It’s a beautiful, summer day in Medellin, Colombia. Yet scores of young punk, metal and rock fans are inside a dingy, dark bar listening to their favorite local bands.
Yep, Saturdays are made for punk music in Medellin, Colombia. Hell last Saturday there were 2 going on at the same time. I happened to be in in the neighborhood of Laureles when my new buddy, Felipe from Nitro Music called me and alerted me to a little punk show going on just a few blocks from where I was.
Me being the lazy f***er that I am, I decided to hit that particular show in Laureles over the one in the north of Medellin, Bellos even though I wasn’t the last familiar with the bands playing.
It was a young crowd, really young. First up was a hardcore band “Langarutho”. Hardcore is big in Medellin and you know when I see my buddy Faber, the organizer of Rock Medellin, at a show, I pretty much know it’s the real deal.
Next up was Nuevaonce (911). Felipe introduced me to Alex, lead singer, backstage before the show and we got to chat a little.
Don’t let 911’s young looks fool you. These guys have been around for over 12 years! Wow, that’s like since 1999! Now that’s a stretch. As a result of this incredible longevity, they’ve got dozens of songs recorded and have opened for some notable bands like “MXPX” and “Less Than Jake”.
911 is also unique in that they play a more pop / skate genre of music than one typically encounters in Latin America and they’ve even got a couple of songs in English. I honestly think with their sound they would have sounded right at home on the Warped Tour in the U.S.
Instead they were playing a dark, dingy little bar in the middle of the afternoon in Barrio Laureles in Medellin, Colombia. And you know what, there are a lot worse places to be!
Lucky me! my last weekend in Colombia before heading to Peru and there is a big Alto Voz festival going on with some of my favorite bands like “Lokekeda”, Neus and more playing. Stay tuned for pics and vids from that big show!
