Moptop was a Brazilian
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
band from
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
, popular throughout the mid- to late 2000s. Initially known as DeLux, they were formed in 2003 and comprised vocalist/lead guitarist Gabriel Marques, second guitarist Rodrigo Curi, bassist Daniel Campos and drummer Mário Mamede. Strongly influenced by acts such as
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Mor ...
(to whom they were frequently compared),
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
,
Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I.
Fr ...
,
Ramones and
Los Hermanos
Los Hermanos is a rock band from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The group was formed in 1997 by Marcelo Camelo (vocals/guitar), Rodrigo Amarante (guitar/vocals), Rodrigo Barba (drums), and Bruno Medina ( keyboards/keyboard bass). Currently they are ...
, they began playing in small venues with songs in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
; by the time of the release of their first
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
, ''Moonrock'', in 2005, they changed their name to "Moptop" in a reference to the famous hairstyle worn by The Beatles in the 1960s.
In 2006 they signed to
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
for the release of their debut full-length album, the self-titled ''Moptop'', which spawned the
hit singles "O Rock Acabou" and "Sempre Igual", included in the soundtrack of the 14th season of the long-running
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Malhação
''Malhação'' (, ''Young Hearts'' in English) is a Brazilian soap-opera that aired on TV Globo from 4 March 1995 to 3 April 2020. The series is targeted at a teenage audience. Each season runs for about a year with cast members changing every ...
''. The album's success led them to open shows by bands such as
Oasis,
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
,
The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled '' The Magic Numbers'' on 13 June 2005. Their follow-up al ...
and
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist Mike Hindert and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best know ...
throughout the year. In 2007 they took part in a show organized by
MTV Brasil
MTV Brasil was a Brazilian over-the-air television network owned by Grupo Abril focused on the youth. The network was launched on 20 October 1990, as the first specialty television network to broadcast over-the-air, becoming the local version ...
alongside
NX Zero
NX Zero was a Brazilian rock band formed in 2001 in São Paulo, the band consists Di Ferrero (vocals), Gee Rocha (guitar and backing vocals), Daniel Weksler (drums), Caco Grandino (bass) and Fi Ricardo (guitar).
The band released their debut ...
,
Fresno
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...
, Hateen and
Forfun
Forfun was a Brazilian alternative rock band which reached the peak of its popularity in the mid- to late 2000s. Formed in Rio de Janeiro in 2001, their initial line-up comprised vocalist/guitarist Danilo Cutrim, bassist Vítor Isensee and drummer ...
; a live album of the performance would be released soon after. The same year, they were nominated for the
MTV Video Music Brazil
The MTV Video Music Brazil awards (originally Video Music Awards Brazil), more commonly known as VMB, were MTV Brasil's annual award ceremony, established in 1995. MTV viewers picked the winners for most categories since 2001.
Unlike in the MTV ...
award, in the "Best New Act" category (after winning it
two years prior in the "Best Website" category), and also for a
Multishow Brazilian Music Award
The Multishow Brazilian Music Award (in Portuguese: ''Prêmio Multishow de Música Brasileira'') is an award presented by the Brazilian cable channel Multishow to honor the best in the Brazilian music medium. The first ceremony was held in 1994 i ...
in the "Revelation Artist" category.
2008 saw the release of the band's second and ultimately final album, ''Como se Comportar''; produced by British producer Paul Ralphes, who previously worked with
Sandy & Junior
Sandy & Junior were a Brazilian pop music duo consisting of siblings Sandy Leah Lima (born January 28, 1983) and Durval de Lima Júnior (born April 11, 1984). They first gained notoriety by being the children of Xororó from popular sertanejo ...
, Gabriel Marques described its sonority as "heavily influenced by the soundtracks of
Ennio Morricone and films by
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
". In 2011 Marques announced that he would be putting the band on hold for an indeterminate amount of time, and in 2013 he eventually confirmed that Moptop officially ceased their activities. Drummer Mário Mamede would later form the group Herzegovina in 2017, alongside former members of
Planet Hemp
Planet Hemp is a Brazilian rap rock musical group, known for starting the career of rappers Marcelo D2 and BNegão for its lyrics supporting the legality of cannabis. The band was founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1993, with original members Marcelo ...
and Polara.
Discography
Demo albums
* (2005) ''Moonrock''
Studio albums
* (2006) ''Moptop''
* (2008) ''Como se Comportar''
References
External links
Official websiteMoptopon
Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moptop (Band)
Musical groups established in 2003
Musical groups disestablished in 2013
2003 establishments in Brazil
2013 disestablishments in Brazil
Musical groups from Rio de Janeiro (city)
Brazilian alternative rock groups
Brazilian pop rock music groups
Brazilian indie rock groups
Pop punk groups
Musical quartets