By José Gandue @Gandour Archive photos of Nuclear Child
From its beginnings, Nuclear Child They have garnered attention with their distinctive indie rock sound and, from their first performances, were hailed as one of the hopes for a renewal of contemporary Venezuelan music. In 2014, two years after their formation, this band, originally from the city of Barquisimeto, won the Nuevas Bandas festival, which takes place in Caracas Throughout his career he has completed two albums, Mutants never die y Re&Sol Open. During the recording of their third album, two of its members, like thousands of their compatriots, emigrated to Chile.. The other two stayed in their city and tried to continue, but everything stalled and the situation in their country worsened. They have now decided to launch a fundraising campaign so they can reunite and continue their artistic work., Initially in the Southern Cone, and then, if all goes well, expanding into a tour throughout Latin America. For that reason, we contacted Mechu Leezard and Ovi, the band's vocalists and guitarists, to get details about what's happening and the plans they have in mind to achieve their goal:
When was the last performance of Niño Nuclear?
The full band, in July 2017. At bassist Fernando's farewell show. We played several times after that, but with friends who joined in to help out.
At that moment. Did they know they were separating?
When the drummer (Leo), who is one of the band's founders, left, I said, "I'm not playing anymore, Niño." I won't play again until we're together again. It's mostly because it's so annoying to teach the songs to someone every time I have to bring in a new musician.
If they manage to reunite and the campaign is successful, would they all stay to live in Chile or is it a temporary reunion plan?
The plan is to stay and make the most of all the tools. We don't want the band to die, and we want to stay together. We believe in the band and the music we're making. .
Do you feel you will adapt to the Chilean rock scene?
Yes. After everything we've been through here, I don't think it'll be a problem. Maybe the beginning is the hardest part, like everything else... But we're betting on the band.
How do you see the current state of rock music in Venezuela?
This is the most hopeless time we've ever experienced. A month ago, they were going to have a big event with Venezuelan and South American bands, but it was canceled because of the situation. All the venues where events are held are closed because they've been without power for a month. Nobody is playing. There are some amazing bands, but there's nowhere to play.
Now I'll ask you the question the other way around: What can a Venezuelan rocker contribute by participating in other Latin American music scenes?
There's no doubt that pain is a muse, and everyone knows we're experiencing firsthand the moment our nation is going through. We're all emerging with broken hearts, but with inspiration running high.
Finally, do you think the fundraising campaign to leave will work? Who do you think will support you?
We believe it will work. We might not reach our goal, but whatever we can raise will help us immensely.
I believe those who will support us are the friends who believe in us and have faith in us. When we went to Bogotá five years ago, many people helped us achieve that goal. .