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.