Los Miserables is a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an punk rock band formed in the early 1990s shortly after the demise of the military regime of

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

. The band is known for its songs charged with strong

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

political ideas and anti-establishment commentary. The band has clearly presented itself as activist in its work with major participation in political events, international charity concerts, human rights events, and volunteer work in impoverished Chilean communities. The band has modeled itself in some ways after the famed Chilean band

Los Prisioneros Los Prisioneros ("The Prisoners") were a Chilean rock/pop band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, in 1983. They are considered one of the most important Chilean bands, and arguably the strongest musical influences that Chile has made to Latin Ame ...

, who left a void after their initial break-up in 1990. The band achieved major success in Chile in the mid-1990s, and is well known in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, Colombia, and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. They have recorded 8 albums, including three live albums, and received gold records in Chile. The band has also contributed songs to major Chilean movie soundtracks including the main song for the Chilean film '' El Leyton'', a film by famed director Gonzalo Justiniano, of the films '' B-Happy'' (2003), '' Amnesia'' (1994), and '' Caluga o Menta'' (1990). They have also performed in tribute albums to

Victor Jara The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

Violeta Parra Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval (; 4 October 1917 – 5 February 1967) was a Chilean composer, singer-songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and visual artist. She pioneered the Nueva Canción Chilena (The Chilean New Song), a renewal an ...

, and

Members

; Current members *Claudio García – lead vocals, drums (since 1990) *Óscar Silva – bass, rhythm guitar,

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

(since 1990) *Patricio Silva –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

, bass (since 1990) *Juan Francisco Contreras – drums (since 2009) *Marcelo Aravena – rhythm guitar (since 2011) ; Former members *Alvaro Prieto – lead vocals (1995-1999) *Rodrigo Silva – drums (1998-2004) *Francisco Silva – rhythm guitar, vocals (1995-2011) *Rodrigo Arias –

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

, drums (since 1990)

Discography

* ''Ritmo marginal'' (1990, demo album) * ''¿Democracia?'' (1991) * ''Futuro esplendor'' (1992, re-released in 2006) * ''Pisagua 1973'' (1993) * ''Te mataré con amor'' (1994, re-released in 2006) * ''Pirata'' (1995, live album) * ''Sin dios ni ley'' (1996) * ''Cambian los payasos... pero el circo sigue'' (1997) * ''Miserables'' (1998) * ''Retroceder nunca/Rendirse jamás'' (2000, compilation live album) * ''Date cuenta'' (2000) * ''Gritos de la calle'' (2001) * ''Pasión de multitudes'' (2003) * ''El ruido de nuestras vidas'' (2004, compilation album) * ''Por los que ya no están'' (2004, live album) * ''La voz del pueblo'' (2005) * ''Siete pecados capitales'' (2006) * ''Luna, una historia de muchas vidas... '' (2007) * ''Alegria y subversión'' (2009) * ''Tributo a

La voz de los '80 ''La voz de los '80'' is the debut studio album by the Chilean band Los Prisioneros, released independently under the Fusion label on December 13, 1984. Produced by leader, vocalist, and songwriter Jorge González (musician), Jorge González, who c ...

'' (2010) * ''Politicamente Incorrectos (soeces y anacrónicos)'' (2013)

External links

Los Miserables Official SiteLos Miserables Biography
Chilean punk rock groups {{Chile-stub