THE
BOLOKOS

The Bolokos formed in 2009 in Goyave, Guadeloupe, first under the name The Sleepwalkers before becoming The Bolokos. The band quickly became the figurehead of a genre that did not yet exist on the island: Caribbean punk rock.

Their sound marries distorted guitars and punk energy with ska, country, and Celtic and Creole music, all the way to gwoka, Guadeloupe's traditional drum. On stage as on their record sleeves, the trio cultivates a visual and musical identity all its own, between Caribbean heritage and Western punk culture.

In 2019 they released their self-titled debut album, produced by Martinican artist Kali — the very first punk rock album to come out of Guadeloupe. That same year, they took the international stage at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, one of the UK's biggest punk gatherings, returning to the main stage in 2022. In January 2019, for the club's 17th anniversary, The Bolokos also played Mondo Bizarro (Rennes, FR), a historic haunt of rock and punk in Brittany since 2002. The band returns to France in 2026, as well as England and Germany (2022, 2023, 2025), and across the Caribbean.

After a tour of Mexico, the trio released their second album, Tropikal Noise, on December 7, 2024, on German label Wolverine Records (Caribbean edition via Bokit Production). Recorded at Studio Debs in Pointe-à-Pitre, it brings together figures of traditional Caribbean music — Fanswa Ladrézeau ("Kouté Pou Tann"), Lukuber Séjor and Kali — and pushes the meeting of punk and gwoka further, with lyrics in Creole and English.

The Bolokos also act as bridges between the islands. Kali, a Martinican figure, produced their first album and sings with them on "Ti Kanno" (2023); the band regularly plays in Martinique. On the local scene, their label Bokit Production released the compilation Rock In Gwada Vol. 1 in 2021, backed by the association that unites Guadeloupe's rock community.