THE BLACK HALOS (A Coruña)

The Black Halos began in the underground punk scene of Vancouver in 1994.

Their noisy and gritty approach to '70s punk soon made them stand out amidst the grunge wave, catching the attention of the Sub Pop label, which quickly signed them after witnessing one of their incendiary and electrifying performances. Soon, they were on the road, sharing the bill with The Murder City Devils, and before long, they were performing alongside bands like The Damned, DOA, L7, The Offspring, Social Distortion, and many others. They recorded their self-titled debut with the legendary producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden), which featured future classics like “Shooting Stars” and defined that ferocious sound that updated the legacy of the Dead Boys, New York Dolls, The Stooges, Hanoi Rocks, and The Cramps. A year later, they recorded the seminal ‘The Violent Years,’ which definitely put them on the map as one of the landmark punk rock albums of the first decade of the 21st century and a cult classic today. The album saw them appear on MTV and at festivals and radios on both sides of the Atlantic, thanks to the single “Some Things Never Fall.” After the departure of Rich Jones, currently one of the pillars of Michael Monroe's band, vocalist Billy Hopeless carried the band until an inevitable split.

It seemed like the definitive goodbye for one of the ultimate punk combos of their generation. But after a rapprochement between Hopeless and Jones in 2016 (including a Spanish tour where they were always well-regarded thanks to the door opened for them in the country by the great Kike Turmix), and a surprising reunion in 2019, the band released their fifth studio album, ‘How The Darkness Doubled,’ in November 2022. This marked the return of the main songwriting team of Billy Hopeless and Rich Jones, along with the band’s original guitarist Jay Millette for the first time since 2001. The bassist John Kerns (The Age Of Electric) and drummer Danni Action (ACIIDZ) complete the new and revitalized lineup.

This 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the band's formation, and they plan to celebrate it in style by reissuing their first two albums in deluxe vinyl editions, as well as celebrating the seminal ‘The Violent Years’ by performing it in its entirety live. This begins with the explosive concert at the Azkena Rock Festival (with an appearance by Michael Monroe and a double tribute to their mainstay, Stiv Bators) and continues with a full-fledged tour. Hide your wives and daughters. As Turmix used to say, “all punk must rock, all rock must punk.”

The Black Halos are back!