The Ex

As the journalist José Marmeleira wrote at the premiere of this collective two years ago at ZDB “no band shaped by the lead years of punk lives today with the same freedom and youth. And shakes both body and conscience with the same nerve”. Originating in the late 70’s, it was instantly clear their selfless intent in directing the raw energy of popular music towards political activism, while avoiding all sorts aesthethic fundamentalisms or idealistic ways of life. Putting them on par with the poetic images and groove of bands such as The Fall or Raincoats. Throughout their history there’s been a sustained love affair with Sonic Youth and a cumplicity with Steve Albini from way back, besides the album ‘In the Fishtank’ from 2001 recorded with Tortoise, but The Ex never restricted themselves to the tired institution of guitars-bass-drums of the punk continuum. This backbone-attitude has integrated other instruments – horns, electronics, accordion, etc – and musical languages, experimented and celebrated in their countries of origin, such as the collaboration with ethiopian sax player Getatchew Mekuria in 2006, as their backing band for the recording of ‘Moa Anbessa’, and their interest in folk songs from various latitudes, making them one of the indisputed european bastions of creation beyond genre and an absolutely free integration of sounds, provenances and traditions in a radically new body.