The Tourorists were birthed in Lisbon, Portugal circa 2017 by then-recent emigrants Ted (from Cork, Ireland, by bike), aka Fodasse O’Neil, and Ilya (from the Bronx, USA, and the former Soviet Union, by planes), aka Communistopher Gomez.
United by friendship, alcohol, and a love for good music, the duo (guitar, bass, vocals) started writing and playing songs in their respective living rooms with the sole purpose of fucking around. They mixed punk-, rock-, hip-hop-, and other- inspired melodies with lyrics about death, love, immigration, sudden loss of employment, homeless etiquette, animals, and other stuff too. Soon enough, these songs made their way onto a few very small stages of various venues and open mics around town, still in very raw form, and usually received with mixed feelings or not at all.
In 2018, at one of these open mics – that at Camones CineBar on Tuesday nights (the first of its kind for Portugal) – host, friend, Lisbon native, and local musical legend of sorts Joaquim, aka Shaka Khannot, started sitting in with the band on cajon, bongos, harmonica, melodica, stylophone, and other. After a series of increasingly well-received performances there, The Tourorists felt they finally had all three pieces of their proverbial puzzle in place.
Finally, the 2020-2021 global pandemic and its resulting lockdowns in Lisbon saw the full fruition of the proverbial dream. During these turbulent years, The Tourorists matured as people, as friends, and a as a band. They wrote and rehearsed prolifically, played a number of soldout and not-so-soldout shows around town, on slightly bigger stages (and virtually), and garnered a loyal following of fans, both locally and internationally. Thanks in no small part to these fans — their support, their spirit, and their money — The Tourorists were also able to record their first official Extended Play: Enhanced Interrogation in a Fun-Sized Can. It was released globally on Valentine’s Day 2021.
Today, The Tourorists are both taking it one day at a time and looking forward to writing the future, which Joe Strummer told them is unwritten. Meanwhile, they thank you for reading, and listening, if you so choose.
Marked Man – Official Music Video
In a land far, far, away… many moons ago… our friend ilya was a marked man.
My Friend Nuno (Doo Da Da) – Live Acoustic
Recorded in a hazardous shed, by hazardous men.
Contact Us
tourorists@gmail.com
Proudly sponsored by ourselves and our vices.
