Guevara says: Cancel Third World debt!

Wednesday, August 23, 2000 - 10:00

Guevara says: Cancel Third World debt!

REVIEW BY FEDERICO FUENTES

Hailing from Fairfield, in the heart of working-class Sydney, Guevara is a rebel rock band refusing to write for a commercial market. The band is heavily influenced by its Latin American roots, but don't expect salsa rhythms or love songs.

Inspired by the likes of Rage Against the Machine, Guevara employs a blend of hard rock, Latin hip-hop and funk which it combines with slogan-like and chant-based grooves. Many of Guevara's songs are heavily political: Third World debt, human rights and environmental concerns.

Guevara's up-front politics and refusal to conform to typical commercial rock has put them offside with the authorities on more than one occasion, including being cut off mid-set at an Argentinean festival at the Fairfield showground.

Guevara evolved while lead singer John De Giusti and bass player Carlos Camacho travelled through Latin America. There, in a town called Cabo Polonio in Uruguay, the two played their first gig and Guevara was officially born.

The band now has two new members, drummer Niles Brennan and guitarist Mark Malligan, who have added a new dynamic to Guevara's live sound.

Since their first gig, Guevara have toured extensively through Latin America, playing with the likes of Molotov from Mexico and ANIMAL from Argentina and at political rallies, demonstrations and charity festivals. They won the 1999 Rock in Rio "new band" prize. De Giusti and Camacho played an impromptu acoustic set at a Green Left Weekly benefit in Granville, Sydney.

Guevara is touring Australia on their International Mother Fuckers (IMF) tour until October, when the band heads off to Cuba. They're recording a CD, Amargo.