The schism of the Planets | The North American Route | Culture

Troubled waters are running in Los Planetas, one of the most important bands in Spanish music, emblem of the indie most influential. The controversy has arisen because the group from Granada has gone on tour without drummer Eric Jiménez or keyboardist Banin, two famous members of a formation that has always had J and Florent as its driving force, both founders of the band at the beginning of the nineties when together they previously tried out with the group Los Subterráneos.

The schism was confirmed last Friday, within the Warm-Up festival in Murcia. Los Planetas gave their first concert of what would be the 30th anniversary tour of Super 8the album that catapulted them towards critical and public recognition and allowed them to become the artistic reference of the indie national during the nineties. On the stage of the Murcian festival, J and Florent appeared accompanied by Miguel López on bass and Roberto Escudero on drums, who plays in the group Srta. Trueno and is a collaborator on J’s solo project about Iván Zulueta. Neither Eric nor Banin, members of the official Los Planetas lineup for more than two decades, were there.

As announced in a press release last January, Los Planetas were going to recover the quartet line-up, just as they toured during those years in which Super 8 saw the light to shine, under the production of Fino Oyonarte (bassist of Los Enemigos), as one of the jewels of the indie patriotic with its splendid doses of melodic distortion. The problem is that for this quartet Eric and Banin are dispensed with when the other original members are not recovered either: May Oliver and Paco Rodríguez. That is to say, the nostalgia exercise of this tour does not include the original band of that time, something that would be indisputable as a melancholic catalyst, but neither does it include the until now official band of Los Planetas. Conclusion: Eric and Banin have left by decree of J and Florent, both at the head of the planetary company.

Neither Eric nor Banin want to talk about the matter publicly. Neither J nor Florent have spoken. Many fans have expressed themselves on social networks and other forums to show their surprise or discomfort at the departure of two members very loved by the public. Eric, whose career is also linked to Lagartija Nick and is considered part of the soul of Los Planetas, enjoys great affection from the public and a lot of charisma on stage. Furthermore, he is recognized as the most important drummer in the world. indie national, voted as the best drumstick player in the annual surveys carried out by journalist Julio Ruiz on his program Big disk.

The decision to leave Eric and Banin out on such a symbolic tour has opened an important gap within Los Planetas. It has already happened on other occasions: Eric’s drums were not in the recording of an EP and some concerts like at Primavera Sound, but then they were specific performances. Now, things are looking more serious: it is an important tour that will visit several of the main Spanish festivals. The reasons for this decision are unknown, but they are all possible: artistic because J and Florent prefer to find another tone for these concerts that pay tribute to an album in which Eric and Banin did not participate, economic because the new members would earn less than Eric and Banin or personal because, simply, something is wrong between them. It should not be ruled out that all the reasons are valid at the same time.

The differences between J and Eric have been known for years by many fans. However, sources very close to the group speak of an unprecedented breakup in the band. Some consider that this decision is the excuse to permanently change two members within Los Planetas, a group that has had many lineup changes and parallel projects, but that had been with Eric and Banin in the starting lineup for more than 25 years. In fact, Eric has always maintained that some of his favorite songs by the band have always been on Super 8, the anniversary album that Eric has been defending on stage for more than two decades. Other sources say that Eric is “devastated” by the decision. It is true that he and J have not met for coffee for a long time, but the professional relationship was barely maintained for the good of the group. In this way, J has gone from “being with Eric until six and getting four million stripes” to going on tour without him. Not even Banin.

Just now it’s going to be released Second prize, The film set in Granada and which focuses on the moment in which Los Planetas were going to change the history of Spanish independent music, opens this very visible fissure in a volcanic band due to the personality of its members. Maybe in the future someone will have to shoot The schism of the Planets or a similar title and tell the real convulsions that have inhabited the group for a long time. A film with which perhaps the tensions and bad fuck that speak of another truth of The Planets.