Hero of the Week:
The Hellhates: the rebels who bring psychobilly back to the edge of danger
In our section “Hero of the Week”, today we are not highlighting just one person… but an entire band that has made rebellion a way of life. From Murcia to the world, The Hellhates have spent two decades twisting the roots of rock and roll and psychobilly into something of their own: dirtier, more powerful, and more alive than ever. With a defiant attitude and a stage presence that sticks in memory, they continue conquering stages inside and outside Spain. We spoke with them about their beginnings, their struggles, and that eternal need to break away from everything established.
The band The Hellhates was born in Murcia in 2004. What was the spark that started it all — a chance meeting, an idea, a concert, or simply the spirit of that time?
A little bit of everything: a meeting between friends in a bar, an idea that had always been there, and more than the spirit of that time, it was trying to bring back a spirit from before that time but pushing the style a bit, hehe.
From your beginnings, your sound has evolved a lot: from a raw and street style to something more powerful and precise. What was the key moment that marked that growth?
Yes, over the years you refine and/or evolve, and without a doubt the key moment was the recording of the album From the Roots to the Edge.
Working on From the Roots to the Edge was a turning point for the band. Which part of the recording process made you look at your music —and at yourselves— from another perspective?
Listening to it once it was finished and hearing the sound we had achieved.
Your songs are full of energy, emotion, and honesty. What usually comes first: the story, the mood, or a riff?
That question is very interesting, but there is no pattern. Sometimes it’s a riff, other times I only have one phrase and from there the song develops, and other times it comes out in English but in the end I switch it to Spanish — so, a bit of everything.
You are inspired by the musical roots of the 50s and 80s, but your sound still feels fresh and current. How do you manage to balance respect for the past with the search for something new?
Well, the truth is that it’s something that comes naturally, but the sound we have is very deliberate and chosen on purpose, and we don’t tend to change it too much.
In your artistic proposal there is coherence: in the sound, in the image, and in the stage performance. What is more important for you: how people hear you or how they remember you?
Music comes first, that’s clear, but the staging is also very important — both things go completely hand in hand.
Psychobilly and rockabilly are genres with their own character and unwritten rules. What do you think is giving them a second life nowadays?
I think they are cycles that keep repeating, they have always been there, but it’s true that now things are moving a little more.
How do you feel about your place in the Spanish and European scene? As rebels, guardians of tradition, or those who push the genre forward?
Totally rebels. We don’t fit into purely rockabilly or psychobilly festivals. But we love it, hehe. The band was created to break stereotypes.
You have already coincided with FOTKAI at your concerts. What do you think of the project and the way we capture real emotions and the atmosphere of live shows? What is more special to you: the visual memory, the energy of the moment, or being able to share it with people?
Very happy with your project, not all photographers know how to capture the moment and you achieve it.
All three things you ask about are special: memory, energy, and being able to share it with people.
