About

Expresso Transatlântico is a Lisbon band that takes the Portuguese guitar — an instrument most people associate exclusively with fado — and drops it into rhythms drawn from Brazil, West Africa and contemporary rock. The result keeps the instrument's unmistakable timbre while refusing everything that usually surrounds it.

The group is built around Gaspar Varela on Portuguese guitar, with Sebastião Varela on electric guitar and Rafael Matos on drums. Their album Ressaca Bailada (2023) collected the songs that made their name live, among them Bombália and Azul Celeste; a further record, Trópico Paranóia, was produced by The Legendary Tigerman.

Flor Trovão

The video for Flor Trovão:

They have played WOMEX, Eurosonic Noorderslag, Primavera Sound, Colours of Ostrava, FMM Sines and NOS Alive.