The Clã are a Portuguese musical group formed by Fernando Gonçalves, Hélder Gonçalves, Manuela Azevedo, Miguel Ferreira, Pedro Biscaia and Pedro Rito in 1992.
1992-1995
The Clã were formed in November 1992 by the hand of Hélder Gonçalves (piccolo bass and vocals), who summoned Miguel Ferreira (keyboards and vocals), Pedro Biscaia (keyboards), Pedro Rito (bass), Fernando Gonçalves (drums) and Manuela Azevedo (vocals). They spent the following year rehearsing and preparing songs.
In 1994 they started with live performances and in 1995 they signed a record contract with EMI-Valentim de Carvalho, starting that same year recording their debut album.
1996-2000
The debut album, “LusoQUALQUERcoisa”, is released on February 14, 1996, counting the alignment of this first work with 13 original songs and also versions of “Give Peace a Chance” by John Lennon and “Donna Lee” by Charlie Parker. The singles “Pois É” and “Novas Babilónias” are extracted from this album.
In April 1997, they performed in the auditorium of Antena 3 a show consisting of “acoustic versions” of the songs from the CD “LusoQUALQUERcoisa”. In this concert they count on the participation of the singer Maria João in the interpretation of a version of the theme “Pois É”.
The second album, “Kazoo”, is quickly recorded in three weeks during 1997 and released on the 15th of September of that year. Again with the production of Mário Barreiros and Carlos Tê (this time responsible for all the lyrics), this work presents twelve new songs and a version of “I’m Free” by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The singles “GTI (Gentle, Tall & Intelligent)”, “Problema de Expressão” and “Sem Freio” were chosen from this album. With “Kazoo”, the Clã begin a tour of more than two years, with more than 100 shows in Portugal, with the right of passage through Macau and Brazil.
The project “Afinidades”, a show commissioned by Expo’98 and with the participation of Sérgio Godinho, premiered in September 1998. In January 1999 it is presented in Porto, in three sold-out nights at the Rivoli theater.
In 1999 they participated in the tribute album to Xutos & Pontapés – “XX Anos XX Bandas”, with the version of the theme “Conta-me Histórias”, chosen as the first single of this collection.
2000 – 2004
“Lustro” was released on May 22, 2000. This work features the collaboration of lyricists such as Sérgio Godinho, Manel Cruz (from Ornatos Violeta) and the Brazilian Arnaldo Antunes, as well as the continuation of Carlos Tê in most of the lyrics. “Dançar na Corda Bamba”, the first single taken from this record, is a great success from this record. If “Kazoo” had confirmed the promise, “Lustro” ensured the band’s recognition by critics and the public. In September of the same year “O Sopro do Coração” is chosen as the second single from the album.
They participate in “Ar de Rock – 20 anos later”, a tribute album to Rui Veloso and the album “Ar de Rock”, with a recreation of the theme “Bairro do Oriente”.
On the 4th of December, the Clã give their first concert, in their own name, at the Aula Magna, with the special participation of Manuel Cruz, Nuno Rafael, Maria João & Mário Laginha and Adolfo Luxúria Canibal (from Mão Morta).
In December, “Lustro” was awarded the Gold Record. “H2Omem”, with lyrics by Arnaldo Antunes, is released as the third single.
In March 2001, they participated in the “Come Together” tribute to the Beatles. “A Hard Days Night, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide” are the themes performed by the Clan.
On the 13th of May of the same year, they traveled to Cannes to participate in the show that took place after the official screening of the film “Vou para Casa” by Manoel de Oliveira.
The group participates in the 2001 edition of the Vilar de Mouros Festival. On the 30th of October, on the occasion of Porto 2001, the concert film “Nosferatu” with the group’s soundtrack is premiered at Teatro Rivoli. In December 2001, the album “Afinidades” was released, recorded in the 1999 concerts at Teatro Rivoli. The record quickly reaches the gold record award.
The album “Lustro” was released in France on January 22, 2002, followed by a performance by the band at the Sala “Le Divan du Monde”, in Paris, at the invitation of the Cap Magellan Association. On the 27th of June, the Clã performed in Bordeaux, as part of the “Bordeaux Fête Le Vin” Festival program and the following day, at Sala Razzmatazz, in Barcelona.
In 2003, more precisely on the 27th of February, the group presented in Lisbon, at Fórum Lisboa, the concert film “Música Para Nosferatu”, in front of a sold-out room! Meanwhile, they participate in Sérgio Godinho’s album “Irmão do Meio”, released in April, with a new version of “Dancemos No Mundo”.
2004-2006
The album “Rosa Carne” was released on May 3, 2004. The first single is the song “Competência Para Amar” with lyrics by Carlos Tê. The songs on the album are by Hélder Gonçalves, who co-produced the album with Mário Barreiros and also wrote the lyrics for “Pas de Deux”. The other lyrics are by Carlos Tê, Sérgio Godinho, Arnaldo Antunes, Adolfo Luxúria Canibal, Regina Guimarães and John Ulhoa (a member of the Brazilian band Pato Fu).
On the 26th of November, the group presents the album “Rosa Carne” at the Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval, in Sintra, with the participation of Arnaldo Antunes and Paulo Furtado.
The double CD “Vivo” was released in October 2005. The disc includes recordings made at the Aula Magna concerts (on December 4th, 2000), Hard Club (February 28th and March 1st, 2001), Queima das Fitas do Porto (6 April 2001) and Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval (26 November 2004). A limited edition bonus DVD with footage taken from the group’s “private” video library was also released.
The group’s first DVD entitled “Gordo Segredo”, released in October, includes the recording of the concert held in the Grand Auditorium of the Olga Cadaval Cultural Center, in Sintra.
In 2006, the book “Curioso Clã” was published with the group’s lyrics and text by journalist Nuno Galopim. This year the group operates in France, Brazil, Spain and Macau. The group makes a version of the theme “Tortura de Amor” by the Brazilian Waldick Soriano for the compilation “Eu Não Sou Cachorro Muito”. Also in 2006, Objecto Cardíaco published the book «As Letras como Poesia» by Vitorino Almeida Ventura, which deals with the lyrics of Carlos Tê for the first three albums of Clã, republished in 2009 by Afrontamento.
2007-2009
The group returns in 2007 with the album “Cintura”, released on October 1st. The first single is “Tira a Teima” with the collaboration of Paulo Furtado.
Two years after the release of “Cintura”, and after the national tour, the band bet on internationalization. They were present at the South by Southwest festival in Texas. Also in 2009, “Cintura” was launched in Spain with an adaptation of the song “Sexto Andar” into Spanish: “Sexto Piso”. That same year, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo wrote: “‘Cintura’ is a bright, happy album, transmitting good sensations from the first chords. en un Estilo.”(…) They also performed several shows in Spain. At the end of the year, they also gave 3 concerts in São Paulo, at SESC Pompeia, with special guests: Zeca Baleiro, Arnaldo Antunes and Fernanda Takai and John Ulhoa (from Pato Fu). These shows came after the edition of the compilation “Catalogue Raisonné”, launched in Brazil on June 16, 2009.
2011
The Clã return to recordings and concerts with a project dedicated to the youngest: Disco Voador. Disco Voador was considered the 2nd best national album of the year by Blitz magazine.
2014-2015
In 2014 they edit the album Corrente. The respective tour ended with a concert on New Year’s Eve 2015-2016 in Coimbra and is
released the compilation “O Melhor dos Clã”.
Source: wikipedia
