Gabardine 12

Gabardine 12 existed between 1985 and 1991 and are, perhaps, one of the most unknown treasures of modern urban music from the second half of the 80s. Based in Guarda, their most emblematic members were Alberto Lopes (aka Albrecht Loops, guitar) and Jorge Cardoso (drums). They participated in the compilation “Insurrectos” with the song “Oscilante” and released, in 1990, also through Área Total, the tape “Capítulo Primeiro”.

Shortly after, they will cease their activities. It had a sound very close to Echo & The Bunnymen. It is said that the band’s first name was “Sérgio & Those Who Killed The Father Because The King Tell Them To Do That Band”, a name that – thank God and common sense – would be changed to just “Sérgio And Those” and, later, to Gabardine 12.

At the end of the 80s, they recorded, in a home studio on Rua de Santos Pousada, in Porto, a set of originals that would be included on the aforementioned cassette in an edition that was limited to just 50 copies. At that time, the project already enjoyed some popularity in the academic circuit of the city of Braga. In 1989 they had already given a memorable show at Johnny Guitar, in Lisbon.

Its members developed a project called Deadly Gas in parallel, whose sound was much more primitive, reminiscent of The Fall in their early days. After abandoning these projects, Loops formed with Andrej Kowalski, Nuno Rebelo, Carlos Zíngaro, Rui Eduardo Paes, Peter Kowald, Gunter Muller and Fernando Meireles and has been linked to experimental music.