Love of Lesbian
Who is Love of Lesbian?
Love of Lesbian is an indie pop band formed in Badalona (Barcelona) in the mid-1990s, led by Santi Balmes (vocals and lyrics) together with Julián Saldarriaga, Oriol Bonet, Jordi Vidal, and Joan Ramon Planell. Their English-language name caused some confusion in their early years, but it eventually became one of the most recognizable brands in Spanish indie.
During their first stage, the band sang in English and moved within niche circuits, with barely any impact beyond a very loyal fan base. The switch to Spanish as their main language, well into the 2000s, proved decisive in expanding their reach.
Career
The album “Maniobras de escapismo” (2009) marked the band’s great leap in popularity, with tracks such as “Allí donde solíamos gritar” becoming generational anthems within the indie circuit. From that point on, Love of Lesbian went from playing small venues to filling large arenas, while keeping the loyalty of a fan base that had grown with them since their more niche early albums.
Later works such as “La noche eterna. Los días no vividos” (2012) and “El poeta Halley” (2016) reaffirmed their status, with tours that included massive concerts in large venues in Barcelona and Madrid, unusual for a band that had emerged entirely from the independent circuit.
Legacy
Santi Balmes, besides being a musician, has also built a career as a writer, which has reinforced the literary dimension that has always characterized the band’s lyrics. Love of Lesbian represents one of the clearest cases of an independent Spanish band that made the leap to mainstream audiences without giving up its identity or its original fan base, and remains an essential reference in Spanish-language indie.