Aqui D’El Rock

A dance group called Osiris, formed by four members living in Lisbon, became one of the first punk music groups in Portugal: Aqui d’El Rock.

His first performance as Aqui d’El Rock took place at the Pavilhão do Clube Atlético de Campo de Ourique in 1978. This concert featured groups Elo, Hosanna, Perspectiva and Aqui d’El Rock.

Plutónicos were also announced, but due to health problems of one of their members they were unable to perform. This Rock Festival was commented on in the press with titles such as “Um Festival em Caco(s)”, due to a series of incidents related to it, including an attempted stage invasion by another punk group, Faíscas, who They couldn’t play any of their songs.

Aqui d’El Rock were formed by Alfredo (guitarist, philosophy professor), JC Serra (drummer, warehouse worker), Fernando Gonçalves (bassist, designer) and Óscar Martins (vocalist, economics student). Very famous at the time, Aqui d’El Rock went to several festivals and played at several proms, in addition to playing in the first part of what became known as the debut of punk rock in Portugal, through Eddie And The Hot Rods.

They also played at UHF’s live debut, together with Minas & Armadilhas and Faíscas, at Brown’s nightclub, in Lisbon, a subject that António Manuel Ribeiro would focus on in the theme “O Primeiro Concerto”, from the album “69 Stereo”, by UHF. Despite being associated with punk, they did not cut their hair, did not wear lady pins stuck in their mouths and did not display Nazi symbols, as some groups in the movement did, especially in England, in order to shock good consciences.

Their sound was rude, raw and pure, in the style of “3 chords and move on”. They were the first punk group to get a record deal and record the songs “Ha Que Violentar O Sistema”, “Quero Tudo”, “Eu Não Sei” and “Dedicado… A Quem nos Rouba”, which will remain in history forever. of Portuguese Rock as they were the first songs by a punk group recorded in Portugal (remember that Faíscas, despite having influences in the musical world, never managed to record any song on record).

The group was on the cover of “Rock em Portugal” magazine (the only magazine dedicated exclusively to the Lusitanian rock phenomenon) and appeared in publications such as the late “Música & Som”. The band didn’t last long. The punk phenomenon did not have much traction in Portugal, and it was at a time when the symphonic rock of Tantra (whose leader, Manuel Cardoso, called big-eared musicians Aqui d’El Rock because they had no musical training) attracted crowds.