I don't think I can say much more. There are so many punk (or somehow related) bands in Portugal that it is impossible to name them all (although I tried ) I believe it's a pity that most of them stay limited by the borders of a country to small to motivate the "scene" when there are great bands in this style here! It's time they deserve some attention outside Portugal!
Now, I think I shall mention the venues and places where bands can play in Portugal. Starting at where I live, in Almada and in Margem Sul the "mecca" is called "Ponto de Encontro" (Meeting Point) - This is the municipality youth centre and promotes all kind of activities that young people living here want to develop, from gigs to drama or painting exhibitions, everything! No need to say it is the epicentre of the MSHC "scene" and the place where all the MS bands are born… well, sort of… It was fundamental to write the history of portuguese Hardcore/Punk in the late nineties (ok, I may be exaggerating…) and it is not exclusive to Almada or MS bands, being also very frequented by bands and people from Lisbon. It is in a zone of Almada called Cacilhas and has an extraordinary view over River Tagus and Lisbon. Concerts are held almost weekly at Saturday or Friday from 9:30 pm till midnight. Still in Cacilhas there is this restaurant/club that held many HC, punk and metal concerts specially during the year 2001 and 2002. Since mid-2002 there have been almost only Metal concerts there… Also in Almada there is this local association called "Incrivel Almadense" that own an excellent venue that unfortunately haven't been used for gigs for almost one year or more (this was interrupted by a SHRAPNEL+LAST HOPE gig, the 14th February, as an anti-war action promoted by the local Portuguese Communist Youth centre…) but where the likes of Siouxie & The Banshees, Ignite, H2O, CIV or Ratos De Porão have played, not to mention gigs from local bands… Also in MS in a small fishing village in the outskirts of Almada called Fonte da Telha there is this bar called "Pestinha" that sometimes have Rockabilly or Hardcore gigs. Also in the outskirts of Almada there is also an youth culture centre run by the city council that is also a good venue for the local bands. It is where the Exhibition of Local Bands promoted by the municipality was held the last two years. This event runs during a couple of days in the summer and its purpose is to display what "the kids" from Almada's Council are doing musically. It is a great opportunity for the extraordinary amount of bands that develop here, from punk to hip-hop, metal, funk, hardcore or even pop, it all goes on-stage during that week!
In Lisbon the most important venue for many years have been the squat, called "Kasa Encantada" (Enchanted House), but unfortunately this was demolished last summer by the newly elected right-wing mayor of the city… Now, bands have to conform to venues run by small, citizens-run collectives, associations and academies but this doesn't make things easier as most of this associations are not willing to let their small buildings to be used for some "strange looking kids so that they can make lots of noise and get drunk". But some people's good will and lots of hard work make the scene work and there are a few places where bands can play.
There is this place in the centre of Lisbon where concerts are held almost in a weekly basis since the fall of 2002 (more or less since the squat was demolished even if there have been concerts there for some years already), generally Saturdays or Sundays at about 4 pm. There have already played some foreign bands there, like the famous Good Clean Fun, Highscore from Germany, R.A.M.B.O. from the States or Hopeful, from Spain. This small venue is called "Musical Academy Joaquim Xavier Pinheiro". In the outskirts of Lisbon there are also small associations like this where bands can sometimes play, like in Linda-a-Velha, Loures, Odivelas and Almada…
Outside Lisbon and Almada (the realities I know better) gigs are held, equally in small local inhabitants associations and municipal youth centres but also in some clubs or bars. In Coimbra there is this venue called "Le Son" where many international and local bands usually play. In Oporto the main venue is called "Hard Club" with concerts by the most notorious punk and hardcore international acts but also a facility to local bands, There is also this club called "On-Off" in Oporto… This is the general idea I am able to give.
In terms of labels and distros, there is a fundamental one to refer, called "Ataque Sonoro" (Sound Attack), that exists since 1989 and is indissociable of the Portuguese scene history… It brought out names such as the legendary X-ACTO, NEW WINDS, CORROSÃO CAÓTICA (Chaotic Corrosion), AS GOOD AS DEAD, or FONZIE. During it's lifetime has promoted gigs by the likes of Doom, Oi Polloi or Olho Seco. Besides being a label and a promoter it is also one of the main distros in Portugal… The main piece put out lately by ATAQUE SONORO was the split between the Portuguese AS GOOD AS DEAD and the American Everything Went Black. It was also this label that released the absolutely fabulous X-ACTO/Ignite "Benefit" split cd… Other excellent Portuguese distro is called RASTILHO (Fuse), releasing everything, from Emo to Crust, in a regularly printed zine/catalog. Also important is the label/promoter called ANTICORPOS-D.I.Y (Anticorps-DIY) that have already released albums by ZOOTIC, SIMBIOSE, ALIEN SQUAD or ALBERT FISH and promoted concerts by the likes of Inadaptats (Spain), MPB (Spain) or DISFACE (Spain). Also to mention is the SLEAZEY RECORDS label/distro/promoter, that released the NO-COUNTS DOCTRINE OF MAYHEM 7' and promoted the Sleazey Fest with the Spanish band “Los Perros” plus Portuguese bands including different styles ranging from 20INCHBURIAL to KAMONES… Other distro and promoter is the PUNK'N'GIL DISTRO, that is extremely active in the promotion of Portuguese bands and in the arranging of concerts… Important is also the KAPUT zine/distro/promotor that arranged the reunion SUBCAOS show with FREEEDOOM as well as the DRILLER KILLER concert in Portugal. Also important is the BEST TIMES RECORDS, in the SXE "world", putting out compilations like the "Times Still Here" 7'' comp but also 7''s,ep's and cd's by bands like DAY OF THE DEAD and the splits of TIME-X with Bloodpact and Seize The Day, for example… Important to the HC movement is also the new label - SB RECORDS, that put out the long-awaited OMITED GR album and arranged Kickback (France) concert. I think I should also mention XUXA JURASSICA (Jurassic Titty), responsible by most of the concerts of "big" punk/HC bands in our land, like the Deconstruction Tours, Punk-O-Rama, H2O, Propagandhi or No Use For a Name concerts, just to name a few…
Finally I guess I shall make some kind of a list of the albums/stuff I consider were the most important in the Portuguese scene, that marked it. Or maybe it's just stuff that I like… This are personal choices and, of course and unfortunately I wasn't able to listen to everything that was put out by Portuguese bands… This is just stuff that I like, that meant something to me:
X-ACTO/Ignite - Benefit
NEW WINDS - For Those Who Belive
X-ACTO - Harmony As One
LAST HOPE - Spirit Of Unity
MATA RATOS - 82-97
ALBERT FISH - Strongly Recommended
SANNYASIN - For Those Who Crucify Us (demo tape)
POINTING FINGER - Get In The Way (demo tape)
OMITED GR - Núcleo Duro
FONZIE - The Melo Pot
HUMAN CHOICE - Burning Inside
SAT ON THE CAT - Misanthropically (demo tape)
TARA PERDIDA - É Assim…
TARA PERDIDA - So Não Vê Quem Não Quer
RUTHLESS BREED - R.B. (demo)
This are just some suggestions, names I dropped as favourites of mine, but also can't be forgotten classic stuff by old school punk bands from the early nineties and the eighties, stuff from CENSURADOS and MATA RATOS mainly, but also previous TARA PERDIDA albums and stuff from the likes of SARNA, INKISIÇÃO or CRISE TOTAL… It may not be easy to find songs by most of the bands I mentioned…but, well keep trying Kazaa and others like it… or contact the distros! Pick bands from your fav. styles and order…
por Luis Martins
