The soft ones

Los Suaves was a Spanish hard rock band formed in Orense (Galicia) by the brothers Yosi, Charly and Javier Domínguez in the late 1970s. Their initial style was a musical proposal close to punk rock with strong influences from hard rock bands like Thin Lizzy, when they were pigeonholed in the urban rock musical current. With the incorporation of Alberto Cereijo to the group, the sound began to be gradually more influenced by heavy metal. His music was characterized by long cuts where the virtuosity of the instruments stands out, supported by lyrics that generally expose the bitter side of life as well as daily and social problems. Having opened for Ramones in La Coruña in 1981 or The Rolling Stones in Santiago de Compostela in 1999, they established themselves as one of the most consolidated bands on the Spanish rock scene, selling more than two million records up to December 2014.

History

Concert "29 Years, 9 Months and 1 Day"

The band was born in 1979 in Orense, formed by the Domínguez brothers (Yosi, Charly and Javier), although the ones who made up the band for most of its career were Yosi and Charly. Although it was in 1981 when they began to offer their first performances. In these first years, the formation of the same varied a lot, until it settled with the incorporation of Ramón Costoya "Moncho" and Hermenegildo Alogo Mebuy "Hermes" as guitarists and drummer Ángel Barrio, "Gelo" (died February 17, 2022). They had their first big opportunity in 1981, when they opened for the Ramones in La Coruña, with such success that they managed to sign with the Galician independent record company Edigal, with which they released their first two albums, the titled Esta vida me va a matar (1982) which includes songs like "Peligrosa María" or "The train is coming", and Frankenstein (1984), currently reissued on compact disc. As a result of that concert, as the opening act for the Ramones, they began to use a cat as a symbol of the group, in the image and likeness of the eagle that represents the Ramones. Over time the image of the cat from Los Suaves has become an icon of national rock. They went through difficult times until they reached the third album that launched them to success That day think of me (1988), when the band began to be recognized nationally, which was reflected in the live album Tender is the night (1989).

Guitarist Hermes Alogo had to leave Los Suaves, and was replaced by Alberto Cereijo, who contributed a more aggressive sound on the guitar, which led to an evolution of the Suaves sound coinciding with the change of the decade. Thus, they managed to get their first gold record in 1991 with the album Damn my luck, and to record the album Bad News (1993) with a multinational company. His next album, Santa compaña (1994), was certified platinum and received massive concerts. This tour gave rise to the recording of the live album Is there someone there?, which consisted of two albums recorded in concert in Santoña (Cantabria), and a third album made up of 6 songs played in Live in the studio before an exclusive audience, which only accompanied the other two in the first live edition.

Once the album San Francisco Express (1997) was released and after supporting the Argentine band La Renga during their visit to Spain the following year, Los Suaves traveled to Argentina to offer some performances in January 1999 as guests of La Renga and Almafuerte. That same year they were the opening act of The Rolling Stones concert in Santiago de Compostela. The band continues its trajectory with the following albums Halloween (2000), A step back in time (2002), If I were God (2003), The Garden of Earthly Delights (2005) and Goodbye, Goodbye (2010).

El Siglo XXI receives the band with significant changes in its line-up. Ramon "Moncho" Costoya had announced his departure from the group for personal reasons in 1998, although this would not take place until the year 2000. He is replaced by Fernando Calvo, from Orensa, a virtuoso guitarist trained like Alberto Cereijo in the prestigious M.I. (Musicians Institute of Hollywood), receiving excellent grades in the G.I.T. (Guitar Institute of Technology). Fernando Calvo was already involved in the recording of A step back in time (2002) and in the band's later albums and live shows. In May 2002 Tino Mojón took over from Ángel Barrio "Gelo" to the group's drums. Tino had already been collaborating with the group since 1996. He was linked to the band as a studio musician on the albums San Francisco Express (1997), Víspera de todos los Santos (2000) and A step back in time (2002) also took up the drumsticks live after the departure of "Gelo", contributing greater involvement in the elaboration of the themes of the new records of the band and maintaining the rhythmic forcefulness that characterizes Los Suaves.

In February 2007, through Alberto Cereijo's website, it was announced that this year would be his last tour with Los Suaves, despite which the band did not consider abandoning the rock & roll national. In addition, in October 2007, Alberto Cereijo announced that he was reversing his plans to leave the group and decided together with Tino Mojón (drums) to combine Los Suaves with his new band called ECO. In fact, ECO's first concerts took place during the months of November and December 2007 supporting Los Suaves, a situation that has been repeated on several occasions in subsequent years.

The Suaves played in 2010 at the Festival En Vivo (Getafe).

On January 26, 2010, almost five years after their previous record work, Los Suaves released their eleventh studio album entitled Adiós, adiós. Making it clear that these words are a cry of welcome, it supposes the confirmation of the band as one of the ones that is in the best shape within the national rock scene, a fact that is confirmed in June of that same year with the announcement of the recording in Orense, on September 18, 2010, from a live DVD. Said recording materializes in the live double disc, including DVD and book, titled 29 years, 9 months and 1 day, which goes on sale at the end of November of that same year. During the press conference held for the presentation of the event, the councilor for culture of the Orense city council announces the start of the procedure required for the award of the city's gold medal to Los Suaves. On September 17, 2010, they were awarded this medal at the city council, and the Miño Philatelic Society presented a Los Suaves stamp, during an emotional act of unveiling a commemorative plaque for the event held in the square that bears his name in Orense, surrounded by numerous supporters, press and authorities.

During 2013 the group began a tour called the Gira de los mil conciertos. So called because the group's 1,000th concert is celebrated during the tour, it takes them to stages all over the peninsula with a renewed repertoire full of classics that haven't been played live for a long time and that delights their fans so much veterans as well as novices. As an anecdote, the tour begins at the O2 Academy in London, on the band's first visit to the island, although previously the new repertoire had been tested live in a small room in Ourense (Berlin room) where the group performed. under the pseudonym "Los Ásperos".

In June of that same year, within the "Tour of a thousand concerts", the band pays homage in Orense to all the members who have passed through it throughout its history, inviting them to take the stage during the concert held on the 29th as part of the Derrame Rock festival program. The event is called "the meeting" and it is a unique opportunity to see in action, sharing the stage with the current ones, former members such as Montxo Costoya, Javier Domínguez, Carlos Abuña, Pepe Losada, Ángel Ruíz, Carlos Costoya or Dani Domínguez, and the ever-present memory of Hermes Alogo deceased in 2003.

In November 2013, a compilation DVD of the "Tour of a thousand concerts" was released, plus an audio CD and a second DVD with a documentary about the group called "viaje at the end of the night", a documentary by the production company Meteorica Cine.

In November 2014, the Xerais publishing house published a book entitled "Los Suaves. My home is rock 'n' roll" (ISBN 978-84-9914-755-0) written by Javier Domínguez and in which, as an 'official biography' of the group, an extensive journey is made through the history of the band from Orense.

On December 18, 2014, Los Suaves announced through a brief statement their farewell tour. Entitled "The music ends", the tour takes the band to numerous venues in Spain and Europe during the years 2015 and 2016. During the year 2016 the final concert is announced, to be held in the city Orense on December 17 of that same year. Finally, the farewell concert, baptized with the evocative name of "The Last Judgment", must be cancelled, as well as the final stretch of the tour, as Yosi found himself convalescing from a fall he suffered in the final moments of the concert that Los Suaves held on July 22 in Santander. Pending the full recovery of the legendary singer and news about the canceled part of the tour and the final farewell concert, Valencia, Tarragona and Santander have become the last cities where the band has been seen live. In that same year, on July 25 (Galicia Day), the group received the Galician Gold Medal.

Already in 2017, on May 12, the band announces through a press conference the return to the stages to continue with, at least in part, the concerts canceled at the end of 2016. The first one had to be on the 22nd July, just one year after the accident that forced the cancellation of the final stretch of the tour, and at the point where they left it, Gijón. However, when it seemed that the problems that prevented the band from closing their stage career were coming to an end, a few days later, a new cancellation of this concert was announced, for the same medical reasons for Yosi that caused the cancellation of the previous ones. Time stopped, since since then, there has been no news about the future of the band, apart from the publication in 2022 by the Holy Grail label of discolibro (2 CDs and 1 DVD) with the live concert held in Oviedo on September 11, 2015 in which various guest singers from various groups on the rock scene of the moment participate.

Style, influences and legacy

The group has been awarded by the specialized press as the best live band in the country, on several occasions:

• Referendum Heavy Rock 1999
• Best live heavy band year 2000 by Heavy Rock magazine.
• Press reviews

Among the influences of Los Suaves, it is worth noting that of the Irish group Thin Lizzy, of whom the Domínguez brothers have always confessed to being followers.

Components

• Yosi Domínguez: voice and guitar.
• Alberto Cereijo: solo guitar.
• Fernando Calvo: rhythmic guitar.
• Charly Domínguez: low.
• Tino Mojón: Battery

Former members

• Javier Domínguez: Battery
• Angel Barrio "Gelo": battery:2022:
• Alogo Mebuy "Hermes": solo guitar. 2003
• Ramón Costoya "Montxo": rhythmic guitar
• Carlos Costoya: Battery
• Angel Ruiz: guitar:2020:
• Pepe Losada: guitar
• Tony Vallés: guitar
• Tino Canolas: Battery
• Carlos Romero (Abuña): Battery (1986-88)

Timeline

Discography

Studio Albums

• 1982: This life will kill me.
• 1984: Frankenstein.
• 1988: That day he thinks of me.
• 1991: Damn my luck..
• 1993: Bad news.
• 1994: Holy Companion.
• 1997: San Francisco Express.
• 2000: Vespera of all saints.
• 2003: If I were God.
• 2005: The garden of delights.
• 2010: Bye-bye..

Live Albums

• 1989: Suave is the night.
• 1995: Anybody there?
• 2010: 29 years, 9 months and 1 day.
• 2013: Tour of the thousand concerts.
• 2022: The softest night.

EP

• 1995: Special acoustics Barcelona CADENA 100.

Compilations

• 1993: Ten years of rock.
• 1996: With the heart.
• 2002: A step back in time.
• 2006: All soft..
• 2013: I can't leave rock..

Videos

• 1996: Tonight she's not sleeping..