Los Bitchos: The Pan-Continental Band Bringing Cumbia to the World
When Los Bitchos first took to the stage at Oslo Hackney on May 10, 2017, supporting The Parrots, few could have predicted that this scrappy London-based collective would go on to captivate audiences across the globe. Born from a remarkable collision of cultures and backgrounds, the band brought together Western Australian-born Serra Petale on guitar, Swedish bassist Josefine Jonsson, and South London native Nic Crawshaw on drums and percussion. Together, they forged a sound as daring and boundary-defying as the distances separating their birthplaces.
The musical identity of Los Bitchos is a thrilling patchwork of influences. Petale once described her vision for the band's sound as wanting to resemble "Van Halen and Cocteau Twins – but from Turkey," and the resulting music lives up to that wildly ambitious brief. Drawing on Petale's mother's collection of 1970s Anatolian rock records, the Latin-American music archives of former keyboardist Agustina Ruiz, the spirit of Madonna's La Isla Bonita era, and the raw energy of punk channeled through Crawshaw's drumming background, the band crafted a style rooted primarily in the vibrant instrumental cumbia of the 1970s and 1980s. The result is music that feels simultaneously timeless and thrillingly fresh.
Their early years saw releases with labels Blak Hand Records, Strong Island Recordings, and Bad Vibrations, building a loyal following through relentless touring and an unmistakable live energy. A pivotal moment came in 2019 when Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos produced their debut 7" single Pista (Fresh Start), a sold-out release that critics described as sounding like "William Onyeabor discovering cumbia." That same year, the band completed a European tour alongside Mac DeMarco, further cementing their reputation as one of the most exciting live acts emerging from the London underground scene.
The global breakthrough arrived in early 2020, when Los Bitchos' KEXP session, filmed at the Trans Musicales Festival, was released online. As COVID lockdowns swept the world, the video found a vast and captive audience on YouTube, ultimately surpassing two million views and introducing the band to listeners far beyond their existing fanbase. Even in a period of global stillness, their music moved people, cutting through borders and screens with an irresistible groove.
Reuniting with Alex Kapranos for their debut full-length record, Los Bitchos released Let the Festivities Begin! through City Slang in February 2022. Jonsson recalled how Kapranos "brought out the best in us in a really encouraging way," while Petale noted his use of vintage gear and "cosmic synths that give our songs a bit of added sass." The album earned widespread critical praise from outlets including BBC 6 Music, Rolling Stone, NME, and KEXP, and was followed by a sold-out UK tour. Singles including Good to Go! and Las Panteras showcased the band's ability to craft infectious instrumental anthems that needed no words to tell their story.
Their live career continued to reach extraordinary new heights. Festival appearances at Coachella, SXSW, Glastonbury, and Rock En Seine drew enormous crowds, while tours alongside Belle & Sebastian, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Pavement, and Parquet Courts placed them firmly in the company of indie music's most celebrated names. A particularly notable milestone came in June 2023 when the band made their television debut on the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury, performing on the iconic Park Stage to an audience of millions.
The band's momentum showed no sign of slowing as they released their eagerly anticipated second album, Talkie Talkie, in August 2024 via City Slang. With a publishing deal signed with Reservoir Media and a growing international profile bolstered by a live performance on France's prestigious ARTE TV program Ground Control, Los Bitchos continue to write a story as eclectic, joyful, and unstoppable as the music they make. In a world where genres are increasingly rigid, they remain a glorious, genre-defying exception — proof that great music needs no passport.