ATERKINGS: they devour rock and roll

God save the Aterkings. The ones from Markina, of course. The best group currently on the Basque scene. The best Basque rock group singing in Basque of all time. A (wild) group of friends who just ooze attitude, boundless belligerence and energy enough to stop a train in its tracks.
They seem to fit perfectly into the stereotype of fans from rural areas who idealise the whole scene, listen to their favourite tracks until the grooves wear out, enjoy them from the soles of their feet to the heart of their souls and reproduce the sounds with undeniable intensity and credibility.

The Aterkings are a shining example to us all. If there were justice in this world, their influence on the Basque scene would be so pervasive that hundreds of new groups would lock themselves away in their dens to rock with the same enthusiasm as the Stooges and the Pleasure Fuckers, the Australian and Scandinavian combos, Little Richard and the Sonics, to name but a few of the all time greats.

I will never forget the first time I heard them. It was in the basement of the Xurrut pizzeria in Gorliz, when they were supporting a group of cool Yanks who no one remembers any more. The Aterkings stole the show. They took the joint by storm wearing Los Ramones T-shirts, demonstrating the same thick skin as the Pleasure Fuckers, swallowing manual versions and causing chaos with Goiko, the leader, right on the front line getting into a fight with one of the guitarists and falling into a puddle of beer, without for one moment losing track of the song he was singing, despite the thumps and bumps, and moreover, doing star jumps in a mere tenth of a second and freaking out a photographer who managed to capture the initial moment. Utterly brilliant.

They see themselves as misunderstood. Their local joints refused to let them play because their songs did not contain enough element of ‘protest’ (it’s amazing what you learn!). However, their luck was soon to change and now here they are, offering us an official CD that is the follow-up to a rock-a-roller rough cut and a few loose ends, such as the support performance in Bilbao during Gluecifer’s last visit from Norway. ‘We totally stole the show, even if I do say so myself!” they have been known to say in private. There is nothing like self confidence!

Uninhibited

And now, with no inhibitions whatsoever, firm ideas and a strong desire to take the world by storm, the Aterkings, born in the year 2000, have taken their first step towards fame and fortune with this wonderful debut, recorded in the fantastic Tío Pete studios in Urduliz, a luxury facility that the boys from Markina have mainly used to obtain a dirty, guitarist rock and roll album with a strong hint of garage and bare flesh.

The album is called **Rock ‘N’ Roll** and all the lyrics are worth listening to. The list of tracks, more in Basque than in English or Spanish, takes you along the paths of glory of the meanest Raunch Hands (‘R&R At Night’), the coolest Nomads (‘Kasurik ez’), the bragging that has not been heard in Basque since Gari left Hertzainak (‘Bakarra’), the naive rock halo of Los Ramones(‘I Wanna Stay With You’), the headstrong chaos of the New Bomb Turks (‘Pintan bastos’) and the bloody blues of the Stooges (‘Excitation’). An exhausting repertoire that Goiko, the leader, sings with rage, volume and, above all, swagger. **Let’s rock!!**
Oscar Cubillo (El Correo, Ruta 66)