O Turno da Noite

In the late 19th century, groups of college students in Portugal started to get together in large musical ensembles, celebrating their bohemian lifestyle. Their repertoire was broad, including arrangements of both classical and popular styles. What really mattered was camaraderie, a collective farewell to carefree life in the face of adulthood.

These groups, called tunas, became integral to Portuguese music of the late 20th century, initially comprised only of male students singing rather sexist and vulgar songs. Although this vernacular is not to be found in the trio Três Bairros' music, they originally met as part of a tuna in Santarém. Although they claim to be a fado trio, apart from ‘Quando Passas pela Rua’ and ‘Trago Lisboa no Peito’ there is little evidence of fado here. They clearly get their kicks from songs with a light, popular appeal, alluding to António Zambujo. Think of Cabeças no Ar or Miguel Araújo rather than Ana Moura or Ricardo Ribeiro.