An Afternoon of Hardcore at Libido Bar

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Medellin punks hanging out near Libido.
Medellin punks hanging out near Libido.

When I think of Carrera 70, I think of a street filled with salsa joints, however Libido Bar offers up anything but your typical Colombian crossover music.

On a Saturday afternoon back in August, Troy and I joined Robert Rose of Punk Outlaw for a trip down to Libido Bar.

After exiting the taxi, we looked around for the telltale Mondongo’s restaurant which we were told was across the street from Libido.

There was a crowd of people mostly dressed in black, a few of whom were drinking liquor and riding BMX bikes.  Clearly finding them meant we’d found the bar too.

It seemed odd to me that a hardcore show was going on mid-afternoon, but I think there was a scheduling reason behind the timing.

The nondescript entrance to Libido.
The nondescript entrance to Libido.

Troy and I had met Robert while trying to photograph the Flower Parade earlier in the month.

Not only was he there trying to capture footage, he was traveling all over the world to document punk scenes in various countries for a new TV show he was developing.

And so the three of us showed up at Libido, and the owner was kind enough to allow us free entry to take photos, and for Robert to get video of the bands performing.

Puerto Rican hardcore band
Puerto Rican hardcore band

Inside the club, there is a small bar, a few small couches, a corner stage, and then a bigger space (to the right, not shown in the photo above) where most of the audience is located either standing, or dancing, depending on the mood.

It was dark enough upstairs that you wouldn’t know it was 4 pm, and of course it was loud, so I could only handle small doses of the music before heading back outside from some fresh air.

During our conversation with the owner, I asked what kind of bands performed at the bar, and he indicated all types (hip hop, metal, rock, etc).

Robert interviews an all-female punk group from Medellin.
Robert interviews an all-female punk group from Medellin.

I was unable to find a website for the bar, so I’m not sure of the best way to find out about upcoming shows.

Probably through word of mouth, or local advertising on the street or in fanzines.  Even though I’m not much of a hardcore fan, in the same way death metal doesn’t do much for me, I’m still glad I went.

Medellin is a big city with an active youth culture.

Libido reminded me that just because the vast majority of Colombians go out dancing to salsa or reggaeton on a Saturday night, doesn’t mean there aren’t people interested in alternative music genres.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Good deal, I’m not a fan of punk/metal either but I agree with you that, regardless of your personal tastes, you should experience it anyway because you’ll always learn something from it.

    Cheers,
    Andrew