The explosion of pop-rock groups that lived The Christians Starting in the 1960s, a social phenomenon that coincided with the rise of tourism in this town has been captured in a documentary that has just seen the light of day and that captures the essence of one of the great artistic manifestations that involved numerous neighbors.
The film, directed by Jorge Bello García, rescues the history of the bands that marked an era, between the years 1960 and 2000, in a tribute to those musicians who, with effort and enthusiasm, contributed to magnify the cultural and leisure baggage of the seafaring town and to compose the soundtrack of the social changes that were making their way.
Groups like Los Vikingos, the first group to delve into electronic music, together with Ecuoreo, Tener Cuevas, Esfinge and Fénix, all formed by neighbors, hatched at local parties (in many cases taking advantage of the rest of the orchestras), private meetings , dance halls, institutes and bars. Although the film focuses on the musicians from the seafaring nucleus, the Cameroonian group Black Fire also appears, due to its influence and feeling with the local bands.
“When the first group appeared, in 1964, there was still no permanent electricity in Los Cristianos. That was a revolution and with the arrival of the first tourists, social changes began to take place very quickly. Economic development allowed access to many things that until then were impossible, and these changes were reflected in musical tastes”, Jorge Bello, who has dedicated two years to this work, explained to this newspaper.
The one-hour documentary Canciones de la Bahía narrates the modern musical evolution of Los Cristianos through the testimony of 24 protagonists who were part of a dozen pop and rock bands. A tribute to a handful of residents who made a great effort in training and learning to adapt to the new times, tastes and musical styles. Now, a documentary finally recognizes it.
Jorge Bello stresses that he was moved by the presentation of the film at the Infanta Leonor Auditorium. “Those kids who started out at 15 or 20 are around 80 today and many people told us that we have made them feel part of a town, of a social group and that is the best compliment we can receive, because it shows that music creates ties”.
