Punk City

Punk City wasn’t really a “proper” long-term band, but more of a one-off punk experiment that popped up in Spain around 1984. It came together during the early Spanish punk years and was made up of musicians who were already active in other bands. The whole thing was more about having fun and messing around with classic songs than starting a serious new project.

 
The people involved were mainly from the Valencia scene. José Manuel Casañ, who would later be well known for Seguridad Social, handled vocals along with Maggie Seidler from Manía. Santi Serrano (also from Seguridad Social) played guitar, Nando Domínguez from Manía was on bass, and Víctor Royo from La Resistencia played drums. On at least one track, Emilio Doceda from Seguridad Social stepped in on bass. Basically, it was a bunch of friends from different bands getting together for a quick punk crossover.

 
Punk City only ever released one record, actually just a 7-inch single. It came out in 1984 on the Citra label. One side featured a fast, raw punk take on “Johnny B. Goode” mixed with “Road Runner,” and the other side was a punked-up cover of “Surf City,” the old Beach Boys song. That “Surf City” track is the one most people remember and is why the release is often referred to by that name. 

 
The project didn’t last long at all. After the single and at least one known live show, everyone went back to their main bands and Punk City was basically over. Because the original pressing was small, the record became a bit of a cult item among Spanish punk collectors. Years later, in 2018, it even got a limited reissue through Leningrado Records and Pachilo Records, which helped keep its reputation alive.

 
So in short, Punk City was a brief but fun punk side project from the Spanish 80s scene, with one rare single to its name and a cult following thanks to its rough, energetic take on classic rock and surf songs.

 

Esqueletos

Esqueletos were a short-lived but memorable pop and power-pop trio from Madrid, active in the early 1980s. They came out of the same buzzing underground scene that surrounded La Movida Madrileña, even if they never quite crossed over into the mainstream.

 
The band was made up of José Battaglio on guitar and vocals, Enrique Martín on bass and backing vocals, and Miguel de las Casas on drums. At the beginning they actually called themselves RPM, but since another group was already using that name, they switched to Esqueletos. 

Their sound was direct and energetic, built around jangly guitars and punchy rhythms with a clear punk edge. You can hear influences from bands like The Jam, Buzzcocks, and The Clash, mixed with that raw, enthusiastic feel that defined a lot of early-80s Spanish pop. The songs were short, catchy, and meant to be played loud rather than over-polished.

 
Esqueletos only released one official record, a 7-inch EP called 'Radio 222' in 1983 on Flush!, a sub-label of Hispavox. The title track became their best-known song and got some underground radio play at the time. The EP also included “Sólo Necesito Un Poco De Diversión” and “Intrusos En Mi Jardín,” and it has since turned up on various compilations celebrating Spanish pop from that era. 

The group didn’t last long. Like many Spanish bands of the time, they broke up when Enrique Martín and Miguel de las Casas had to leave to do their compulsory military service, which effectively brought things to a halt just as they were gaining momentum. 

After Esqueletos, José Battaglio stayed active in music, playing in bands like Los Seres Vacíos and later La Frontera, and also working as a producer and collaborator with artists such as Ana Curra. Enrique Martín later joined the band Las Ruedas.

 
Today, Esqueletos are mostly remembered by fans of early-80s Spanish pop and power-pop as one of those “cult” bands: not hugely famous, but fondly recalled for their strong songs, youthful energy, and their place in Madrid’s lively underground scene.

 

Toreros After Olé

Toreros After Olé were a short-lived but memorable punk band from Madrid, Spain, active in the early 1980s, roughly between 1982 and 1984. Even though they didn’t last long, they’ve earned a solid reputation over time as one of the early groups pushing hardcore punk in Spain, at a moment when the scene was still finding its identity.

 
Musically, they stood out for being faster, rougher, and more aggressive than many of their contemporaries. While a lot of Spanish punk back then leaned heavily on UK influences, Toreros After Olé clearly drew inspiration from American hardcore, with sharp rhythms and raw energy that felt ahead of its time for the local scene.

 
The band’s main (and basically only) official release was a 12-inch maxi single/EP from 1983, also titled 'Toreros After Olé'. Interestingly, it was recorded in Amsterdam, which was pretty unusual for a Spanish punk band at the time. The record includes a handful of intense tracks and is especially known for their punked-up version of “Porom Pom Pero,” a cheeky and aggressive twist on a very Spanish pop classic. 

 
Lineup-wise, the group consisted of Manuel “Manolo” Malou on vocals and guitar, Kike on bass, and YoYo on drums. All three were already involved in the underground scene, and after the band split, Malou in particular continued making music in other projects. 

 
There’s also some confusion about the band’s name. Early on, they may have just been called Toreros, with After Olé meant as the title of the record. But because of how the release was presented, the full name Toreros After Olé stuck and is how they’re remembered today. 

 
At the time, they didn’t get much love from the press and were even dismissed by some punk fanzines. But years later, their EP became a cult favorite, especially among collectors and fans of early hardcore. Today, they’re often mentioned in retrospectives about Spanish punk as a band that helped push things faster, louder, and a bit more extreme.

 

Garage

Garage was a Spanish rock band from Alicante that was active in the early 1980s, right at the start of the Spanish new wave and after-punk scene. They formed around 1980 and mixed classic rock with punk and new wave influences, which gave them a raw, energetic sound that worked especially well live. They never became a big commercial band, but they’re remembered as part of that underground movement that helped shape Spanish rock at the time.

 
Their recorded output was short but memorable. In 1982 they released an EP called '¡En Movimiento!', recorded in Valencia, with songs like “Matanza De Una Noche De Verano,” “Tiempo Perdido,” and “Pelea Entre Dos Frentes.” A year later they put out their best-known single, 'Quiero Ser Un Bogart / La Ciudad', which is usually considered their standout release. Not long after that, internal problems and changes in direction led to the band breaking up around 1983, just when things seemed like they might take off.

 
The band included Carlos Goñi, who handled guitar and vocals and later went on to much bigger success with Comité Cisne and especially Revólver, one of Spain’s most popular rock bands. Basilio Montes played bass and sang; Garage was his first group, and after it ended he became a well-known collaborator of Ramoncín and was involved in several other projects over the years. Ángel Verdú was a guitarist who joined in the later lineup and played on the “Quiero Ser Un Bogart” single. The drummer during that period was José Antonio “Bojías,” who took part in the band’s final recordings. 

 
Even though Garage didn’t last long, they left behind a small but solid legacy, and their songs still capture the sound and attitude of Spain’s early ’80s rock scene. For fans of that era, Garage is often seen as an interesting early chapter in the careers of musicians who later became much more famous.

 

Basura

Basura were one of the very first punk bands to pop up in Barcelona, starting around 1977, when punk was still brand new in Spain. They came out of the Sants area and were all about loud, fast, rough-around-the-edges punk, with zero polish and a lot of attitude. 

The band didn’t stick around for long -only about six months- but that didn’t stop them from becoming part of the early punk story. They were active right at the beginning, playing shows and hanging out with other early bands like La Banda Trapera del Río, Peligro, and Mortimer, back when there wasn’t really a “scene” yet. 

 
The lineup included Panotxa (Joan Garcia) and Ferran Bauló on guitar and vocals, Groc on bass, Jordi Golmayo on drums, and Ferdi as an additional member. They rehearsed and played wherever they could, including spots around Sant Feliu de Llobregat, just trying to make noise and get gigs.

 
One of their biggest moments was playing at the first-ever punk festival in Barcelona in 1977, held at l’Aliança del Poblenou. That show is now seen as a key moment in Spanish punk history, even if at the time it probably felt more chaotic than historic. 

 
Basura only put out one official release, a single called “No Seas Lesbiana Mi Amor / Esperando En La Puerta Del WC.” released in 1977 on the Belter label. It’s pretty hard to find these days and has become a collector’s item for fans of early Spanish punk.

 

 Even though they were around for a short time and didn’t release much music, Basura are still remembered as real pioneers. They were there at the very start, helping kick off punk in Barcelona before anyone really knew what punk in Spain was going to look like.

 

Codigo Neurotico

Código Neurótico were a Spanish punk band that came out of Terrassa, near Barcelona, in 1981. They’re part of that first strong wave of Spanish punk, doing things fast, loud, and without much polish. Their sound leaned a lot toward classic punk influences like the Ramones and early UK punk, with simple songs, sharp lyrics, and a mix of humor and anger that fit the scene perfectly. 

 
The band was made up of Jorge Sánchez on bass and vocals, Sergio Perdices on guitar, and Lolo Sánchez on drums. From the beginning, they had a reputation for being energetic and irreverent, more about attitude than technical perfection. They started playing around the Barcelona punk circuit pretty quickly after forming.

 
Their first release was an EP in the early 80s called 'Totus Tuus', which also became known for the track “Las Malvinas Son Pingüinas.” Even though they were a raw punk band, the EP was produced by people who later became well known in Spanish rock, which helped give it some visibility. Like many bands of the time, they had to slow down for a bit because of mandatory military service, but they didn’t disappear.

 
By the late 80s they were back with new material, including a self-made demo known as 'La Maqueta Roja'. In 1988 they released 'En La Barra Del Bar', a mini-LP that became one of their most recognized records. Around this time they were playing more shows, even outside Spain, and building a solid underground following.

 
In the early 90s they finally put out full-length albums, starting with 'Humillación, Tortura y Muerte' and later 'Colores De Guerra'. These records kept the same punk spirit but showed a band that had grown tighter and more confident. Lineup changes came near the end of the decade, and by 1998 the band had split up.

 
Even after breaking up, Código Neurótico never completely faded away. Their old recordings were reissued years later, and they briefly reunited around 2011 to celebrate their anniversary and play shows again. Today they’re remembered as a classic underground Spanish punk band: not massively famous, but respected, influential, and still appreciated by punk fans and collectors.

 

Panaderia Bolleria Nuestra Señora Del Karmen

Panadería Bollería Nuestra Señora del Karmen, usually shortened to PBNSK, was a punk/hardcore band from Madrid that came out of the early 1980s underground scene. They’re one of those groups that didn’t release much at the time but still ended up being important because of when and how they existed. Madrid punk was raw, chaotic, and very DIY back then, and PBNSK fit perfectly into that first hardcore wave alongside bands like TDeK and Espasmódicos.

 
Their sound was fast, aggressive, and stripped down, closer to hardcore punk than the earlier, more rock-leaning punk that came before. Short songs, shouted vocals, and a pretty confrontational vibe overall. Back in the day, their main official release was a split 7-inch with TDeK in 1984. PBNSK contributed just a couple of tracks, but they were intense enough to make the band stick in people’s memories. Those songs later showed up on Spanish punk compilations, which helped cement their cult status. 

Like a lot of bands from that era, they disappeared fairly quickly, but their name never totally vanished. Years later, there was a renewed interest in early Spanish hardcore, and PBNSK resurfaced with new material and archival releases. In the early 2020s, they put out a full-length album with a much larger tracklist, showing that the band name was still very much alive, whether as a continuation, a revival, or a mix of old and new energy. Some singles also popped up around that time, often involving people connected to the classic Madrid punk scene. 

Lineup details from the early days are a bit fuzzy, which is pretty normal for bands from that scene, but members were closely linked to other punk projects and the broader Madrid underground. PBNSK’s legacy isn’t about mainstream success or big discographies; it’s more about being part of that original blast of Spanish hardcore punk and later being rediscovered by people digging into the roots of the scene.

 

Zoquillos

Zoquillos was a short-lived but memorable punk-rock band from Madrid that popped up in the early eighties, right in the middle of the Movida Madrileña. They started out almost by accident: originally the name belonged to a quirky little store in Madrid, and the group itself began as a loose pop-art project before turning into an actual band when the drummer, Antonio, suggested they should start playing rock music. He brought in Pablo as vocalist and guitarist, and soon the rest of the lineup -Jesús on guitar and Ernesto on bass- fell into place.

 
Their style was a straightforward, raw kind of punk, clearly influenced by the Ramones, though the members were also fans of bands like The Doors, Velvet Underground, Johnny Thunders, and Willie DeVille. Their only official release came in 1983, a self-titled 7-inch EP recorded a few months earlier. It includes three tracks: “Atrapado En La Telaraña,” which everyone just calls “Nancy,” “Ella Sabe (Lo Que Tiene Que Hacer),” and a cover of Alan Vega’s “Kung-Fu Cowboy.” “Nancy” ended up being their most played and best-remembered song. Years later, in 2007, the EP was reissued in a small vinyl run, which helped keep their name alive among collectors and fans of early Spanish punk. 

Zoquillos played a number of classic Madrid venues of the time -places like Rock-Ola or El Sol- and even appeared on national TV programs such as "Pista Libre", "Caja de Ritmos", and "La Edad de Oro". They mostly stayed close to home, with their only out-of-town concert happening in Barcelona in 1981. Their shows were said to feel half like rehearsals and half like parties, all energy and spontaneity. 

The band broke up a few years later. Internal issues, personal problems, and the general chaos of the scene caught up with them. Even so, they left behind a small cult legacy. With just a handful of songs and a brief existence, Zoquillos still managed to carve out a place in the story of early Spanish punk -a snapshot of the wild, creative spirit of Madrid in the early eighties.

 

TDeK

TDeK -short for Terrorism, Destruction and Chaos- is one of the most iconic hardcore punk bands to come out of Madrid in the 1980s. Although the group is generally described as Madrilenian, part of its early spirit is tied to Pozuelo de Alarcón, where some of its founding members came from or had previously played. 

The band emerged around 1983, shortly after the breakup of Espasmódicos, another key punk act of the era. José Mota and Magüu Pilarte, both from that earlier group, teamed up with Alfonso “Cronopio,” who had been active in a Pozuelo-based band. Together they began shaping TDeK’s raw, fast and highly political version of hardcore punk. Their early demo, recorded in 1984, circulated informally at first and later resurfaced as a limited-edition release. That same year they shared a split single with the band Panaderia Bolleria Nuestra Señora Del Karmen, which helped cement their presence in the underground.

 
Their official debut came in 1985 with 'Esto Es Una Empresa Capitalista', a release full of abrasive energy and social commentary. It was followed the next year by 'Carnevisión', which solidified their reputation as one of the most intense and uncompromising bands in the scene. While most of what was happening in Madrid at the time was wrapped up in the colorful “Movida Madrileña,” TDeK stood apart by pushing a much harsher, angrier sound inspired by American hardcore.

 
After some lineup changes -including the departure of their original singer- the band continued as a trio and began experimenting. This shift became clear in 'A Toda Prisa' (1987), which moved slightly away from pure hardcore and played with new rhythms. The evolution continued with 'Como Una Pesadilla' (1988) and reached a surprising point in 1989 with 'Las Nuevas Aventuras de los Masters TDK', a record often considered one of the first rap or hip-hop albums released in Spain. The band even modified its name to “Masters TDK” to reflect this direction before splitting up around 1990.

 
TDeK eventually returned in the mid-2000s, driven by the reissue of their early material and renewed interest in the band. They reunited again around their 30th anniversary and performed shows through the mid-2010s, revisiting their classic work with both original and newly joined members.

 
Their legacy is unusually wide for such an underground group. TDeK played hardcore at a level of speed and intensity that was rare in Spain at the time, and they earned recognition not only locally but from the international punk community. They became a bridge between the Spanish underground and the global hardcore scene, and their unexpected leap into hip-hop broadened their impact even further. For many people, they’re remembered as pioneers -artists who pushed boundaries, stayed true to a rebellious spirit, and influenced several generations of musicians who followed.

 

Kangrena

The band got started in Barcelona in 1981 with Johnny Sex on bass, Kike on guitar, and Manolo on drums. Their singer, Quoque, joined a bit later in a pretty unusual way: he basically jumped on stage uninvited during a show that December and sang “My Way” with them. The band liked his attitude enough to offer him the vocalist spot right after. They chose the name “Kangrena” (a misspelling of the Spanish word for “gangrene”) because they wanted something that felt connected to what they were doing -at least that’s what they said in an interview with the Spanish fanzine "Melodías Destructoras".

 
As for influences, they described their sound as the Sex Pistols sped up, with lyrics inspired by Crass and The Exploited. Listening to their 7-inch, those might not be the first comparisons that come to mind, but that’s how they saw it. Their music is definitely rougher and more unhinged than that description suggests. Locally, they mentioned liking bands like Último Resorte, Decibelios, R.I.P., Attak, Frenopaticss, and some early Siniestro Total, while saying they weren’t into anything coming out of Madrid. 

They kept playing roughly once a month until 1983, when their debut EP, 'Terrorismo Sonoro', came out on the Anarki label. With its five tracks of raw, abrasive punk, the EP leans heavily toward early hardcore. Their appearance on the 'P.E.A.C.E.' compilation -which probably came about thanks to a show MDC played with Kangrena and Último Resorte in Barcelona during their European tour- helped place them firmly within the evolving European hardcore scene. In 1984 they put out a 17-track cassette called 'Estoc de Pus', and followed it a year later with another tape, 'El Cubo de la Basura', before eventually breaking up. 

P.V.P.

PVP was a Madrid-based band that formed in 1980, right in the middle of the Movida scene, but they always stayed on the more alternative and combative side of things rather than the party vibe that movement was known for. Even their name, “Precio de Venta al Público” (“Retail Price”), was already a kind of ironic jab at consumer society.

 
The original lineup was made up of four guys whose names all started with the letter “J,” which is why people sometimes called them “the four J’s”: Juanjo on vocals and guitar, Jesús on lead guitar, José on bass, and Jorge on drums. They came from working-class neighborhoods in Madrid, and you could feel that in their attitude and in their lyrics. They weren’t about posing -they sang about unemployment, routine, alienation, the darker corners of the city, and everyday life on the streets. 

 
Musically, they mixed punk with new wave and post-punk influences, creating a sound that could be sharp and straightforward at times and darker or more atmospheric at others. That’s why some people compared them to The Clash back then, although the band themselves said they weren’t trying to copy anyone -they just admired that style and adapted it to their own Madrid reality. 

 
In 1982 they released their first album, 'Miedo', which eventually became a cult classic sought after by collectors. Around that same time they also put out “El Coche De La Plas,” probably their most well-known song. More albums followed, like 'Las Reglas Del Juego', 'Donde Se Pierde La Luz', and 'Bailío', where they continued experimenting and shifting between raw punk energy and a more art-tinged post-punk feel. 

 
Despite their quality and strong personality, they never achieved major commercial success. They were simply too raw, too honest, and not “marketable” enough for the mainstream audience of the era. After their fourth album, the band eventually split up in the late ’80s. 

 
Years later, in the 2000s, they reunited for a few shows driven by nostalgia and the affection of long-time fans. The death of Jorge, their original drummer, in 2012 was a heavy blow, but it also pushed the band to reconnect emotionally. In 2016 they released 'Hermanos de Piel', a comeback and tribute album with new songs and a refreshed lineup that included musicians like Manolo UVI and Rafa PPM Le Doc.

 
Today, PVP is remembered as one of the most authentic bands in Madrid’s punk scene. They were never mainstream, but they made a lasting impact on those who wanted something rawer, more real, and less commercial than what was playing on the radio in the ’80s. Their legacy lives on through their sound, their attitude, and their no-nonsense way of facing the world. 

 

Seguridad Social

Seguridad Social is a Spanish rock band that got its start in 1982 in the town of Benetússer, near Valencia. They emerged during the energetic musical wave of the 1980s and quickly became one of the most recognizable names in Spain’s fun, upbeat rock scene. Over the years, the band has seen many changes, but its frontman José Manuel Casañ has stayed at the helm since the very beginning. 

When they first appeared, their sound mixed punk with ska, creating a lively and rebellious style that fans immediately connected with. As time went on, they began blending in all sorts of influences -Latin rhythms, Mediterranean sounds, rumba, reggae, and more mainstream pop-rock elements. This mix turned them into one of the most iconic examples of “fusion rock” in Spain, and it helped them stay fresh and relevant through different musical eras.

 
Some of their songs have become absolute classics in Spanish music. “Chiquilla” is probably the track most people instantly think of when they hear the band’s name. Early songs like “Comerranas” reflect their punk-ska origins, while “Quiero Tener Tu Presencia,” a huge hit from the 90s, shows their shift toward more rhythmic, Latin-rock vibes. They’ve also released memorable covers, such as their well-known version of “Acuarela.” 

Even after more than forty years in the business -celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2023- the band has kept an active presence, releasing albums, touring, and maintaining their reputation as a powerful live act. Their concerts are known for being energetic, fun, and packed with nostalgia, attracting longtime fans as well as new ones. 

What really sets Seguridad Social apart is their ability to mix genres without losing their identity. They’ve always been willing to experiment, adapting to new times while keeping the spirit that made them popular in the first place. Their music connects different generations, and their influence on Spanish rock, especially on bands that explore fusion and mixed rhythms, is still visible today. 

T.N.T.

T.N.T. was a punk rock band from Granada, Spain, and one of the earliest and most influential groups in the city’s scene. They started out in 1978 in the town of Huétor Tájar, and a few years later, after moving to Granada, they became known as T.N.T., around 1981. People often describe them as pioneers of the local punk movement -raw, loud, rebellious, and full of energy. Their sound mixed straightforward punk rock with some darker, post-punk touches, all driven by distorted guitars and a fierce attitude.

 
The band’s classic lineup included Ángel Doblas, José Antonio García, Jesús Arias, and Joaquín Vílchez. In their early days, they rehearsed in an old house in the Albaicín neighborhood, in underground spaces known as “Las Cuevas,” which they shared with other up-and-coming Granada bands. It was a lively, gritty environment that helped shape the band’s character and the local music scene as a whole. 

T.N.T. first played live in late November 1981, and that show was recorded on cassette. A few months later, in early 1982, they recorded a demo called 'Una Naranja Mecánica', which featured sixteen songs, including both original tracks and covers. That same year they signed with the independent label DRO Records, which released their first single. Their most important release, though, came in October 1983: the album 'Manifiesto Guernika', a record that later became a cult classic in Spanish punk.

 
Unfortunately, despite the strong impact they had, the band didn’t last long. Mandatory military service for some members and the departure of their original singer strained the group, and T.N.T. officially split on January 1, 1984. Still, their story didn’t end there. They reunited several times over the years, including a notable comeback concert in 2008, and their influence on the Granada music scene remains huge. Many musicians from T.N.T. went on to participate in other key Granada bands, helping shape the sound of the city for decades. 

T.N.T. is remembered today as one of the first true punk bands in southern Spain. They came before the style was fully established in many other regions, and their uncompromising, aggressive, guitar-driven sound set them apart from the more playful, pop-leaning side of the “Movida Madrileña.” Their album 'Manifiesto Guernika' is still considered an essential piece of Spanish punk history and a reflection of a time when the scene was just beginning to take shape.