You can never fault a band with ambition, and Babasónicos have far higher goals than most bands could dream of. What’s more is that they’ve achieved them, and the six-piece have gone on to become one of the most influential South American rock acts of the past three decades.. The band began with lead singer Adrián "Dárgelos" Rodríguez and keyboardist Diego "Uma-T" Tuñón, who collaborated with the intention of creating a whole new strain of Argentine rock music. Adrian and Diego recruited Dargelos’ brother Diego to play guitar, a drummer in the form of Diego "Panza" Castellano, Mariano "Roger" Domínguez joined as rhythm guitarist and Gabriel "Gabo" Manelli held everything together on the bass.
The band were a sensation right off the bat. They set themselves apart from the then practically inescapable Argentinian new wave scene from the very beginning, and touted their experimentally minded pop-rock as their own genre of “Sonic Rock”. Their debut album “Pasto” did very respectable business after its release in 1992, giving them a minor radio hit in the form of "D-Generación". After touring the record they began the campaign for their second album opening for INXS at the Vélez Sarsfield stadium, their biggest concert to date at the time which opened up a whole new audience to them. Their second effort “Trance Zomba” was massively acclaimed and broke the band through to the big leagues as a result.
Since then the band have remained one of the most respected acts in Argentine rock, collaborating with Stone Roses legend Ian Bron on one of his solo records and opening for the mighty U2 on their PopMart stadium tour before the1990’s were out. The 2000’s treated them even better, with 2001’s “Jessico” record breaking them through to become one of their home country’s most beloved bands, but tragedy would soon strike. Manelli passed away in 2008 due to Hodgkin’s Disease, but he was replaced by the band’s longtime backing musician Carlos Hernán Clunkers and the bands live shows were rejuvenated by the spirit of their lost friend.
With a back catalogue that most bands would kill for, a devoted fanbase and some of the most adept live shows around, Babasónicos come highly recommended.