Frente Abierto

We are extremely honoured to announce a special performance by Frente Abierto at Roadburn 2025. When Roadburn’s artistic director, Walter, saw the Spanish group at Le Guess Who? in Utrecht last November and also later had the opportunity of hearing their forthcoming debut album in advance, he knew their fiery mix between heavy rock and flamenco was perfect for Roadburn. 

Frente Abierto are a collective of Andalusian musicians, led by Marco Serrato (Orthodox, Altair) and featuring ambient musician David Cordero and lauded guitarist Raúl Cantizano. Accompanying them for their incandescent live shows is a varying cast of the most inspiring voices of contemporary flamenco – at Roadburn, we will have the pleasure of hosting Sebastián Cruz and Lela Soto. Together, they become living proof that even today there are still unexplored connections between musical worlds, just waiting for someone with the right talent and courage to brave those unknown territories.

Though flamenco and the metal and heavy rock that have been the backbone of Roadburn might seem to be completely separate universes, they can merge seamlessly. Marco previously performed at Roadburn back in 2007 with Orthodox; Walter comments:
“I have always kept Marco Serrato and his music on my radar. The moment I realized he was involved in Frente Abierto and it became clear that the project and Roadburn had so much in common, artistically and creatively – it was a no brainer to invite them to play the festival.”

Marco adds:

“It is a privilege to be able to return to Roadburn after 18 years, with this new project where we have been able to take some of the essential elements of Orthodox to a level that at that time we had not even been able to conceive.”

Flamenco has always been an artistic expression of the underprivileged and oppressed. Its origins lie within the Gitano subculture of the Spanish region of Andalusia, itself a place with a unique identity influenced by Moorish and Jewish communities. Its themes have historically manifested the difficulties of lives led in poverty, typically associated with the Gitanos, becoming a crucial tool of cultural dissent for many outcasts and misfits for over two centuries. Traditionally, lyrics showcase not only the common themes of love and death but also the hardships of life led as an outcast. The roots of such struggles are well documented in music across many genres but within Frente Abierto’s work they’re presented in a unique way.

At its core, Frente Abierto embodies everything we imagine when we use the phrase “redefining heaviness”. They’ve found a way to capture the emotional weight we’ve always known and loved in our established genres and embellish it with something that is distinctively theirs. We are looking forward to welcoming Frente Abierto as a decisive centrepiece of this year’s festival. 

– José Carlos Santos