They triumphed at the Home Fair and were surprised by a bomb: the rock of Virus returns and reminds Peru of the 80s

At their first major festival, the Argentine rock band Virus brought a different proposal to the rest of the guests: danceable rock. Despite their innovative style, all they got was the anger of an audience ironically made up of hippies, who fired the group with orange shots. In the midst of the disappointment, Marcelo Moura, the current leader of the band, came down from the stage in tears. Meanwhile, his late brother and former vocalist of the group, Federico Moura, approached him with a smile and said: “Boludo, didn’t you realize that while they threw oranges at us they danced?”. After 42 years, now they will lead, together with Los Cafres, the Alternative Music Festival this May 27 in the Gardens of the Parque de la Exposición

The reason for his perseverance after four decades of musical career is related to the love for music and the last wish of Federico, who asked Marcelo that Virus continue after his departure. In an exclusive interview with El Comercio, Marcelo remembers why that day went wrong for them. “That they threw oranges at us had to do with our type of music and our concern for what we showed at the shows. We had our own hairstyles, we matched the lights and there was dramatization on stage. Before that was crazy, nowadays separating those elements of a concert is impossible”.

Pioneers in offering something more than songs on Argentine stages, performance is a personal stamp that they maintain to this day, proof of this is their last great concert in the iconic Luna Park, one of the few Argentine stadiums that they had yet to cross out of their list. To the surprise of the group, where Marcelo at 63 is the youngest of the three original members, the audience was made up of young people who sang each song they presented, as well as the inevitable gentlemen who went with their children. Living up to his name, his music tends to infect more people.

The lyrics of their songs are marked by sensuality, eroticism and joy, characteristics for which they were criticized by other colleagues who made protest music against military dictatorships. However, as the late Federico Moura clarified, their music was also a way of protesting against the repression that could take away everything except their desire to dance. “Currently, the genres that prevail are those that best show the context in which the people who listen to those songs live. In Argentina, a country where almost half the population is poor, one cannot pretend that people who live in marginal and extreme situations, with drug traffickers firing shots in the neighborhood, are listening to Vivaldi.”, mentions Moura in terms of new musical currents such as trap.

Although only Marcelo Moura (vocalist), Julio Moura (guitarist) and Mario Serra (drummer) remain from the original lineup, the inclusion of Patricio Fontana (keyboardist), Ariel Naon (bassist) and Agustín Ferro (guitarist) completes the necessary sounds for that songs like “Prompt delivery”, “Luna de miel entre tus manos”, “Encuentro en el río” or “Wadu-Wadu” be heard again on stage as many times as the band deems appropriate or possible. However, although the group is willing to continue playing, the passage of time has taken its toll.

“Now it’s a little hard for us to keep up with being artists —comments Marcelo alluding to his last tour that ended in March— Being a musician is one of the goals of youth, especially since basically the musician has to be everywhere, whether inside or outside the country, at all hours, going to bed late and waking up early. Now it has become a job. I’m a little embarrassed to say it because it’s what I love, but that’s the reality”

As for Peru, Virus had the pleasure of playing in three presentations as the Gran Estelar de la Feria del Hogar in 1986, the first time the band would meet its Peruvian audience. “We will never forget that concert attended by more than 70,000 people in a place that no longer exists today. However, that is not the only thing we remember from that trip. —Moura confesses— while we were at the Sheraton hotel, they planted a bomb. After that, we went through checkpoints with hooded men and always traveled with safe-conduct. they were hard times”

After 37 years, Virus is still in force because his music is still something unique within the Latin American scene, due to its timeless character it will be part of the Alternative Music Festival in Lima. The event will take place in the Jardines del Parque de la Exposición, where the band will review the hits from their extensive repertoire, which continues to grow. Once their world tour is over, they will embark on creating new songs that will enrich future setlists in countries where they yearn to play. Although they currently feel that it is already a race against time.