Los Bitchos
{{Short description|Latin music band}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Los Bitchos
| background = group_or_band
| image = Los Bitchos at the Wide Awake Festival (51426618061).jpg
| caption = Los Bitchos performing at the Wide Awake Festival in 2021
| landscape = yes
| origin = London, England
| genre = {{hlist|Cumbia|Latin music}}
| years_active = 2017–present
| label = {{hlist|City Slang|Blak Hand|Strong Island Recordings|Bad Vibrations}}
| website = {{URL|losbitchos.com}}
| current_members = * Serra Petale
- Agustina Ruiz
- Josefine Jonsson
- Nic Crawshaw
| past_members = Carolina Faruolo
}}
Los Bitchos is a pan-continental band based in London, England. The band consists of Western Australian-born Serra Petale (guitar), Uruguayan Agustina Ruiz (keytar, synthesisers), Swede Josefine Jonsson (bass guitar), and South London-born Nic Crawshaw (drums, percussion). They predominantly play instrumental music in the style of cumbia from the 1970s and 1980s.
Career and sound
Los Bitchos was formed in London in 2017.{{cite magazine |last=Dolan |first=Jon |date=7 February 2022 |title=Los Bitchos Already Conquered the Globe. You Just Haven't Heard of Them Yet |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/los-bitchos-interview-1293877/ |access-date=9 March 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}{{Cite web |title=Los Bitchos: la banda de uruguayas que hacen bailar cumbia a los ingleses |url=https://www.piiila.com/blog/2019/2/13/los-bitchos-la-banda-de-uruguayas-que-hacen-bailar-cumbia-a-los-ingleses |access-date=2022-06-14 |website=PiiiLA |date=13 February 2019 |language=es-UY}} Describing the band's sound, guitarist Serra Petale said "I wanted to sound like Van Halen and Cocteau Twins – but from Turkey", with the band also crediting influences from Petale's mother's 1970s Anatolian rock records, Ruiz' Latin-American music collection, Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" period, "out of control pop" from Jonsson, and punk thanks to Crawshaw's time drumming in various punk bands.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-12 |title=London-based, pan-continental female instrumental four-piece Los Bitchos share new single and video, "Pista (Fresh Start)" |url=https://www.bizzarre.co.uk/post/los-bitchos-pista-fresh-start |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=Emerging Music |language=en}}
The band went on to early releases with labels Blak Hand Records, Strong Island Recordings and Bad Vibrations.{{Cite web |title=Los Bitchos Discogs |website=Discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/6725618-Los-Bitchos}}
In 2019, Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos produced their sold-out debut 7" single "Pista (Fresh Start)", described as sounding like "William Onyeabor discovering cumbia".{{Cite web |title=Los Bitchos |url=https://cityslang.com/artists/los-bitchos |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=City Slang |language=en}}
The band's debut KEXP session, filmed at Trans Musicales Festival, was released on 7 March 2020. During the COVID lockdowns that followed shortly afterwards, the video gained traction on YouTube, attracting worldwide attention and amassing over 2 million views.{{Cite web |title=Los Bitchos // Live on KEXP from Trans Musicales |url=https://www.kexp.org/watch/los-bitchos/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.kexp.org}} This was followed by a self-released seven-inch "The Link Is About to Die" in 2020.{{Cite web |title=Discogs |website=Discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/15519416-Los-Bitchos-The-Link-Is-About-To-Die }}
In July 2021, Los Bitchos featured on the track "Erkilet Güzeli" by Turkish band Altın Gün.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-22 |title=Altin Gün Release Double Single "Kisasa Kisas" / "Erkilet Güzeli (ft Los Bitchos)" |url=https://atorecords.com/news/altin-gun-kisasa-kisas-release/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=ATO Records}}
They reunited with Alex Kapranos to record their debut album Let the Festivities Begin!, which was released by City Slang in February 2022 alongside a European headline tour. Talking of the collaboration, Jonsson said: "We asked him to produce us again, and he brought out the best in us in a really encouraging way," with Petale adding: "He used a lot of his vintage gear, including some cosmic synths that give our songs a bit of added sass".
They released their debut studio album Let the Festivities Begin! in February 2022, with the songs "Good to Go!", "Las Panteras" and "Pista (Fresh Start)" released as singles beforehand.{{Cite web |title=Los Bitchos |url=https://open.spotify.com/artist/07b9qW7pabKGO29JPWXn9m |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=Spotify |language=en}}{{Citation |title=Let the Festivities Begin! - Los Bitchos {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/let-the-festivities-begin!-mw0003604715 |access-date=2024-07-09 |language=en}} Following the release of their debut record, the band received critical acclaim from the likes of BBC 6 Music, KEXP, Rolling Stone, NME and various other media outlets.
The band made their TV debut at the Park Stage at Glastonbury in June 2023 as part of the BBC's coverage of the festival.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57UJXh6Vvtw |title=Los Bitchos - The Link Is About To Die (Glastonbury 2023) |date=2023-06-23 |last=BBC Music |access-date=2024-07-09 |via=YouTube}} In June 2024 the band performed live on France's ARTE TV show Ground Control.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.arte.tv/es/videos/119575-000-A/los-bitchos/ |title=Los Bitchos - Ground Control París - Ver el programa completo {{!}} ARTE Concert |language=es |access-date=2024-07-09 |via=www.arte.tv}}
The band's second album Talkie Talkie was released on 30 August 2024, again via City Slang Records.{{Cite web |title=Los Bitchos : Talkie Talkie : New Album |url=https://cityslang.com/news/los-bitchos-dont-change-new-single |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=City Slang |language=en}}
In 2021 Los Bitchos signed a publishing deal with Reservoir Media.{{Cite web |title=Reservoir Signs Publishing Deal with Pan-Continental, Instrumental Band Los Bitchos |url=https://investors.reservoir-media.com/news-releases/news-release-details/reservoir-signs-publishing-deal-pan-continental-instrumental }}
Live career
Los Bitchos' debut show was supporting The Parrots, at Oslo Hackney on May 10, 2017.
Los Bitchos completed a European tour with Mac DeMarco in 2019{{Cite web |last=Richards |first=Will |date=2019-10-18 |title=Mac DeMarco announces support acts for huge UK & European tour |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/mac-demarco-announces-support-acts-huge-uk-european-tour-2-2558549 |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} and supported acts like Ty Segall and Kikagaku Moyo in London.
A number of high-profile festival sets raised the profile of the band across Europe and North America. The band played sets to huge crowds at Coachella, SXSW, Glastonbury, Rock En Seine, End of The Road, Levitation and Wide Awake Festival. A sold-out tour of the UK followed the album's release.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-29 |title=Los Bitchos |url=https://www.songkick.com/artists/9152414-los-bitchos |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=Songkick |language=en}}
In 2022, the band joined Belle & Sebastian on a US tour,{{Cite web |title=Belle and Sebastian Release New Single 'Young and Stupid' |url=https://www.spin.com/2022/04/belle-and-sebastian-young-and-stupid/ |website=SPIN}} as well as joining King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard on a European tour in 2023.{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=638642824720926&set=pb.100057256428372.-2207520000&type=3 |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.facebook.com}}
They have also supported the likes of Pavement, Franz Ferdinand{{Cite web |last=Holden |first=Finlay |date=2022-10-13 |title=Los Bitchos have announced a Christmas-themed rework of their debut album, 'Let The Festivities Begin!', and shared the new single, 'Los Chrismos' |url=https://readdork.com/news/los-bitchos-have-announced-a-christmas-themed-rework-of-their-debut-album-let-the-festivities-begin-and-shared-new-single-los-chrismos/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=Dork |language=en-US}} and Parquet Courts.{{Cite web |last=patrickmalone1992 |date=2022-06-10 |title=Live Review: Parquet Courts, Warmduscher and Los Bitchos at Brixton Academy - Joyzine |url=https://joyzine.org/2022/06/10/parquet-courts-warmduscher-and-los-bitchos-live-review/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=joyzine.org |language=en-US}}
Discography
Studio albums
- Let the Festivities Begin! (2022){{Cite web |date=2022-03-14 |title=Entrevista a Los Bitchos: "Cualquiera puede darle su propio significado a nuestras canciones y eso es fantástico" |url=https://www.dodmagazine.es/entrevista-a-los-bitchos/ |access-date=2022-06-14 |website=Dod Magazine |language=es}}
- Talkie Talkie (2024)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0004104316}}
- {{Bandcamp}} {{Discogs artist}} {{MusicBrainz artist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bitchos, Los}}
Category:2017 establishments in England
Category:Musical groups from London