ALBUM REVIEW: Los Fastidios – Lovesteady (KOB Records)
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last 30-odd years, Los Fastidios are a ska/street-punk band formed in Verona, Italy, in 1991.
Only one member, frontman Enrico, remains from the original line-up, but in recent years in particular they’ve gone from strength to strength, with their infectious energy making them regular and popular visitors to Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. The five-piece are extremely prolific, Lovesteady being their 13th studio album.
Recent records have seen Enrico joined on vocals by his wife Elisa Dixan, who he describes onstage as “the smile of Los Fastidios”, and she certainly brings an upbeat vibe to their music. Lovesteady is 13 tracks of joyous music which will make you smile, dance and think, as well as stirring the rebel in your soul.
Los Fastidios have always celebrated skinhead and bluebeat culture, which is evident from the opening You’re So Young, a message of empowerment for young people: “You’re the future and the future is in your hands/You’ve already learned when to take a stand.”
Dues are paid to the Two Tone ska revival on Three Minute Hero, a respectful cover of The Selecter’s 1980 classic which doesn’t stray too far from the original. Elisa handles main vocal duties, and she also leads on Skabillyboogie, a jaunty mash-up of styles which is sure to get you dancing.
It’s one of two songs where the verses are sung in Italian and the chorus in English (the other being the slower reggae-inflected Music For Peace), but they lose none of their appeal. Their message couldn’t be clearer on the latter song: “Oh oh oh, make music not war, fight the system not the people!”
Los Fastidios used to sing mostly in Italian, but English seems to have become their go-to language, apart from two songs here. The punky Non Cambiare Mai (Don’t Ever Change) is in their native tongue, while the Gogol Bordello-like Une Chanson Pour Toi (A Song For You) is in French. Both are good songs, even if, like me, you need Google Translate to interpret the lyrics.
Elsewhere, Heart Of Woman is another upbeat number, powered by skanking guitar and a delicious wandering bassline, and I imagine it’ll go down a storm live.
Rebel songs
True Rebel harks back to their street-punk roots, with a rousing chorus: “Rebel in the streets, rebel on the terraces/Sing it loud and proud, revolutionary songs”
A great driving punk riff underpins A Rebel, Not A Fool, and although it namechecks Sham 69, it’s closer in style to oi! legends Cock Sparrer – obviously a very good thing.
As well as being are proudly anti-fascist, advocating equality, socialism and fighting against discrimination, Los Fastidios are pro-vegan, which brings us to the curiously-titled Why Don’t You Eat Your Cat? It’s a lively ska tune questioning our attitude to animals as food. “Why is the pig a snack, why is your dog a pet?” and certainly makes you think.
Sometimes Good Girls Don’t Wear White is a pacey straight-up ska tribute to rude girls, with Elisa again on lead vox, while Warriors is another street-punk stormer calling out the faceless keyboard warriors who “dropped their Molotovs”.
The album closes with title track Lovesteady, a rocksteady love song where Enrico and Elisa trade lines. It’s a fittingly diverse end to an album which lots of bases, and might just be the best Los Fastidios have ever made. 9/10.
- Lovesteady is available on CD and vinyl directly from Kob Records HERE.
