Portuguese rock
Encyclopedia
The Portuguese
rock
scene has a fifty year history, and is popular within that country.
Portugal had a vibrant underground progressive rock
scene in the 1970s, which included bands like Petrus Castrus
(Misterios E Maravilhas), Jose Cid
(10,000 Anos Depois Entre Venus E Marte
) and Tarantula
(Kingdom of Lusitania), the latest being considered by many to be the first metal Portuguese act.
The scene hit mainstream in 1980 with the release of Ar de Rock by Rui Veloso
, which was the first popular Portuguese rock album.
In the 1980s, Veloso's success lead to the creation of several rock and roll bands, which became popular with youths growing up in the post-1974 modernized Portugal. Bands like Táxi
, Heróis do Mar and Trabalhadores do Comércio, solidified the need for a solid rock scene, as they were all ephemeral bands. However, other bands would be luckier.
Xutos & Pontapés
are arguably the biggest success case in the Portuguese rock scene, becoming the first band in the country to celebrate 25 years of career. Their early works had close roots to punk and rockabilly, but later incorporated folk influences into their sound, becoming more diverse. UHF
was another band that started in the early 80s. Visually, they resembled the hard rock
-playing hair band
s that popped up in America and Europe, but, like Xutos, their sound used a lot of folk influences.
Other projects include GNR
, Taxi
and Peste & Sida, which turned to ska
as an inspiration. GNR abandoned ska after two years when they changed vocalists, with more poetic, although nonsensical lyrics, and a bigger use of synth pop sounds.
During the mid 80s, synth pop became even more prevalent in Portuguese rock. Following the success of Sétima Legião
and Heróis do Mar, which were heavily influenced by acts such as Joy Division
and Gary Numan
. Combining the modern synth sounds with lyrics exalting the virtues of Portuguese history, they attracted controversy by being accused of being political reactionaries and supportive of the extinct dictatorial regime. Heróis do Mar disbanded in 1989, but their momentum was taken by other projects, from Rádio Macau to Mler Ife Dada. With each band having their own signature sound, Portuguese rock became very rich, spanning a wide variety of themes, not reaching the homogenisation seen in most English language international projects.
In the end of the 90's, two big bands rose to prominence: Silence 4
, a four-act from Leiria, with lyrics in English, and Ornatos Violeta
, an alternative rock act from Oporto. Both disbanded after the second album, at the turn of the millennium.
The decade starting in 2001 has seen the appearance of some popular groups as Toranja
(Lisbon), Wraygunn
(Coimbra) and Pluto (considered the follow-up to Ornatos Violeta
).
In the late 20th century, Punk Rock has also seen a rising popularity in Portugal. In the beginning of the 90's, bands like Censurados, Peste & Sida (swapped between ska and punk) or Mata-Ratos, helped to revive Portuguese Punk, and inspired more underground acts to thrive. As Censurados disbanded in 1995, their lead singer, João Ribas, went to form the more hardcore-oriented Tara Perdida
, that has now became a serious case of success among Portuguese youth.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
scene has a fifty year history, and is popular within that country.
History
Rock music arrived to Portugal in the late 1950s with Joaquim Costa.Portugal had a vibrant underground progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
scene in the 1970s, which included bands like Petrus Castrus
Petrus Castrus
Petrus Castrus was a Portuguese progressive rock band, formed in 1971 by brothers Pedro Castro and José Castro. The name of band comes from the Latin translation of Pedro Castro.-Influences:...
(Misterios E Maravilhas), Jose Cid
José Cid
José Cid is a Portuguese singer and composer. Outside of his home country, Cid is best known for performing "Um grande, grande amor" at the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 and for the progressive rock album 10,000 Anos Depois Entre Venus E Marte.Over his longlasting career, Cid has been awarded...
(10,000 Anos Depois Entre Venus E Marte
10,000 Anos Depois Entre Venus E Marte
-Personnel:* José Cid: -Personnel:* [[José Cid]]: -Personnel:* [[José Cid]]: [[piano, [[synthesizer]], string ensemble, [[Mellotron]], [[Moog synthesizer]], [[Singing|Vocals]];* Ramon Galarza: [[Drum kit|drums]]...
) and Tarantula
Tarantula (band)
Tarantula is a Portuguese power metal band established in 1981 and ranked as one of the very first power metal bands, that has played concerts in Portugal and Germany...
(Kingdom of Lusitania), the latest being considered by many to be the first metal Portuguese act.
The scene hit mainstream in 1980 with the release of Ar de Rock by Rui Veloso
Rui Veloso
Rui Manuel Gaudêncio Veloso, commonly known as Rui Veloso, CavIH , is a Portuguese rock singer and musician. Regarded as the "father of Portuguese rock", this composer and interpreter had a great impact on the Portuguese music scene with the record Ar de Rock .Songs such as Chico Fininho and A...
, which was the first popular Portuguese rock album.
In the 1980s, Veloso's success lead to the creation of several rock and roll bands, which became popular with youths growing up in the post-1974 modernized Portugal. Bands like Táxi
Taxi
Taxi and similar words may refer to:* Taxicab, for transportation* Taxiing, moving an aircraft on the ground under its own power- Similar words :* Taxis:...
, Heróis do Mar and Trabalhadores do Comércio, solidified the need for a solid rock scene, as they were all ephemeral bands. However, other bands would be luckier.
Xutos & Pontapés
Xutos & Pontapés
Xutos & Pontapés are a Portuguese rock band, who got together in Almada, Portugal in 1978, 4 years after the Carnation Revolution. They started off in the local punk rock scene and set the trend - singing rock tunes in Portuguese...
are arguably the biggest success case in the Portuguese rock scene, becoming the first band in the country to celebrate 25 years of career. Their early works had close roots to punk and rockabilly, but later incorporated folk influences into their sound, becoming more diverse. UHF
UHF (rock band)
UHF is a Portuguese rock band formed in the late 1970s in Almada by António Manuel Ribeiro , Renato Gomes , Carlos Peres and Zé Carvalho ....
was another band that started in the early 80s. Visually, they resembled the hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
-playing hair band
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
s that popped up in America and Europe, but, like Xutos, their sound used a lot of folk influences.
Other projects include GNR
GNR (band)
GNR is a Portuguese band founded in 1981. This band shares its acronym with the Guarda Nacional Republicana and is inseparable from the concept of Portuguese rock. Many years after its creation, numerous recordings show the band's popularity...
, Taxi
Taxi (Portuguese band)
Taxi are a Portuguese rock band, influenced by ska and new wave. Formed in 1979, their first hit was Chicklet", turning them into one of the most successful Portuguese rock bands in the first half of the eighties...
and Peste & Sida, which turned to ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
as an inspiration. GNR abandoned ska after two years when they changed vocalists, with more poetic, although nonsensical lyrics, and a bigger use of synth pop sounds.
During the mid 80s, synth pop became even more prevalent in Portuguese rock. Following the success of Sétima Legião
Sétima Legião
Sétima Legião were a Portuguese rock band active from 1982 when it was formed by friends Pedro Oliveira, Rodrigo Leão and Nuno Cruz until 2000...
and Heróis do Mar, which were heavily influenced by acts such as Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
and Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
. Combining the modern synth sounds with lyrics exalting the virtues of Portuguese history, they attracted controversy by being accused of being political reactionaries and supportive of the extinct dictatorial regime. Heróis do Mar disbanded in 1989, but their momentum was taken by other projects, from Rádio Macau to Mler Ife Dada. With each band having their own signature sound, Portuguese rock became very rich, spanning a wide variety of themes, not reaching the homogenisation seen in most English language international projects.
In the end of the 90's, two big bands rose to prominence: Silence 4
Silence 4
Silence 4 is a Portuguese band, formed in 1996, who mostly sung in English. They released two albums to highly critical acclaim, Silence Becomes It and Only Pain Is Real . The band hasn't officially disbanded, but went on an undetermined hiatus after 2001. Lead singer David Fonseca is currently...
, a four-act from Leiria, with lyrics in English, and Ornatos Violeta
Ornatos Violeta
Ornatos Violeta were a Portuguese alternative rock group whose music included some other influences, such as funk, jazz and ska. The band was formed in the city of Porto....
, an alternative rock act from Oporto. Both disbanded after the second album, at the turn of the millennium.
The decade starting in 2001 has seen the appearance of some popular groups as Toranja
Toranja
Toranja is a Portuguese rock band with a flair for lyrics with a rebellious tone. Their first album "Esquissos" was greeted with some acclaim in Portugal. "Segundo" is the title of their second - and ironically named - album which established Toranja as one of the relevant names of the new...
(Lisbon), Wraygunn
Wraygunn
Wraygunn are a Portuguese band formed in Coimbra, in early 1999. Their music is a mix of rock, soul, gospel and blues. Paulo Furtado says their sound is something like Elvis singing in a space shuttle...
(Coimbra) and Pluto (considered the follow-up to Ornatos Violeta
Ornatos Violeta
Ornatos Violeta were a Portuguese alternative rock group whose music included some other influences, such as funk, jazz and ska. The band was formed in the city of Porto....
).
In the late 20th century, Punk Rock has also seen a rising popularity in Portugal. In the beginning of the 90's, bands like Censurados, Peste & Sida (swapped between ska and punk) or Mata-Ratos, helped to revive Portuguese Punk, and inspired more underground acts to thrive. As Censurados disbanded in 1995, their lead singer, João Ribas, went to form the more hardcore-oriented Tara Perdida
Tara Perdida
Tara Perdida is a Portuguese punk rock band. Composed by 5 members: João Ribas , Ruka , Ganso , Jimmix and Rodrigo , it was originally an underground project, but upon the release of their last album, Lambe-Botas, they have become commercially successful, especially among young generations.Tara...
, that has now became a serious case of success among Portuguese youth.