Mata-Ratos is a band formed in early 1982 in Oeiras, in the suburbs of Lisbon, influenced by British and American punk rock from the late 70s and early 80s.
The group formed in 1982. The original lineup included vocalist Jorge “Morte Lenta” Leal, guitarist Pedro Coelho, bassist Pinela and drummer Jó (Jorge Cristina).
Suffering from animosity both from the public that went to their concerts and from the promoters of these events, the band joined forces, in 1984, with other bands such as Crise Total, Ku de Judas and Grito Final to start organizing their own concerts in Lisbon, it was It was also this year that Miguel Newton joined the band as vocalist.
In 1988, the group consisted of Miguel Newton on vocals, Pedro Coelho on guitar, Cascão on bass and Jó on drums. Mata-Ratos’ first official recording was the eponymous demo-tape, released by Raticida Records, recorded in 1989. The cassette would sell around 700 copies. In 1989 they competed in the 6th Rock Rendez-Vous competition but were removed from the final.
The group is signed by EMI-VC. In May 1990, they recorded their debut album in Paço de Arcos, produced by Paulo Pedro Gonçalves. Rock Radioactivo was released in July 1990. The album reached 5th place in the Portuguese top chart and sold more than 6 thousand copies.
In 1990, Cascão and Jó left and the group did not rehearse for several months. Cenoura joins on bass and Alberto on drums. In August 1991, João Brr replaced Cenoura. In December 1991, they recorded five songs (“Xu-Pa-Ki”, “Expulsos do Bar”, “Paralisia Cerebral”, “Aníbal Caga Tudo” and “Tira, Enrola e Come”) to present to the publisher. EMI does not accept the themes and the group terminates the contract. In 1993, Moles and Delfin replaced Brr and Alberto.
Expulsos do Bar, a vinyl EP with songs recorded in December 1991, was released in 1994. The following year it was released (reissued on gray vinyl) in Germany by the label Street Beat. Still in 1994, Drunk Records released a split-CD with songs by Mata-Ratos, Pé de Cabra and Garotos Podres. The record included three of the five songs from the EP Expulsos do Bar plus eight songs recorded live.
In 1995, the album Estás Aqui, Estás Ali was released. Mata-Ratos, together with the Brazilian group Garotos Podres, toured Germany in order to promote this new album. The two bands released the split EP Bebedeiras & Miúdas Tour 95. In 1996, Vieira took Delfin’s place and Gordo Metralha replaced Moles.
Xu-Pa-Ki 82-97, a limited edition, commemorating the group’s 15-year career, was released in 1997. The compilation includes songs from the EP Expulsos do Bar”, songs included in the Vozes da Raiva compilation, live songs and songs from the first demo-tapes.
In October 1997, Mata-Ratos recorded the album Sente o Ódio. Following the recording of this album, Pedro Coelho decided to leave the group. Feel the Hatred would only be released in 1999, through Alarm! Records (subsidiary of Guardians of Metal).
Still in 1999, the 7″ EP Crime was released by the French company Crânes Blasés, recorded with the new line-up. It is a limited edition of 555 copies (colored vinyl) that includes a new song and three old ones. In the year 2000, the group records, in CD-R format, Por Um Punhado de Ratos.
A split-CD was released, by Mata-Ratos and Urban Crew, in 2002. In November 2002 they went on tour (Portugal, France, Spain and Belgium) with The Suspects.
In September 2003, Rastilho released a Vinyl EP with 4 songs (three new songs and one song recorded live). The edition of Deus, Pátria e Família is limited and numbered to 525 copies. The current lineup includes Miguel Newton on vocals, Bacala on drums, Bibi Ramone on bass and Arlock Dias on guitar.
They participate in the Poison Idea tribute album Hangover HeartAttack.
Bacala and Bibi leave and drummer Ricardo Vieira returns and Arlock Esteves joins on bass. The album És um Homem ou és um Rato was released in June 2004 by Attack Sonoro. Still in 2004, they participated in the Acção Directa Festival, the first punk music festival in the Azores.
In 2005, Festa Tribal was released, recorded live in Martingança (Maceira/Leiria), on April 24, 2005, which brings together 20 songs from the group. The registration also includes an extra CD with multimedia content.
