What I immediately liked about “Christina” by Los Blancos is that I could hear it in two films: Trainspotting and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.
There is a grit and grime within the music of “Christina” that takes one back to when punk erupted onto the music scene. It’s bold, in your face, and brilliant.
From their forthcoming second album, “Christina” is the first song to have guitarist Osian Owen on lead vocals and he says this of the song,
The song is about Christina de Markyate, an English woman from the 12th century who refused to be forced into marriage by her family. She escaped dressed as a man and became a prioress in a convent, after locking her first ‘suitor’ in her own room and hiding from the other behind a tapestry. I wrote it during lockdown after listening to a lot of Black Flag and Trash Talk, which shows in the fast/raw guitars. The lyrics came from reading one of Terry Jones’ history books where he talked about Christina, and I admired how strong and determined she was.
Los Blancos have done a wonderful homage to the mediaeval feminist. “Christina” the song, like its namesake, is bold, brilliant, rebellious, and down right fun.
Listen to “Christina” below
