The headlining bands for Ruido Fest’s second day included some of the most iconic and legendary Mexican rock bands from the ’80s, like La Maldita Vecindad and Cuca, whose loyal fans include everyone 60-year-olds to a younger generation of rockeros, proving that music is timeless and ageless.
“We never have a mindset of trying to reach out to new generations. If it happens, it happens, but that’s not our goal with our music,” Cuca’s Carlos Aviles told Billboard just a few minutes before jumping onstage.
“I try to keep that younger adolescent in me when I’m writing for Cuca. And I think kids really want to know what songs like ‘Hijo del Lechero’ and ‘Cara de pizza’ are all about,” added lead singer José Fors.
The Jalisco band, who is working on a new album that is said to be “nastier, edgier and more punk than ever,” pleased the crowd with hit singles like “Cara de pizza,” “Arre Lulú,” “La pucha asesina” and the classic “El son del dolor.”
As for La Maldita Vecindad, the band’s appeal to a younger crowd comes not only from its music but also from its members’ work as activists and peacemakers. Onstage, lead singer Roco addressed topics from immigration issues to the Black Lives Matter movement and the violence in Mexican states like Guerrero and Oaxaca. “No more bloodshed. We need to learn to live together and love each other,” he said to a roaring crowd. “We stand in solidarity with our African-American brothers who are being targeted by police who are killing innocent blacks and Latinos. This needs to stop.”
La Maldita closed the night with rock anthems like “Un poco de sangre,” “Pata de perro,” “Pachuco,” “Don palabras,” Solín,” “Un gran circo,” “No les creo nada” and “Kumbala.”
Other artists who performed at Ruido Fest’s second day included Mexican singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade, Argentine reggae band Los Cafres, Mexican punk band Le Butcherettes and up-and-coming Spanish band Sexy Zebras who told Billboard that they “felt very at home” even though it was their first time in the U.S. “There is an audience for rock here and people get us. Actually what the world needs right now is more rock and less gilipollas.”