Punk Globe: Give the readers some background on Hope  Is A Joke, like where you are in France. Who is in the band, and what do they play in the band?

David: Hope is a Joke is a rock/noise/stoner quartet based near Toulouse in the south of France. The band was formed in 2021, but the solid and joyful team playing today has existed since 2023: Eloïse (bass) Quentin (guitar) Nicolas (drums), and I, David, (guitar, vocals, compositions).

Punk Globe: Tell us how you came up with Hope Is A Joke as a band name.

David: The name came from a song I wrote in 2019 called “Bad Joke,” which is available on our first album. The chorus lyrics say, “Hope is a joke/hope is a rope/expectations are hoaxes,” set to a rather melodic mood. This tension between word meanings and melody was exactly the vibe I wanted to create with this project.

Also, the ecological and political situation, the rise of liberal and illiberal authoritarianism around the world, increasingly disastrous, selling happiness while depriving freedom, controlling and destroying the Earth, doesn’t inspire much hope. The best way for me to psychologically cope with this dystopian present has been to ridicule it, to laugh at it… to distance myself from it with irony. And laughter gives you the strength to fight.

Punk Globe: Who are the band’s musical inspirations?

David: I could easily cite Refused and their album “The Shape of Punk to Come”, as well as tracks by Queens of the Stone Age, The Hives, Converge, MC5, Fu Manchu… even if our music doesn’t quite resemble these influences, they are constitutive of my shitty guitar playing.

Punk Globe: Tell us about the punk scene in France.

David: There are many great underground rock bands in France, and there are also plenty of small clubs and alternative venues offering concerts. However, the situation has become more difficult in many cities for underground venues due to political reasons. Only big festivals seem to be growing… Control, control… Like many bands in the scene, we don’t make any money from the band. We just don’t lose any, and we have a lot of fun.

Punk Globe: Are you signed to a label and your releases? Does the band tour?

David: We self-produced our first album (Mind Your Head) and the 4-track EP (Hard to Handle). We are part of the production collective La Gran’Dame, based in the south of France. This collective includes several artists, projects, a recording studio, and a way, a sound, and a vision of how to create and produce. We continue to tour this spring and summer while composing and arranging new songs.

Punk Globe: I have seen some of your videos on YouTube.Do you have a YouTube channel?

David: You can watch our releases on YouTube – @hopeisajoke – and you can stream both albums we made.

Punk Globe: Can  you give some internet addresses  for the readers to get updates and contact  Hope Is A Joke 

David: The ones I like:
https://hopeisajoke.bandcamp.com/
https://mastodon.social/@Hopeisajoke
https://www.la-gran-dame.fr/hope-is-a-joke/

The ones that fuck with your brain:
https://www.facebook.com/hopeisabadjoke
https://www.instagram.com/hopeisabadjoke/

Punk Globe: What is in store for Hope Is A Joke in the future?

David: We are working on a new album, which we will record this summer and release in the second half of 2025, streaming and maybe on vinyl if we win the lottery…

Punk Globe: Any last words for Punk  Globe readers?

David: Unite and destroy liberalism. Thanks for reading. Thanks to Punk Globe