The return of 6 Volts: the secrets of the fight that separated them and their return to the stage almost ten years later

This Saturday, July 2, after overcoming problems and grudges, Alexis Korfiatis, Emilio Bruce and Mauricio Llona will come together again on stage to celebrate 25 years of the group that defined them as musicians and transformed the lives of at least a couple of generations of young fans of punk and rock, prisoners, probably, of the same rage and rebellion that they reflected in their concerts.

“Actually, the meeting is taking place because, after almost 10 years fighting and without seeing each other, we have become friends. When we parted ways in full concert at Ate, in 2013, it was a sad ending and a very poor concert. We want to somehow send off this lineup of the band in the best way, being friends and with an A1 concert”, Mauricio Llona, ​​drummer of the group, tells us about this reunion that, at least in what involves him and Emilio, will be only for this concert. “In the first rehearsal we noticed that we had never lost the chemistry to play together”affirms the latter. “One of the things we have learned from all this is that we can stop working together without having to stop being friends”, he adds. For Alexis, the best lesson they can draw from negative experiences “is that communication is the most important thing in a group.”

“And since we started so young we didn’t know how to handle that well, we were never prepared to succeed so quickly and that probably also added its share of pressure”, add.

No hard feelings

Shortly after they overcame the quarrels that distanced a friendship that dated back to their school years, they found out through social networks that their followers wanted to see them play again. They received offers from some producers and thought about it. Finally, they decided to produce the event themselves and invite some scene partners and colleagues who were important in its golden years, the first five years of this century, to relive the sensations that, in those days, they lived every weekend not only in Lima, but in different cities of Peru. In this way, Leusemia, Aeropajitas, Injectors, Diazepunk and Tragokorto, in addition to the musicians Charlie Parra, Ricardo Méndez (Difonía), Giovanni Ciccia (Chabelos) Marcel Cailloux (State of Siege), Diego Reyes and Ginola were chosen to be part of this celebration of music and friendship.

“We wanted to put together a concert with the most beloved and representative bands of the punk rock scene in Peru. –Mauricio tells us-. We are all very close friends and we respect each other’s work and music very much. We have learned a lot from these bands and from the people who make them up”. “For me it is always important to keep the local scene together and these bands are part of our history”Alexis says.

Always moving, always searching

But this anniversary does not come only with the reunion concert, but with a documentary -directed by the Peruvian youtuber Alterando Pentagramas- that shows, without censorship, the hardest moments in the group’s history, and which is being released for free on YouTube at 3 parts, the last of which can be seen on the day of the concert. There are the origins, the first gigs, the recording of the first album and the last minute inclusion of “El Wirito”, the tours, the atmosphere of camaraderie that existed between them and their staff, the acclaim of the public and the peak of their sound as a band. But there are also the screwed up moments, the excesses with drugs and alcohol that ended up definitively breaking the group. “I think that, on the one hand, it has been straw to remember the good times and how the band has grown through the years with perseverance and a lot of work – Mauricio tells us-. However, it was also time to remember all the problems, fights and the breakup not only of the band, but of the friendship we had. Looking back, after so many years, also makes you realize what mistakes you made and have a much more objective perspective of what happened. It’s actually crazy to see how much fun we had and how well we got along together, on and off stage. They were years of putamadre, of very good experiences and a lot of personal and professional growth”. For Emilio it was a mixture of emotions. “Joy and nostalgia, on the one hand, and anger and sadness, on the other, when reliving certain episodes.” “When we started we were almost children,” adds Alexis. “We learned that even for music, you have to be orderly, methodical and professional, having perseverance and the attitude of making music in a professional way, not as a hobby or pastime, like when we started. That, together with the maturity and experience that we have now, helps us to manage things better.”

You’re everything to me

Since that night when they came in second place in the Hamilton Rock contest, in 1998 -only below Uchpa-, almost 25 years of music, friendship, encounters, misunderstandings and eternal themes such as Wirito, Atahualpa, Far, Lost Generation have passed. , Plastic Day or Por ti, in which the lives of the three members of their most classic lineup have been completely transformed, just like those of their original followers. But the music, happily, does not change.

“I learned that my peace of mind is the most important thing. When things don’t work anymore and you’ve tried for a long time to fix them and you haven’t succeeded, it’s better to step aside and go for something new “Mauricio Llona tells us. “What makes me feel most proud of having been part of 6 Voltios is having reached so many people and so many places through our music. When we started, we never thought we would get this far, it was like playing and hesitating with your friends, and that made the musical proposal fresh and sincere. We never got too complicated when making the songs and Alexis’s lyrics were always very direct. Many young people identified with what we were saying and, as if that were not enough, the band transcended generations”.

For Alexis, if at the beginning they were given unfriendly labels such as “chiquipunk” or “pitupunk” it was, perhaps, because “That was what we reflected.” However, for him, being punk “It’s a lifestyle, an attitude, it’s about not going with the flow and doing things differently. And that one maintains over the years”. Korfiatis assures that he can feel proud of the recognition that all his followers have given them both nationally and internationally, “and for the recording of so many albums that have been able to unite generations with our music, being part of the soundtrack of their lives. That is priceless”.

For Emile, “It is overwhelming at times to see all that we have achieved as a band and the impact that we have had over a generation. Also, between us, with the staff, producers and other musicians, we are like a big family, even though the years go by.” The bass player remembers that they started as a school band and, without realizing it, they came to transcend and impact the lives of thousands of people. “To this day, many people write to me on social networks or stop me on the street to thank us for our music, for how we have helped them overcome difficult times or how we have marked their adolescence. So let’s never play together again, we are part of the history of Peruvian rock, and that is something that not many can say.