The band was formed in 1998 by Detroit native and Brooklyn transplant, Bill Carney, dubbed Clermont Ferrand after the industrial city in central France.

[2] The band made its debut in April 1998, at Freddy's Back Room, a neighborhood bar in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

[3] The original lineup was singer-frontman Ferrand, vocalists Kit Kat Le Noir and Gigi Soleil, drummer Albert Camembert, bassist Jean Luc Retard, keyboardist Beau Pantalons, and guitarist Luc Panatalons - aka Le Marquis!.

Its current line-up consists of vocalists Clermont Ferrand, Kit Kat Le Noir and Brigitte Bourdeaux, along with drummer Jacques Strappe, guitarist, Jean L'Effete, bassist, M. Pomme-Frite, and keyboard player, Benoit Bals.

[4] In July 2009 the band played its first ever shows in France, performing at La Feline and L'Opa Bastille in Paris and at the 18th annual Festival des Musiques d'ici et d'ailleurs in Châlons-en-Champagne.