Kétanou, which was the subject of the live album Tous en Commun !, released in 2025.