The third version of Bogota’s alternative festival, Hermoso Ruido, should be music to the ears of underground culture vultures
It isn’t easy being an independent musician: let alone in one of Latin America’s cultural capitals. However, solo artists have more of a chance of being heard if they take part in a city-wide event. This is the key concept behind the third instalment of Bogota’s Hermoso Ruido Festival.
Hermoso Ruido, one of the capital’s biggest alternative music festivals, will take place from August 27 to August 29. It will bring together the best underground groups from Bogota, Latin America and even further afield, set to fill the capital’s nightlife with new and alternative sounds.
The festival aims to help national and international bands and promoters that make up the alternative genre by opening up business opportunities so that musicians can start up relationships with fans and producers.
With an eclectic mix of sounds that cross several different genres, the 2015 version of the festival is packed full of artists catering to a variety of tastes. From local and regional bands such as Puerto Candelaria, Sagan, Siddhartha (Mexico), Miss Garrison (Chile), Nicola Cruz (Ecuador), Onda Vaga (Argentina), as well as international acts such as Matrixxman (USA), Tender Games (Germany), and Be Brave Benjamin (UK), this year’s festival will pack out venues and stages across the city.
Gigs are set to be held in bars in the Centro, Chapinero and Zona Rosa areas. Armando Records, Cine Tonala, Baum and La Hamburgueseria are just some of the venues that have been announced in the line-up.
Whether it be in a theatre, restaurant, local bar or nightclub, organisers T310 and Absent Papa have a proven track record of catering to different crowds. Over the past ten years, they have brought international acts such as Interpol, Arctic Monkeys, Damian Marley and Queens of the Stone Age to Bogota. Moreover, their contributions towards organising festivals such as Soma and Estereo Picnic, mean that Hermoso Ruido is a festival in safe and experienced hands.
This festival will provide us with the opportunity to experience firsthand the underground offerings that are making waves across Bogota and further afield.
By Nicholas Soo
