Venezuelan band Bacalao Men play the UK

UPDATE: Fuerza London gig on 23 June at Clapham Grand is off! See below for new venue:

Venezuela's tropical fusionistas the Bacalao Men will be touring the UK in June, with a gig on 18 June at the Latin Garden (Nancy's Bordello) in Newcastle, as part of the Vamos Festival; a free gig on 21 June at Bolivar Hall, the Venezuelan cultural centre in London; and another on 23 June at Rich Mix near Brick Lane, where they will share the stage with the Afro-Colombian electro outfit Papaya Republik.

In songs like Malibu Azul and El Comegente (The Cannibal) Bacalao Men combine a zesty blend of rock, funk, jazz and electronica with a hearty splash of Afro-Latin flava and seventies salsa.

Formed in 1999 by singer and bassist Pablo Estacio with saxophonist Aurelio Martinez and drummer Sebastian Araujo, the band were later joined by Rafael Gomez, the guitarrist of the band Lapamariposa, and legendary Venezuelan salsa percussionist Vladimir Rivero.

They have just released their third album Sabaneando (Pilla & Esperanto Records), featuring guest singers and musicians from the Caracas music scene.

For more music samples check out the Bacalao Men on myspace

Bacalao Men - El Comegente (The Cannibal)

"El Comegente" ("The Cannibal") is a song from the Bacalao Men's second album "El Nuevo Bugalu".

It tells the story of Dorangel Vargas, a skinny, softly-spoken tramp with a beard who shocked the country in February 1999 when he was arrested for killing and eating vagrants in the Andean city of San Cristobal, Tachira State.

After his arrest, the self-confessed "people-eater" (comegente) served up a slew of juicy revelations about his cannibal exploits, like a shy contestant on Masterchef listing his favourite recipes.

Vargas, 42 years old at the time, calmly described to reporters how he killed and cut up his victims and then cooked the parts he liked best in his makeshift shack under a bridge over the Rio Torbes, between San Cristobal and Tariba.

"Sure I eat people," he told reporters, claiming he had eaten ten people in the two years before his capture.

Explaining how he would target vagrants or council workers sent to clear the scrub near his shack, he said he would sneak up on them and spear or club them with a metal pipe.

He even offered advice on how to marinate the meat and which parts of the body to avoid.

"Anyone can eat human flesh," he added, "but you have to wash and garnish it well to avoid diseases."

A fussy eater, he avoided the hands, feet and testicles of his victims because they gave him indigestion and said he would never eat a woman, "because they don't mess with anyone".

"I only eat the parts with muscles, particularly thighs and calves which are my favourite," he told a local newspaper, saying he liked eating skinny men best.

"I make a very tasty stew with the tongue and I use the eyes to make a nutritious and healthy soup," he added.

Dorangel said he had no regrets about the killings. Instead, like some modern Sweeney Todd, he boasted how he had shared his grisly meals with others who "praised the fillings in my empanadas" - although his guests were clearly unaware of the true contents of his fried maize-dough turnovers.

Only two victims were identified by police from the hands and feet found near Dorangel's shack but the bones and skull fragments of six other victims were eventually discovered, confirming "El Comegente" as Venezuela's first proven serial killer.

The bizarre revelations about his eating habits led local newspapers to dub him "the Hannibal Lecter of the Andes".

Bacalao Men - Malibu Azul

A great video from Caracas band Bacalao Men of their song "Malibu Azul" made on the program Paint.