''Els Pets'' is a

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #13 ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band with

lead singer The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

Lluís Gavaldà Lluís Gavaldà i Roig (Constantí, Tarragonès, Spain, 15 April 1963) is the singer and main composer of the group "Els Pets". With a degree in Anglo-Germanic philology, Gavaldà is mainly known for being the singer, guitarist and composer of El ...

from the village of

Constantí Constantí () is a town in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. History Archaeological remains can determine that it was inhabited during the time of the Romans. The medieval village was established in 1153, ...

(

province of Tarragona Tarragona (; ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Castellón, Teruel, Zaragoza, Lleida and Barcelona and by the Mediterranean Sea. The province's po ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

). Joan Reig plays

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

and

Falin Cáceres Falin may refer to: *Falin-Kvitsinsky Doctrine, an inter-Soviet political doctrine formulated during the fall of the U.S.S.R. by Valentin Falin and Soviet deputy foreign minister Yuli Kvitsinsky concerning military- and energy-related influence i ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

. At present, the band has the collaboration of the musicians

Joan-Pau Chaves Joan Pau is a Catalan masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Joan Pau Pujol (1570-1626), Catalan composer and organist * Joan Pau Verdier (born 1947), Catalan singer See also * Joan (given name) * Pau (given name) * Jean ...

(keyboard, bass and singer), David Muñoz (guitar, singer) and Brad Jones (bass, guitar, keyboard, singer). In

, ''Els Pets'' means "The Farts".

History

In spite of the differential characteristics between this band and the rest of the groups that emerged in the late '80s and '90s decades in

, the origin of this pop-rock band can not be considered as an isolated event: it belongs to the musical movement of ''

Rock català Rock català (, "Catalan Rock") is a type of music popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s involving Catalan lyrics and many different musical styles. The last years of Spain under Franco were shattered by a generation of singers that claimed ...

''.

Origins: Agricultural Rock

The band ''Els Pets'' was formed in 1985 in Constantí, by Lluís Gavaldà, Joan Reig and Falin Cáceres. Two female voices joined them, ''Les Llufes''. Unlike the trends of the leading bands that appeared in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Els Pets were proud of their rural roots, and therefore marked their own style in opposition to the music that was made in the capital. The result was a bitter, ironic and humoristic complaint against the lack of their region. They name their genuine substyle ''Rock agrícola'' (agricultural rock). They began performing concerts in the surrounding villages, coinciding on many occasions with the local celebrations. In 1986 they recorded a sample in Tarragona, which was distributed manually. The following year Lluís Gavaldà moved to the United States, pausing the activity of the group. When he came back, the band was reinforced with Ramon Vidal, a guitar player, and a new section, ''Els Vents de Baiona'' ("The winds of Baiona", sax and trumpets). The first album is named like the name of the group, and appears in 1989. It is a mix of

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

and

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 w ...

, among other genres. It has clear links with

british rock British rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the United Kingdom. Since around 1964, with the "British Invasion" of the United States spearheaded by the Beatles, British rock music has had a considerable impact on the develop ...

, with references towards groups like

The Jam The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 in Woking, Surrey, consisting of Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in ...

The Specials The Specials, also known as the Special AKA, were an English 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 and Neville Staple on vocals, J ...

. Songs like ''Terra Billy'' (''Billy Land'') or ''No N'hi Ha Prou Amb Ser Català'' (''Being Catalan Is Not Enough'') are examples of their political claims. Two years after, they recorded Calla i Balla! ("Shut up and dance", DiscMedi, 1991), the second album. They achieved a better sound and became stronger in their local criticism with songs like ''Tarragona M'esborrona'' (in English, "Tarragona horrifies me") or ''Constantí, Molta Merda I Poc Vi'' (''Constantí, a Lot of Shit and Little Wine''). This trend is maintained in the following album Fruits Sex (''Nuts'', with the similar pronunciation of the word ''Secs'' with ''Sex'', DiscMedi, 1992), through which they reached the sound quality that defines the first period, adding to the band the guitarist Marc Grau (the producer of the group) and the pianist Toni Saigi.

From 1994 to 1999: Consolidation

Brut Natural (''Natural Dirty'', DiscMedi, 1994) opened the band's mature period with an improved sound that would define the following years. Despite the stylistic changes, they nevertheless maintained a degree of social criticism. In 1995, the band toured Catalonia (the ''Gira Cua'' tour), recording the live album Vine a la Festa (''Come to the Party'', DiscMedi, 1995). But their first great success came with the album Bondia (''Goodmorning'', DiscMedi, 1997), which sold 75000 copies, going gold in Spain. This success confirmed the band as one of the best in the Catalan rock. With the following studio album, Sol (''Alone'', DiscMedi, 1999), the group became more introspective and melancholic, and less critical.

From 2000 on

In 2001, the band released their eighth album, Respira (''Breathe'' DiscMedi, 2001). With that work, the band utterly renewed its sound, characterized by being more upbeat than its predecessor. Agost (''August'', DiscMedi, 2004) followed in this trend, with an added component of political and social commentary, as well as a richer variety of instruments. More recently, the band have taken part in the film Rock&Cat (2006) a documentary on Catalan Rock. Els Pets have also continued touring extensively, and in a recent tour they chose to play only theaters and small venues throughout Catalonia, for a more intimate sound. Com Anar al Cel i Tornar (''Like Going to Heaven and Coming Back'', DiscMedi, 2007) is the ninth album of the group. With it, the band refined its sound by moving further away from their once-trademark rock style and towards classic pop songs inspired by everyday stories and rich in melancholic yet life-affirming lyrics. Fràgil (''Fragile'', DiscMedi, 2010) is the title of its tenth album, which was released on April 10, 2010. Recorded at La Casamurada studio at

Baix Penedès Baix Penedès () is a comarca in the Penedès region, in Catalonia, Spain. The area has been settled since the times of the Iberians, with ancient ruins remaining in Banyeres at ''Can Canyís'', at the village of ''Guàrdies'' and in Calafell a ...

during February 2010 and mixed at Alex the Great studios (

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

) by its productor, Brad Jones, who also worked with the band since the album ''Respira'', ''Fràgil'' carries twelve songs which talk about the fragility of things and the way of overcoming the highs and lows of life.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Els Pets'' (DiscMedi, 1989) *''Calla i Balla'' (DiscMedi, 1991) *''Fruits Sex'' (DiscMedi, 1992) *''Brut Natural'' (DiscMedi, 1994) *''Bondia'' (DiscMedi, 1997) *''Sol'' (DiscMedi, 1999) *''Respira'' (DiscMedi, 2001) *''Agost'' (DiscMedi, 2004) *''Com Anar al Cel i Tornar'' (DiscMedi, 2007) *''Fràgil'' (DiscMedi, 2010) *''L'Àrea Petita'' (RGB supports, 2013) *''Som'' (RGB supports, 2018) *''1963'' (RGB supports, 2022)

Live albums

*''Vine a la Festa'' (DiscMedi, 1995)

Samplers

*''Els Singles'' (DiscMedi, 1991). Singles of the first two albums plus ''L'avi Martí'' and ''La Veïna'' *''Malacara'' (DiscMedi, 2002)

Special editions

*''La Maqueta'' (Autoedited, 1986) *''Cap de Setmana'' (DiscMedi, 1993). EP *''Això és Espectacle'' (DiscMedi, 2006). DVD + live

Collaborations

*''Com un Huracà. Homenatge a

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

'' (1996) *''20 Anys de la

Companyia Elèctrica Dharma Companyia Elèctrica Dharma is a Catalan band. Many of its members are brothers, from the district of Sants, in the city of Barcelona. They have performed in Europe, North and South America, and Africa at music festivals such as "Rock in Rio", Rio ...

'' (1994) *''Munta-t'ho Bé''. Single (

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...

's summer song and two other tracks)

Literature about Els Pets

* Pep Blay ''“Els Pets. Cara a cara”'' (Rosa dels Vents, ''2003'') is the biography about the rock band who become a phenomenon in the Catalan rock history.

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Catalonia