Inocentes

Inocentes are a Brazilian punk band from São Paulo, active since 1981. They form around Clemente, who plays bass in the group’s early line-up and later becomes its vocalist and guitarist. The band is a central name in the São Paulo punk scene and later in the wider Brazilian punk movement.

Formation and early line-up

The group forms in August 1981 from three former members of Corps Conductors, a punk band active from 1979 to 1981: Antonio Carlos Calegari on guitar, Marcelino Gonzales on drums, and Clemente on bass. Clemente has earlier experience in Restos de Nada, one of the first punk bands from São Paulo, which he helps found in 1978 with Douglas Viscaino. The three recruit Mauricio as vocalist.

Early releases and São Paulo punk scene

Inocentes quickly gain notice on the São Paulo scene and are invited with Cólera and Olho Seco to appear on Grito Suburbano, released by Punk Rock Records in 1982 and regarded as the first recording of Brazilian punk bands. As punk grows across Brazil, the band gains national visibility and becomes one of the movement’s voices. Clemente also writes a manifesto for the magazine Galery Around, which draws attention for its provocative language and its call for change in Brazilian popular music.

The band appears in the documentary Garotos do Subúrbio, directed by Fernando Meirelles, and in the short film Panic in SP by Mario Dalcéndio Jr. In 1982, with singer Ariel Uliana Jr., they take part in the festival The Beginning of the End of the World at SESC Pompéia in São Paulo. That performance is recorded live and released the following year on a compilation.

Moves towards post-punk and underground activity

In 1983 Inocentes take part in a São Paulo punk invasion of Rio de Janeiro, playing at Circo Voador alongside seven São Paulo bands, plus Paralamas do Sucesso from Brasília and Molotov Coke from Rio de Janeiro. Later that year they record their first LP, Misery and Hunger, but censorship affects ten of the album’s thirteen songs, and it appears instead as a compact with only three tracks. They also feature in the medium-length film Punks, directed by Sarah Yakni and Alberto Gieco.

By the end of 1983 the band is performing as a trio with Clemente on vocals. They then stop activity because of violence in the punk scene, which has become dominated by gang conflict and has fewer shows, zines, and gigs.

In 1984 Inocentes return with a new line-up: Antonio Parlato on drums, Tonhão on drums, André Parlato on bass, Ronaldo dos Passos on guitar, and Clemente on vocals and guitar. Their sound moves closer to post-punk, and they position themselves beyond the strict punk movement, alongside groups such as Patife Band, Ira!, Mercenários, Voluntários da Pátria, Smack and 365 in what is known as Rock Paulista. During this period they play notable shows at Lira Paulistana, Zona Fantasma, Via Berlin, Rose Bom Bom and Circo Voador, where they support Legião Urbana.

Recordings, labels and wider recognition

Also in 1984, Subito Grito is issued in Germany as Volks Grito on Vinyl Boogie, and the band appears on the compilation Life is Joke, released by the German label Weird System alongside groups from the United States, England, Spain, Finland and other countries.

In 1986 Branco Mello of Titãs brings a demo to Warner, and Inocentes sign to the label. They release the mini-LP Panic in SP, produced by Branco and Pena Schmidt, becoming the first Brazilian punk band to record for a multinational label. The record draws strong media attention and leads to the band’s first national tour. Their Warner sales are strong, though the label does not expect them. Even so, the band gains respect and a nationwide audience.

Their second album for Warner, Goodbye Carne, appears in 1987 and is produced by Geraldo D’Arbilly and Pena Schmidt. It includes songs such as “Beloved Homeland,” “Drums,” and “Lead City,” which receive radio play. The launch show at Center Norte, in the north of São Paulo, draws more than ten thousand people. Warner later treats the band as difficult to work with.

A third Warner album follows in 1989, produced by Roberto Frejat. It combines rock and roll, punk and rap influences, and includes “God’s Face” and “The Man Who Drank Too Much.” The album’s artwork and direction reflect pressure from the label and contribute to tension inside the group.