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Catalan politicians in the Parliament of Catalonia share an unexpected bipartisan and cross-party bond through a mutual passion for heavy metal music, uniting eight deputies across six different political groups, according to reporting by the EFE news agency.
According to EFE, the unusual heavy metal network spans across the political spectrum, including figures from the Socialist Party (PSC), Junts per Catalunya (Junts), Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), the People’s Party of Catalonia (PPC), Comuns, and the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP). The informal cultural bridge also extends into the executive branch with regional government officials who promote major European rock events. Photojournalist Sergi Ramos, who manages press for the Barcelona Rock Fest and operates the portal The Metal Circus, has documented the political figures’ shared affinity for the genre, according to EFE.
Parliamentary Leaders Unite Over Classic Metal and Extreme Subgenres
According to EFE, the political figures’ musical tastes range from traditional hard rock to extreme subgenres like death and industrial metal. Ferran Pedret, president of the Socialist Party group in the Parliament, discovered metal through Metallica and expanded his palate into industrial and Nordic metal bands like Prong, Ministry, and Amon Amarth, as reported by EFE. Pedret’s favorite albums include Metallica’s “The Black Album” and Sepultura’s “Roots,” according to EFE.
Junts vice president Antoni Castellà developed his passion at age 13 after receiving an Iron Maiden vinyl from the Three Wise Kings, later attending a Mötley Crüe concert in Pittsburgh in 1985 at age 15, according to EFE. Meanwhile, fellow Junts deputy Rosa Jové brings a hands-on background to the parliamentary group, having played guitar in a 1980s metal band and maintaining a private concert venue in her home basement, as reported by EFE.
Republican and Opposition Deputies Share Deep Musical Roots
According to EFE, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) parliamentary leader Josep Maria Jové maintains a lifelong allegiance to Metallica and Catalan rock pioneers Sangtraït, frequently attending concerts with his guitar-playing son. His ERC colleague, deputy spokesperson Jordi Albert, used to soothe his infant children to sleep by whispering lyrics from Sangtraït’s ballad “El vol de l’home ocell,” according to EFE.
Alejandro Fernández, leader of the People’s Party of Catalonia (PPC), bought his first cassette of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” with early savings at a Simago store in Tarragona, according to EFE. Comuns deputy Lluís Mijoler maintains a lifelong connection to classic rock and metal, though a 2019 electoral campaign rally forced him to miss a long-awaited Metallica concert in Barcelona, as reported by EFE. CUP deputy Laure Vega rounds out the legislative metal contingent by championing grassroots, accessible neighborhood concerts and hardcore punk festivals, according to EFE.
Government Leadership Connects to Rock Festival Circuit
The heavy metal affinity extends beyond the legislative chamber into regional governance, according to EFE. Núria Parlon, the Catalan Minister of Interior, previously supported the establishment of the Barcelona Rock Fest in Santa Coloma de Gramenet during her tenure as mayor, helping turn the city into a major destination for rock fans every summer, as reported by EFE. Parlon’s musical tastes were shaped by 1990s grunge bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, records she tracked down in shops along Barcelona’s Carrer Tallers, according to EFE.
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