Text & Photos by Beatriz Henriques

The event brought together five Portuguese and German bands at Hard Bar, in Gafanha da Nazaré, and also marked the live debut of Aveiro-based band Esgoto.

Caos na Gafanha featured Portuguese bands Esgoto, Fuck It and Drenagem, alongside German bands Prehistoric Warcult and Perfvndation. It was organised by João Grillo, a member of Esgoto, and Cédric, who is involved in promoting concerts within the underground scene. According to Grillo, the night also aimed to bring the local underground scene closer to international acts and strengthen networks of collaboration between musicians, bands and promoters. The two German bands’ stop in Aveiro was part of their Portuguese tour and provided an opportunity to bring together projects from different parts of the independent music scene on the same night.

Esgoto’s Debut Show

Formed in the Aveiro region in 2025, Esgoto was founded by Xavier “Xumiga” Sousa, who has been involved in projects including Fifth Empire, Motim, Himalion, Päria and Perpétua, the latter of which reached the final of Festival da Canção 2024.
The lineup consists of Xumiga on vocals, Zyon and Ricardo Relvas on guitars, João Grillo on bass and João Medeiros on drums. For their debut, the band performed songs from Motel Eclipse, a project recorded at the musician’s personal studio, as well as two new tracks, with a sound drawing on slam, beatdown and hardcore.

An evening abruptly cut short

The programme was ultimately interrupted after Esgoto’s performance, with the band both opening and closing the stage. According to Fábio, the person responsible for Hard Bar, the interruption was related to the Special Noise Licence. He explained that the venue had the licences normally associated with its operation and the event, including the annual licence from the Portuguese Society of Authors, PassMúsica and a daily licence for the event, but that he was unaware that a specific noise-related authorisation was also required that night.
The situation came as a surprise to the venue, particularly as Hard Bar regularly hosts concerts associated with the region’s underground scene. According to him, this was the first time the establishment had been forced to end an event in this way.
Despite the interruption, the Hard Bar covered the bands’ costs and offered refunds to ticket holders, although several people chose not to claim theirs. Even after the event was stopped, several people remained at the venue, still in disbelief over the cancellation.

Fábio (Hard Bar) addressing the audience about the interruption

Special Criminal Prevention Operation

At around 11 p.m., according to accounts gathered at the scene, between 20 and 30 GNR officers were present, arriving in four vehicles. Some of the people who remained at the venue were identified and searched. The audience expressed frustration at not being given clear explanations about what was happening or the reasons for the checks. The operation was reportedly part of a Special Criminal Prevention Operation carried out in the municipality of Ílhavo, aimed at preventing and detecting the possession of weapons and other objects associated with criminal activity. The operation involved around 50 officers, with support from the Tax and Customs Authority and ASAE. According to the accounts gathered, no illegal activity was detected in the vicinity of Hard
Bar.
None of these setbacks was enough to discourage the band, which left the night with a promise: “Let’s keep making more noise!”

ESGOTO