Banda Bassotti is an Italian

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band formed in 1987 in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy. Their songs are generally political in nature, focusing on

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

and

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

issues. Many are about also

politics of Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the secon ...

and

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

. The band was inspired by

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

and

The Specials The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...

. The band was politically active from the beginning, attending protests and sympathizing with anti-fascist movements in Italy. Their name derives from the Italian version of the Disney characters

Beagle Boys The Beagle Boys are a group of cartoon characters created in 1951 by Carl Barks for the Donald Duck universe. They are a family clan of Organized crime, organized criminals who constantly try to rob Scrooge McDuck. Their introduction and first a ...

Releases

Banda Bassotti released their first album ''Figli della stessa rabbia'' in 1991, which gained them a success amongst the local political and punk circles. In 1995, they released their second album ''Avanzo di cantiere'' recorded in the Basque Country with

Kaki Arkarazo Kaki may refer to: People * Abubaker Kaki (born 1989), a Sudanese middle-distance runner * Kaki King (born 1979), a musician Places Iran * Kaki, Hormozgan, a village in Hormozgan Province * Kaki, Iran, a city in Bushehr Province * Kaki District ...

and

Negu Gorriak Negu Gorriak (Basque for ''"Red Winters"'' or ''"Severe/Harsh Winters"'') were an underground Spanish group from the Basque Autonomous Community. Their musical style combines various styles of rock music such as hardcore punk, hip-hop, ska, and re ...

. With this lineup the band toured Spain during the same year. The band split up in 1996, only to be reunited in 2001 for a benefit concert. The reunited band introduced trombone and trumpet sections to their previously strictly guitar based punk lineup. The concert was released later the same year on the live album ''Un altro giorno d’amore''. In March 2002, they released ''L’altra faccia dell’Impero'', seven years after their last studio-album. For the promotional tour for this album they played hundred of concerts in Spain, Italy and in Japan where they concluded the

Fuji Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan. ...

with the

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

. Shocked and disappointed at the direction politics were taking in the following years all over the world with the rise of such politicians as

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...

they decided to record ''Asi es mi vida'', an album with popular political songs from all over the world. In 2004 they released the album ''Amore e odio'' and toured Germany for the first time. In September 2014, the band's tour called 'No Pasaran' took in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Rostov Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population: While t ...

and the

Donbas The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

region. The vocalist with the band, Angelo Conti, died at the age of 62 on 11 December 2018.

Discography

* 1992 – ''

Figli della stessa rabbia ''Figli'' () is a 2020 Italian comedy film directed by Giuseppe Bonito. Plot When Nicola (Valerio Mastandrea) and Sara (Paola Cortellesi) have their second child their life turned topsy-turvy. Cast * Valerio Mastandrea - Nicola * Paola Cortelles ...

'' ("Children of the Same Rabble") * 1993 – '' Bella ciao'' ("Hey Good Looking") * 1995 – '' Avanzo de cantiere'' ("Remains of a Construction Site") * 2001 – '' Un altro giorno d'amore'' ("Another Day of Love") * 2002 – '' L'altra faccia dell'impero'' ("The Other Face of the Empire") * 2003 – '' Asì es mi vida'' ("This Is My Life") * 2004 – '' Amore e odio'' ("Love and Hate") * 2004 – '' Baldi e fieri'' ("Bold and Proud") * 2006 – '' Vecchi cani bastardi'' ("Old Bastard Dogs") * 2008 – '' Viento, lucha y sol'' ("Wind, Fight and Sun") * 2010 – '' Check Point Kreuzberg – Live at SO36 – Berlin'' * 2012 – '' Siamo guerriglia'' ("We Are Guerrilla") * 2013 – ''" Rumbo al Socialismo XXI"'' ("Onward to Socialism XXI") * 2014 – '' Banditi Senza Tempo'' ("Bandits Out of Time")

References

External links

Italian ska groups Italian rock music groups Italian punk rock groups Musical groups from Rome {{Italy-band-stub