Los Cheyenes

Spain, unlike some other countries in continental Europe, was not a hotbed of garage rock in the '60s, but there were a few Spanish bands. From recorded evidence, the best of these were Los Cheyenes, a Barcelona group who wrote most of their riff-heavy material. They often sounded like an extremely raw variation of the early Kinks, with Merseybeat harmony and folk-rock influences as well. Unlike garage bands from most other non-English-speaking countries, Los Cheyenes sang in their native tongue, and although it may make their stuff less approachable for some collectors, most of their EPs and singles were pretty strong. Not even that successful in their own country, Los Cheyenes were pressured to commercialize their sound by their label, and broke up in 1967.