Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Argentinean punk rockers Eskuoters have recently released a version of Eskorbuto’s “Historia Triste” featuring Miguelón, vocalist of the Basque outfit Anti Régimen. Listen to the track below. As part of this release, Chaoszine sat down with Luis Ángel Donadío, better known as Luis Eskuoters, to discuss the tribute album for the 40th anniversary of ‘Anti Todo’ by Eskorbuto, one of the legends of Basque radical rock alongside Kortatu, La Polla Records and others.
The conversation also covered the band’s current situation, their plans for 2026, the secret to staying together for 28 years, the deaths of Jorge Martínez and Robe Iniesta, two major figures in Spanish rock, and the resurgence of right-wing parties in Latin America and worldwide. “I can’t believe Milei was voted in in Argentina,” he lamented during the talk.
Ladies and gentlemen: Luis Eskuoters, one of the old wolves of Argentine punk, in deep conversation with Chaoszine.
It’s 11 a.m. in Argentina, and the discussion begins about the end of the year and the group’s goals for 2026. Their leader explains: “We ended the year on a high note with a gig at City Bar on November 29th. It was an intense 2025 in which we played a few live shows, instead focusing on producing the tribute album to Eskorbuto, ‘Anti Todo’. Bear in mind that it’s an 1986 album, so beyond being fans, we had to revisit the songs and put our stamp on them without changing them too much“.
Adds the musician: “The balance for 2025 is positive because we recorded at Panda Studios on 13 and 14 September. It’s incredible going in there; you can feel the rock ‘n’ roll vibrating in every wall because of the bands that recorded there and made history. Once again, Gonzalo Collado handled the production. He takes great care of us and has a good ear. He was an Eskuoters musician, so he knows what we want. We recorded the album live, almost like the original. We then went back to the vocals and recorded everything on analogue tape to give it that eighties vibe. On October 19th, we played at the Club de La Música after winning a competition.”
Regarding plans for next year, the Buenos Aires native comments: “By 2026, we will have released our rendition of Eskorbuto’s ‘Anti Todo’. We have already uploaded ‘Historias Tristes’ featuring Miguelón from Anti Régimen to various platforms. We’ll see if we continue releasing singles or release the entire album. What we do have confirmed is a show with Contenido Neto at Que Sea Rock in Rosario on 11 April 2026. Rosario is a city that I love very much, with a lot of musical activity. We will also continue performing in Buenos Aires and beyond.”
How did the tribute to Eskorbuto and this first single, “Historia Triste“, featuring Miguelón, come about? Luis comments: “The tribute to Eskorbuto began on day zero, back in December 1997, when I started Eskuoters as a singer and guitarist. We were a trio with Martín Díaz on bass and Diego Gutiérrez on drums. We used to play ‘Historia Triste’ and ‘Sos Un Crimen’ and some songs by La Polla and a few of our own.”
Regarding the band’s name, he says: “The first game I started playing with Eskorbuto was that, since we didn’t have a name at first, we were listening to M.C.D’s live album. At one point, I was writing ‘Eskorbuto’ on the wall and started writing ‘Eskuoters’. They’re very similar in how they’re written. I was 17 years old and trying to figure out the marketing side of things. At that time, there was no social media or anything, so we sent letters and faxes to people from Reincidentes, Boicot and others. That’s where the passion began“.
He points out the following concerning the tribute to Eskorbuto: “As for Anti-Todo’s 40th anniversary, it wasn’t easy. You have to be very critical, you have to be sure and careful. We started working on the songs, and this year, through the godfather of my radio programme, called Intifada Rock, I met Miguelón from Anti Régimen. The godfather of the program is Manolo Monzón, a former manager in Spain, a guy who organised concerts with Extremoduro. Miguelón was celebrating Anti Régimen’s 40th anniversary, and I interviewed him. After the interview, we started calling each other and then moved on to music. So I sent him the track, and they worked on it in the Basque Country, sent it back, and we released it on 14 December. Miguelón is a lovely character from the 80s punk scene and an exceptional person. I’ve gained a great friend, and celebrating a friendship with music is the icing on the cake. So there you have it, enjoy Eskuoters with Miguelón performing ‘Historia Triste'”.
Considering that Eskuoters is a band heavily influenced by radical Basque punk and Spanish music in general, and that the group has toured Spain, it was inevitable that the question would arise about the death of Jorge Martínez, lead singer of Ilegales, who died of cancer on December 9 just hours before Robe Iniesta, former vocalist and guitarist of Extremoduro, another of Spain’s great rock bands, passed away. Without a doubt, these are two enormous losses for the scene. The Argentine reflects: “It was a tough week. I wasn’t as familiar with Ilegales, but both were icons of Spanish rock. The news about Robe Iniesta, which came the next day, was a terrible blow“.
Luis Eskuoters continues: “I’ll tell you what happened. We had a few hours left at Estudios Panda, and we had been playing Extremoduro’s “Stand By” live. So we said, ‘OK, we have some time left, let’s record it.’ Then we ran into a friend on the day Robe died, Roger, the guitarist from the band Borrachines. He had the idea of doing an acoustic show with me, and we ended up developing a project that will be called ‘Extremadamente Acústico’. Four hours later, Roger sent me a message, I went to his studio, had a couple of beers, and on the same day that Robe died, we ended up making a demo with the song ‘Salir’. It was a small tribute to what Extremadamente Acústico will be. We are going to present it in the winter of 2026. Robe Iniesta leaves us his words, his poems, his music and his ideology. He was a person with very clear ideas, and the truth is that there should be more people like Robe. We will also soon release ‘Stand By’ to pay tribute to Robe“.
Eskuoters was formed in 1997, giving them a career spanning 28 years. Much has happened in that time, with Argentina and the world undergoing many changes. I ask Luis what he thinks is the reason the group has lasted so long. The lead singer explains: “There is an unstoppable force within me: my passion for making music. I have experienced some very challenging times, including the loss of my sister to cancer. Over 26 musicians have come and gone from the band, but since 2023, we have had a stable line-up. Uli, one of our guitarists, joined us in 2019. The drummer, Jero, and the new guitarist, Ale, were both in a band with Uli as teenagers called Hechos Rutinarios. Finally, Fran, the youngest brother of our producer Gonzalo Collado, joined us“.
The frontman further elaborates: “With these guys, you can feel a refreshing energy and youthfulness, as well as rage and strength. There is an evident maturity, and everything sounds much more professional. As the oldest member of the band, I try to keep things moving forward and motivate the others. It’s all positive feedback. We’re still eager to play and do things. I can tell you that we’re going to cover a song by Andrés Calamaro — one of Argentina’s biggest music stars — in a punk style. I bumped into Andrés at a supermarket, and he gave me the go-ahead“.
Like the well-remembered Eskorbuto and most punk bands, Eskuoters have a very clear ideological stance. The interviewer, therefore, wants to know the singer’s thoughts on current events in Latin America, such as Milei’s government in Argentina and the far-right José Antonio Kast’s victory in Chile. I also mention that Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, is a powerful figure, and that Vox, a right-wing party, is gaining ground in Spain.
Luis Eskuoters’ response is immediate and emphatic: “What is happening with the right wing is truly terrible, not only in Latin America, but around the world. As a factory worker in Argentina, I cannot fathom why people voted the way they did. These governments are puppets of the United States and are promoting a shift to the right in these countries. They have now blocked Venezuela, one of the largest oil suppliers, and threatened Colombia. In Chile, their bootlickers are back. What saddens me most is that people have no memory. I did not live through the Argentinian dictatorship, but my parents always reminded me about it. If a people has no memory, that is something totally regrettable“.
“Years ago, in 2003, there was a Latin American union. It was the era of Néstor Kirchner, Lula da Silva and Hugo Chávez. It seemed like there was a great future ahead, but that didn’t suit the right wing. They always have the power: they control the pandemic, the sale of drugs — everything. The people pulling the political strings are clowns, manipulated by those who hold real power. “Yes, Eskuoters, it’s a political group,” concludes the musician.
