The alarm had sounded in 2019: Sabotage, which had established itself as a key player in Lisbon's underground scene since 2013, was set to close to make way for yet another hotel. The owners tried to find a new home but ultimately couldn’t withstand the pandemic. They shut down in 2020, and four years later, musicians and fans are still yearning for that concert space. With them in mind, one of the former owners, Carlos Costa, has decided to resurrect Sabotage, if only for one night, at SMUP.
The venue wasn’t chosen by chance. Calmly and surely, the century-old Sociedade Musical União Parede has, over the past two and a half years, become one of the few places able to entice locals to hop on public transport and head out to the capital's peripheral municipalities for live music. Those arriving in Parede around dinner time may have crossed paths with Carlos from Sabotage at the restaurant Sociedade, which he runs with another partner on the ground floor of SMUP.
Alongside Carlos, who will step away from the restaurant to greet guests in the main hall, and former resident DJ Nuno Rabino, ensuring the soundtrack remains true to the old days, The Parkinsons will also be returning to this out-of-doors Sabotage. The band, born from the ashes of Tédio Boys, who made waves in London in the early 2000s, graced the Cais do Sodré stage when it was barely a year old and returned several times to celebrate anniversaries and launch albums. They simply had to be part of this event. Completing the line-up are Democrash and Beach Wreck.
“We're going to revive the magic of Sabotage, honour rock’n’roll, and the memory of those who are no longer with us, allowing us to embrace each other again as if nothing has changed”, reads the statement from management announcing this comeback, “if only for a brief moment”. So, let’s do this. If it goes well, who knows—maybe it will become a regular thing. We could certainly use it.
SMUP (Parede). 19 Out (Sat). 21.00. 15€.