“Cebola Mol” (which translates beautifully to “Soggy Onion”) are a legendary Portuguese musical comedy duo. Think two parts musical genius, three parts absolute chaos.
The pair consists of Phil Stardust (the stage name for a chap named Filipe Homem Fonseca) and Eddie Stardust (the equally glam-rock alias of Eduardo Madeira). These guys became notorious for their ridiculously catchy, hilarious songs and an on-stage vibe that was basically two steps short of a full-blown riot.
Their big break was pure comedy gold. They were “discovered” by the radio host Nuno Markl for his show O Homem que Mordeu o Cão (The Man Who Bit the Dog). Markl’s official story? He just “found them hanging around outside the studio.” You know, as one does with future comedy stars.
Even though they first blew up on the radio and became early internet sensations (before that was even really a thing), they actually conned EMI into giving them a record deal, releasing Samba Roulotte in 2001. They followed that up in 2003 with Android Polaroid.
A huge part of their legend was built on their live shows. They were kings of the Queimas das Fitas (the massive, messy student festivals) and became staple acts on the stand-up show Levanta-te e Ri (Get Up and Laugh).
Then, in classic rockstar fashion, they announced their glorious return in 2009 with a massive gig at the Lisbon Casino… which they cheekily titled “O fim dos Cebola Mol” (The End of Cebola Mol). Everyone thought it was a dramatic farewell tour. Nope. It was just the name of their new album. Brilliant.
They pulled another fast one in 2011, dropping a free album called… wait for it… “Novo Disco” (New Album). It was packed with new stuff and some weird, wonderful remixes of their old hits.
Basically, they’re the weird, brilliant uncles of Portuguese comedy music.
