Formed in 2017 over a mutual love of cumbia (Afro-Latin dancing music, laced with rock guitar), Los Bitchos are Australian Petale, ex-drummer of dreamy indie rockers Kid Wave on guitar; Uruguayan Agustina Ruiz on keytar; Swede Josefine Jonsson, once of garage rockers Thee MVPs, on bass; and Londoner and NHS physiotherapist Nic Crawshaw on drums.
As the million-plus views on their KEXP live session attest, they’re a band who need to be experienced live, though they’ve bottled their lightning with debut album Let the Festivities Begin!, on which cumbia parties with Turkish and Middle Eastern psych-rock and distorted, fuzzy surf-garage. It was produced by Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand who provided vintage synths and razor-sharp discipline. It’s music made by crate-diggers who aren’t chin-scratchers, whose laudable main ambition, as they told NME, is to “play all over the world and make people dance”.
With festival appearances confirmed over Summer 2022 at Primavera Sound (Barcelona), Super Bock (Portugal), Bluedot, Latitude and End of the Road, we are delighted that Los Bitchos will be appearing at Esquires in September.
Support on the night comes from electronic dreampop of KYŌGEN, featuring Kyoko from Pins!