In early 1981, some friends in the working class borough of Vila Carolina, a natural punk enclave in the city of São Paulo, teamed to form the Inocentes. Three were former members of the Condutores de Cadáver (the Corpse Transporters): bassist Clemente, guitarist Callegari, and drummer Marcelino. With vocalist Mauricinho, they completed the initial formation of a group who synthesized the entire history of punk rock in Brazil. Several formations later, the group continued to play, with Clemente being the only remnant from earlier years. The band had a central role in the development of the punk style in Brazil, also being the only Brazilian rock band built around the figure of a black musician, Clemente.nn In mid-1981, the Inocentes played in public for the first time, in the festival Grito Suburbano in São Paulo. The record store associated with the punk movement, Punk Rock Discos, sponsored a 45 rpm album with some bands, including the Inocentes. The album was released in April 1982, with the band already having expelled Mauricinho. With the press' growing interest in the punk movement, Clemente was contacted by a video producing company, who created a documentary named after one of the group's songs called Garotos do Subúrbio.nn With the inclusion of vocalist Ariel (former Restos de Nada and Desequilíbrio), the Inocentes were expelled from the sophisticated Gallery nightclub and performed at the I Festival Punk de São Paulo (November 1982). With all shows recorded precariously, the festival yielded an album, O Começo do Fim do Mundo, which had "Salvem El Salvador," performed by the Inocentes. In March 1983 they participated in a similar event in Rio, the I Noite Punk do Rio de Janeiro, at the Circo Voador. Their first single, "Miséria e Fome" (45 rpm), came soon after. The two songs, "Miséria e Fome" and "Aprendi a Odiar," were included in a 1984 German compilation by Weird System, Life Is a Joke. After a dissolution, the Inocentes got together again in a new formation with Clemente, Marcelino, guitarist Ronaldo dos Passos, and brothers Tonhão (vocals) and André Parlato (bass). Several other formations would follow, with the group always present at punk events. In 1986, the group recorded a mini-LP with six tracks, Pânico em SP, through WEA. Their first solo LP came the next year, Adeus Carne (WEA), with a poem by Mayakowski, a crude social critic.nn In 1988, their album The Inocentes was a more direct rock approach for the band. But the recording label lost interest in the band with their average selling of 20,000 copies per album. Always surviving crises, the Inocentes also recorded Estilhaços (1992), Subterrâneos (Eldorado, 1994), and Ruas (Paradoxx, 1996). ~ Alvaro Neder