Tropicalia legends Os Mutantes reformed in 2006 and played their first ever shows outside of Brazil that year.
The Brazilian psych-rock band last played Dublin 18 years ago, which I wrote about being at.
The band are now coming back to Dublin this summer with a show on August 6th at Button Factory.
Tickets are €35 plus fees from Eventbrite.
About Os Mutantes
Formed in São Paulo in the late 1960s, Os Mutantes were at the heart of Brazil’s radical Tropicália movement, blending psychedelic rock, traditional Brazilian sounds, surrealist lyrics, and an anti-authoritarian spirit. Their genre-defying sound and fearless experimentation made them one of the most influential and beloved cult bands in music history.
Over the decades, Os Mutantes’ impact has echoed far beyond Brazil. Beck paid homage with his track Tropicália on the 1998 album Mutations. The Bees covered their classic A Minha Menina, and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a vocal fan. Kevin Barnes of Of Montreal and David Byrne of Talking Heads have long championed the group, Byrne even helped reissue their music on his Luaka Bop label. In 1993, Kurt Cobain famously penned a letter to Arnaldo Baptista urging the band to reunite.
That long-awaited reunion came in 2006, with a historic performance at London’s Barbican Centre (though without original vocalist Rita Lee, replaced by Zélia Duncan). A major international tour followed, including shows in NYC, LA (alongside The Flaming Lips), and major U.S. cities.
Though lineup changes followed, Arnaldo and Zélia left in 2007, founding guitarist Sérgio Dias vowed to keep the group alive. “I will not let the giant sleep again,” he declared.
With a refreshed lineup featuring Esmeria Bulgari (vocals), Henrique Peters (keys), Vinicius Junqueira (bass), Claudio Tchernev (drums), and Camilo Macedo (guitar), Os Mutantes entered a new creative chapter. They released Haih Or Amortecedor in 2009 (their first studio album in 35 years), played major festivals like Glastonbury, and dropped follow-up albums Fool Metal Jack (2013) and Zzyzx (2020).
They also collaborated with Of Montreal on Bat Macumba for the Red Hot Organization’s charity compilation Red Hot + Rio 2 and have remained active on stages and in the studio since.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
