It was probably the demise of the nationwide TV show Caja de Ritmos (Rhythm Box), after a Vulpes performance, that gave the band such infamy. Surfacing as the first female punk band of Bilbao, Spain in 1980, the quartet swung a unapologetic coup d’etat with every song. Their single, “Me gusta ser una zorra” (“I love being a slut/bitch/cunt”), was a spin on Iggy Pop’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog”, but encompassed their own stinging lyrics: “I’d rather masturbate alone in my bed, than sleep with someone that talks to me about tomorrow.”
Because it was an election year, Las Vulpes was crucified by a political/media circus over their controversial lyrics. Whats more, being an all-female group in the male dominated punk scene was an obstacle in itself. Guitarist Loles Vazques describes touring to Punk Invasion #2, asserting that “In Jativa, they didn’t pay us and we spent 3 days sleeping on the beach inside the car because we didn’t have the money to go back to Bilbao. In Burgos only military people came to see us because they thought that we were going to take off our clothes… anyway, there was always something.”
Due to all this mayhem and the fact that Spanish recording studios weren’t sure how to handle the distortion they knocked around, Las Vulpes only had a 7″ to their name until 2006 when they released “Me Gusta Ser” (Being Me) after the sister of guitarist and drummer Lupe Vázquez passed away.
Click here to see Las Vulpes perform “Me gusta ser una zorra”. They’re also donning foxtails because vulpes means fox in latin.
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