Andres Lecarors from the chilegroup Los Problemas have anserwed a lot of questions from me in ithe beginning of october 2026. I think it´s the first time I have heard and interviewed a punkgroup from Chile.

Please tell me the story of Los Problemas. Why did you start playing this kind of music?

-Hi! First of all, thanks so much for being interested in our band from so far away. I'm Andrés, the band's bassist, vocalist and founder, and I'm the one answering this interview. I'll try to speak on behalf of everyone, but it's important to introduce myself because some of my answers may reflect my own opinions rather than those of the other members. Some topics are personal and don't necessarily reflect the views I share with my friends and brothers in Los Problemas.

Los Problemas are a South American band, specifically from Chile, formed by veteran musicians from the scene. We started playing just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Personally, the project came about because I wanted to return to my musical roots, after spending a long time playing other styles of music. So I called up my friend Rodrigo “Periko” (guitarist), and many musicians came and went before we arrived at the current lineup.

The reason we play this kind of music is that it's the music of our lives. We're not young anymore, but we still have a lot to say and plenty of stories to tell about what we've experienced.

Please tell me a little about each member: age, instruments, previous bands, side projects (if any), and a secret about each of them.

-The band consists of Andrés (bass and vocals), Rodrigo (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), Mauricio (lead guitar) and Felipe (drums). We're between 37 and 45 years old.

Rodrigo's previous band was KAS, which is currently inactive. Felipe also played with them for a while. Felipe has also played in Oi! and hardcore bands such as Sudor Obrero. Mau has been involved in other projects too, such as Monte Calavera.

None of them currently have any side projects. I've played in several bands over the years, the most representative of the genre being Criminal Skin. I've also been involved in projects with other styles, such as Andrés Lecaros & Los Forajidos (country, blues and rock) and Bar Infierno (hard rock/punk). Besides Los Problemas, I currently play in a band called Neblina (pop-rock and ska).

We don't have many secrets, but I can tell you something personal about each member. Rodrigo is a professional MMA fighter, although these days he's more focused on Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Felipe grew up in a children's home and now works as a caregiver at a home for children, just like the one he grew up in. Mau works in audiovisual production and helps us with our videos, but he's also our “guardian angel.” Whenever fights break out and we have to get involved, he's the one responsible for keeping our musical instruments safe, which is essential!

As for me, I'm just a drunk who writes songs, but I'm also a father who loves his daughters.

Looking at Discogs, it seems like you release a record every year. Is that right?

-Since we're a young band made up of older guys, we've tried to record as much as possible, and we intend to keep doing so. We always struggle with time and money, though. Even so, our songwriting factory is still running, and we hope to release more albums, singles, collaborations and whatever else we can during the time we have left.

Do you really feel you've released a record if it's only available digitally?

-Of course! Digital is the format people listen to the most in this part of the world.

We're lucky to have a label, Smith & Miller, that has released our records on vinyl. Otherwise, we wouldn't have the money to produce physical editions. Here in South America, musicians can't make a living from this, and we all have shitty jobs that barely pay the bills.

You sing in Spanish, but you also sing in English on your latest 7-inch single, Made in Chile Vol. I. Is it difficult to sing in English?

-Not for me, although I've never formally studied English. I've always had friends from different parts of the world and an interest in talking to them. Ever since I was a kid, I've also wanted to understand the lyrics of the bands I like.

When you sing in another language, you have to practise the pronunciation, but once you've memorised the lyrics, it sticks.

What are your lyrics about? Do you sometimes include politics, or do you think politics has nothing to do with music? Which is your most political song?

-Our lyrics are about real stories rather than speeches or visions of how the world should be. We sing about everyday working-class life, life in the poorer neighbourhoods and subcultures.

Our songs deal with street life, with all its friction, fights and contradictions. We also sing about loyalty and unbreakable friendship. And, of course, we celebrate drinking culture, nights in bars and nights out on the streets as part of our lifestyle. Through all these stories, we show our world, which is full of injustice and misery.

From a political perspective, our lyrics don't come from any particular political tendency. We don't tell anyone what they should do. And we don't care about good and evil as defined by the self-righteous rhetoric of people who think they're better than others because they think one way or another.

We hate cancel culture and the censorship imposed in many punk subgenres.

Some of our lyrics have a social subtext, if you want to call it that. We speak from a place of frustration with the judicial and socioeconomic systems, hatred of the police, politicians and authorities, and a general sense of disappointment at the lack of a promising future.

As for our most “political” songs, people have sometimes asked us about “El Bate de Béisbol” (“The Baseball Bat”). It's the story of a man who has lost everything, including his job and family, because of slanderous accusations made by his ex-wife. The song might offend certain sensibilities within some fashionable movements, but to us, it's simply a real story. And we're men, so we sing from our own male perspective.

There's also “A los políticos no les importa” (“Politicians Don't Care”). It talks about how our neighbourhoods keep deteriorating for various reasons, how horrible things happen while politicians insist on worrying about stupid things, such as what to call people so nobody gets offended and other gender-related nonsense. Meanwhile, criminal gangs do whatever they want, trafficking women and prostituting women, girls and children.

The song also expresses how we'd like to kill those fucking politicians who live in wealthy neighbourhoods, in safe places surrounded by rich people. Nothing that happens to us affects them, yet they think they have the right to speak on our behalf, decide what's best for us and, especially, tell us how we should behave.

Fucking bastards!

Who is your favourite political band? In other words, which band is the best at getting political messages across?

-That's a question I can't answer, at least not on behalf of the band, because each of us thinks differently and listens to different music.

Personally, I hardly ever listen to “political” music. By that I mean bands committed to one ideology or another. It's simply because I don't believe them.

I've seen the gap between people's words and actions so many times in my life that listening to their hypocritical lyrics disgusts me. I don't believe things are any different elsewhere in the world. At the end of the day, humans are humans, and the vices of ego, self-deception and lying can affect anyone with a microphone just as much as anyone else.

Is Chile a good country for punk nowadays? What's the scene like? Are there any good bands worth mentioning?

-There are excellent bands in Chile, some young and others that have been playing for their entire lives. The problem is that the scenes are very fragmented, whether because of political differences or personal issues.

For example, in my city, you might find four excellent concerts happening on the same night. It's good to have options, but it would be much better if we had a united scene.

Are there any good old-school bands from Chile?

-Punk has been around in Chile since the 1980s, so there are plenty of older bands, many of them excellent at what they do, whether it's punk, hardcore, Oi!, post-punk and so on.

Personally, some of my favourite older bands are Los Kiltros and 8 Bolas, both from the Valparaíso region. 8 Bolas were pioneers of Oi! music here, so they also have considerable historical importance.

Are any of those older bands still playing?

-Lately, there's been a revival of older bands getting back together, but they almost always rely on their old songs from the 1980s and 1990s to draw people in.

When they record new albums, you can hear that something of the original essence has been lost. It feels forced. The same thing has happened to classic bands all over the world: after 20 years, they release a disappointing new record.

However, some bands in Chile's punk scene have kept playing and recording all along, such as Los Miserables and Fiskales Ad-Hok. They deserve special recognition because South America is full of envy and betrayal within music scenes. Keeping a band going for so many years without ending up depressed or, frankly, in a psychiatric hospital is exhausting.

Your new album is called Nuevas Batallas (New Battles). Does it have any special meaning? What does it mean?

-It's pretty self-explanatory. We're middle-aged men who've been doing this since our teens, so the whole Los Problemas adventure represents a bunch of new battles, without diminishing the battles we've fought in the past.

What kind of audience comes to your live shows? Is it just punks and rockers, or is there a variety of people? Older and younger people?

-It's mostly skinheads. There are also punks with mohawks and studs, as well as “barras”—that's what we locally call casuals or hooligans—and ordinary people who like our band.

A lot of people are between 30 and 45 years old, with very few young people. It seems that punk/Oi! has stopped being appealing to younger people around here.

I'm talking specifically about the PUNK/Oi! scene, because we're not very involved in other punk subgenres. They never invite us, so I can't speak for those scenes.

Is there anyone you miss seeing at your concerts?

-First of all, our dead friends.

But we also miss a bigger, more diverse audience. If people here didn't fight over so much stupid shit, more people would attend concerts.

There are stupid rules imposed by stupid people, such as saying that if you go and see one band, you can't go and see another. That kind of nonsense. It's both shameful and disgraceful.

Imagine the punk movement full of rules. It's postmodern bullshit, the product of ideologies that claim to defend certain values but end up imposing an authoritarianism that seems even harsher than that of fascists.

You're now working with a German label. How has that experience been?

-Excellent. Smith & Miller have treated us very well. They've been fair, honest and honourable, and they've released our albums on vinyl, something that would have been unthinkable for us given our local economic circumstances. We're nothing but grateful to them.

Our future with the label is uncertain because we've had some disagreements over certain bands we've shared the stage with. Nevertheless, we hope they'll change their minds and that we can continue working together.

Please tell me a little about the lyrics of the following songs:

“Selfish Pride”

-It expresses a firm rejection of extremist political ideologies and fanatics who see the world in black and white and force you to choose one side or the other. The song defends independence and independent thinking in the face of propaganda.

“Te Amamos” (“We Love You”)

It's open to personal interpretation. It deals with feelings of devotion and loyalty towards a figure or leader, highlighting unconditional support.

“Esposado al juzgado” (“Handcuffed to Court”)

It's about being arrested by the police and, after spending a few days at the police station, being taken to court, where they decide whether you go free or end up in prison. Fear, resistance and uncertainty are the feelings that drive the song.

Who writes the lyrics, and how do you compose your songs? Does someone show up at rehearsal with a finished song, or do you create them together through improvisation?

-I write the songs. That's my role in the band.

If I feel that a particular lyric might make one of the other members uncomfortable, we discuss it and adapt it so everyone feels comfortable performing the song.

If you had to describe your music in three words to someone who's never heard you, which three words would come to mind?

-Honesty – Realism – Anti-dogma.

Please tell me a little about the following records and what they mean to you…

The record that makes Los Problemas sound the way they do:

-Cock Sparrer – their entire discography.

The first record you bought with your own money:

-Poison – Open Up and Say... Ahh!

The record you wish you'd been involved in recording:

-Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks.

A record you like but supposedly shouldn't like:

-There's no record I shouldn't like in theory. I enjoy many different styles of music. Music is for the people who listen to it.

The record that inspired you to play rock music:

-AC/DC – Live, or Ramones – Mondo Bizarro.

Have you played much outside Chile? What's your dream place to play?

-We've only been outside Chile once, and that was very recently.

We went on a European tour with four shows in Germany alongside our friends Haymaker and Martens Army, as well as a bunch of great bands. We also played at the Beach Beer Chaos festival in Barcelona, Catalonia, and did two shows in Portugal alongside the legendary Mata Ratos.

It was an incredible experience, with so many stories and new friends that there's enough material for a separate interview. Apart from that, we don't have much experience playing outside our own country, not even in South America… yet.

Our dream place to play is… Sweden, of course! What else could I possibly have answered? Hahahaha!

If you could organise a big concert with both active and disbanded bands—a mini-festival featuring five bands plus Los Problemas—which bands would you choose?

-Sex Pistols / Cock Sparrer / Rose Tattoo / The Crack / Los Problemas.

Is there any Swedish band you like?

I first came across the term Oi! when I was in my early teens. Someone lent me a cassette by the punk band Conflict.

The person who lent it to me had used the remaining space on the tape to record a few random tracks. This was very common back when blank cassettes lasted an hour and you could sometimes fit several albums onto one tape.

Those extra tracks were by Oi! bands from that era, and one of them was Agent Bulldogg, with their incredible song “Backstreet Boys.” So Sweden has been on my radar ever since.

It goes without saying that Perkele are a great band. They had an incredible period when they seemed to write nothing but anthems. I really like the melodic, nostalgic sound of their best years.

Even though they've moved away from the Oi! image, they'll always be a great band. There's no denying that.

Several years ago, before I started playing with Los Problemas, I also worked on the Chilean show of the Swedish death metal band Unleashed. We got along really well. Great drinkers, hahaha!

Metal isn't really my thing, but we hit it off. They're excellent, down-to-earth and very kind people. I remember them very fondly.

Do you care about criticism? What's the strangest criticism you've received, either with this band or another band you've played in?

-Negative personal criticism from strangers is always unpleasant, especially for an artist. Artists are sensitive people, so it can get to you when you're going through a rough patch or nursing a hangover.

It's unpleasant when people who don't know you, know nothing about your story and have never even shared a beer with you start talking about you and your life as if they knew a fucking thing.

There are some very cowardly and insignificant people who write whatever they want on social media, and sometimes that can affect your mood. But even if they can ruin your day, I don't care what they say, and I will never give that kind of criticism any consideration whatsoever.

I have plenty of friends, acquaintances and people who simply listen to the band who disagree with me and offer constructive criticism. I always take their opinions into account. Often, they make me realise I'm wrong, and that has a positive effect on my life or my work. That kind of criticism is worthwhile.

As for musical criticism, we're not gold coins that everyone has to like. So when people say our band is “bad” or that we're “too pop to be punk,” they're perfectly entitled to their opinion.

Personally, I try not to comment on bands I don't like. But if people don't like us and want to say so, that's their right.

Down with fucking censorship!

Throughout my life, I've received all kinds of criticism. People have called me a Nazi or a Red as a way of putting me down, or because they believed something someone had made up about me.

People have spread all kinds of lies about me. They've said I'm gay, anti-gay, anti-punk, a shaved-head punk, a rich kid, and once someone even made up a story that I'd killed my own baby. Hahahaha! That was the funniest one.

Stupid people also say I “think I'm a cowboy” because I play country music. That's pretty funny too.

The number of idiots you can come across in this scene is unbelievable. It's a reflection of society, but with a lot of personality disorders thrown into the mix.

Which bands are you compared to? Is it frustrating to have one band compared to another, or is it understandable?

-It's perfectly understandable. The bands I like have a direct influence on our music.

People have called us the Cock Sparrer of South America, which makes me feel a little proud and a little embarrassed at the same time, because I don't think we're that good.

Cock Sparrer are my favourite band of all time. I have their logo tattooed on my neck, so it's a great comparison, but perhaps it's a little too much for us to live up to.

Have you released anything else besides Nuevas Batallas? How can I get it?

-Before Nuevas Batallas, we released our first LP, El Último de su Especie, available through Smith & Miller.

Before that, we released an EP called Malos Vecinos, available through the French label Amor y Rabia. We also have a split release with the Portuguese band Mata Ratos, available through the Tomba Lobos label.

Are you planning to release another record soon? Will there be a tour, or what's next?

-Yes, we want to release another LP in Spanish and continue with Made in Chile Vol. II, featuring songs in English. But I don't know how long it will take.

Our next release will be an appearance on an international compilation organised by our brothers in the French band Komptoir Chaos. We recorded a new song in English called “Tired of Bein' Poor,” which we really like.

I'm looking forward to sharing the studio version with the world, because we've already been playing it live at our shows in Europe.

What's your favourite song of your own? And which one is the audience's favourite?

-All our songs contain a little piece of me. Right now, my favourite is the last song we recorded, the one I mentioned in the previous answer, because we haven't played it very much yet, so I'm not tired of it.

The audience really likes a song called “Cerveza en primavera” (“Beer in Spring”). It's a message of encouragement to a friend who's going through a difficult time. Many people have identified with the lyrics and let us know how much they mean to them.

We've lost many friends to suicide in this country, and it's a very sad subject. I wrote the song thinking about what you could say to a friend who sees no way out of their serious problems.

In the end, the message is that, no matter what happens, “There will always be a beer in spring.”

Which record is essential to have on the tour bus?

-As I said, we haven't done many tours, but I suppose you'd want something relaxing to sleep off your hangover before arriving at the next drinking session.

I really like bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Black Crowes for road trips. Southern rock evokes that kind of feeling.

Do you buy a lot of records, or do you stick to Spotify and similar platforms for listening to music? Are there any good record shops in your city?

-The truth is, I don't listen to much music. Silence helps me be prolific and constantly think about new songs.

That's why I don't listen to music through headphones when I'm walking down the street or taking public transport to work. It's a good time to think and rethink my own songs.

As for buying records, I hardly buy any. I don't have much money, and I'm very disorganised. I lend records to people or give them away when I'm drunk!

But I'm an exception. There are plenty of record collectors here who take it very seriously. There are several Oi! and Jamaican music DJs who own some real gems.

As for record shops, there are several, although records aren't particularly cheap here in South America. There are shops for different budgets.

In my case, I'd mention Poison Records, because they sell Los Problemas records. But that's just a bit of promotion for a good friend and collaborator.

There are many people working in music who play an essential role in promoting bands and keeping the scene alive, such as Voz Propia, Buena Basura, Maldita Cruz, Bar Records and Oi! Fin del Mundo, among others.

Is music a good way to release frustration and become a better person outside of it?

-To release frustration, YES. To become a better person, NO.

People are who they are, regardless of what they sing about, and there's all kinds of people in the music scene.

I think it's very important to separate the work from the person, because there are many exceptional artists who are absolute bastards in their personal lives, and vice versa.

If we judged people by that standard, there wouldn't be much left to listen to, read or look at.

What can a young person do today to shock their parents, like we did when we were young? Have they already seen it all? 😉

-I suppose being Christian, traditionalist and wanting to start a normal family would do it nowadays—especially for kids whose parents are people like us! Hahahaha!

Honestly, I don't know what could shock parents these days. Perhaps gender transitions during adolescence or childhood are controversial topics.

Back in our day, it was wearing an upside-down cross or sporting a mohawk.

But from what I've experienced, everything is cyclical. Societies move from conservative to liberal and back again in an endless loop. When one trend destroys itself, the opposite trend emerges with force.

Do interviews bore you? Do you do many of them? Which do you prefer: phone interviews, face-to-face interviews or email interviews like this one?

-I love interviews! The media and the scene don't give us much coverage, so I'm very grateful for them.

What really pisses me off is when people don't read interviews and continue believing rumours and stupid shit. In the end, there's no better source than the source itself.

As for the format, I prefer written interviews. That way, I can review my answers and make sure I express exactly what I want to say.

Sometimes you're interviewed while drunk after a concert and end up talking so much shit that the next day even you are shocked by your own answers.

What are the band's future plans? And what about your personal plans?

-We want to keep creating, recording and touring, discovering different cities, countries and people, and sharing our music and our country with as many people as possible.

How are we going to do it? No idea! But we'll figure it out. All we need are plane tickets.

We'd like to return to Europe. It seems easier for us to tour there than in South America, because in Europe you're paid for every concert. Here, we often play for nothing.

You can also sell merchandise at European shows and recover some of your expenses. Here, people buy very little or nothing at all. They haggle over ticket prices at the door and try to sneak their own alcohol into venues.

There's no money and there's no support, although the scene has a different kind of magic. You can feel the chaos: punk, disorder and the nihilism of the working class.

Personally, I just want to keep surviving. I'm going through a very sad period in my life, so anything good, no matter how small, brings me some happiness… like this interview.

Any words of wisdom?

-Make war, not love! Hahahaha!

Honestly, I'm nobody to give advice. But what I wish someone had told me when I was young is this: follow your dreams, do whatever you want without waiting for anyone's approval, and don't let internet dickheads intimidate you.

And change your mind whenever you realise you're going down the wrong path or that you're simply wrong about something.

Nobody else is going to pay your bills at the end of the month, so you don't owe anyone anything, especially not a bunch of stupid moral dictators.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Thanks so much, Peter and Skrutt Magazine! I've really enjoyed answering this interview. I hope someone actually reads the whole thing!

And if you're a reader who made it all the way to the end… we love you, you motherfucker!

Andrés Lecaros
Los Problemas