English
Zombies with colored Mohawks or shaved heads, tight jeans, earrings and military boots for boys, and for girls, pin-up makeup, corsets with 50´s hair styles and fuchsia, green, yellow or pink sexy clothes and torn stockings: these are just some of the aesthetic elements associated with psychobilly. This movement it today enjoying a “third wave” of popularity and has one of its major festivals very close to the city of Barcelona, in the city of beaches and palms, Pineda del Mar.
Before I tell you about the psychobilly movement in Barcelona and especially the emergence of bands that are playing the scene on the European and international level, here’s a little history on the psychobilly movement. Born in the 80´s and influenced primarily by the band “The Cramps”, the music began to differentiate from rockabilly and punk rock, its main precursors. One of the first bands to become known for this style, “The Meteors,” was born in England in the early 80´s. Over the years the movement grew and other groups like the German “Phantom Rockers” and “Mad Sin” broke on to the scene. These early bands feature a more stylistically pure sound, as from the 90’s on psychobilly began to be influenced by other genres like goth rock, indie, surf rock, etc..
The zombie or monstrous look comes from literary and cultural references, especially horror movies, exploitation flicks from the 50´s, and sci-fi, but its almost always worn with a comic touch. You can see these influences in the clothing and aesthetics of psychobilly cats worldwide.
Barcelona is a city with a very productive and entertaining psychobilly movement. There are a large number of bands and people who are part of the culture and take part in the annual “Psychobilly Meeting” in Pineda del Mar, one of the most important events worldwide for this genre. There are seven days of musical madness in the month of June. In Barcelona you can find psychobilly boys and gals on Tallers out shopping or getting tattoos, or elsewhere in the Raval district, especially at hot-spots the ” Las Guindas”, located in Via San Pau No 126, just steps away from the Parallel metro station or at the bar Big Bang on the calle Botella. Great music and decoration await you at both spots. You might also find some other sweet watering-holes in the Badalona district.
Some popular Barcelona Psychobilly bands you can catch if you are lucky include “Mad Mad Chika y Los Abducidos” and “Pisando Güebos”, both are known to give gigs around the city.
For more information visit:
http://pineda.psychobilly.org/index.php?language=es
Luz Obscura
All these various youth cultures decorate the city and make it more interesting. I recommend renting apartments in Barcelona , slipping on your blue suede shoes and getting down to fun and rock and roll. Become a zombie if you want to in PsychoBarcelona!
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