PCP, Opa Hostil @ Muenmo, Palma Del Rio SPA 06 March 1998

Thursday 5/3 (day off on the road)
Day of the Dead…. Cordoba is almost 700 km so we decide to leave today and make a pitstop in Madrid. In the meantime I have learned to phone the organisers at least a couple days before. This time it works! I get complete information and directions! Hurrah! We arrive in the El Laboratorio squat at around 11 pm and can stay there for the night. Around midnight, I find by accident Angel/Victimas Del Progreso and co. in the irresistable Fobia local. We make an appointment for the next day, coz some of us want to spend some more pelas.

Friday 6/3 (Muenmo/Palma Del Rio; with Opahostil)
At 12 at the Fobia shop, we meet with Pepe and Canino of Sin Dios! Word spreads fast. Pepe speaks English quite well and there’s alot to discuss (I already knew Canino by email). They want to organise an extra concert for us in Madrid on 10/3 together with Sin Dios! For me (here I go again, I cannot praise them enough) Sin Dios are one of the finest bands around today (musically as well as lyrically – all you non Spanish people: check out the English translations for the Guerra A La Guerra release), and I was already  excited to play with them in Vitoria on 14/3. So much to discuss, so little time… Too bad we already have to leave. We arrive in Cordoba around 7:30 pm; we are expected around 7 so nothing’s serious. On the street, I start to ask around for the place but nobody knows the address. Someone shows me a city-map of Cordoba and the streetname is NOT on it… We start to get worried. I  phone again but the guy is already at the concert so I get stuck with his mother who only understands and speaks Spanish. Eventually, we find out the concert is in a small village called Palma Del Rio and is 60 km south of Cordoba! We start driving and take the wrong road. After 50 km, we take a small road: only 32 km straight to Palma Del Rio. Ok! It turns out to be the road to hell. Better yet, the road through hell coz it is barely driveable… a 25-30 km/h road under heavy construction this is. Poor van, poor equipment, poor PCP people – the next one-and-a-half hour we are jolted to pieces… At 10:30 we get to the concertplace, a small but very cosy bar. Fortunately, Maro and the crowd are still waiting for us and were even trying to find us earlier that evening but ofcourse we took the road-of-death no-one dares to take. After setting up the equipment, Opahostil started and blew me away with some excellent hardcore. I don’t know what it is, but most Spanish bands seem to have 2 guitarplayers. Powerful shit for sure! During our set, the ceiling came down. Very chaotic. After 30 minutes the cops arrive. Noiseproblems. We are allowed to play one more song, so we play 5 songs as 1. During the 4th, the guitaramplifier breaks down. Someone threw beer in it. End of concert, goodnite.

Opa Hostil (Cordoba, Spain)
PCP (Groningen, The Netherlands)