Years active 1966 | Origin Rome, Italy | |
Genres Rock, Mass Beat, Garage Rock Labels Ariel, Roman Records Company, Edizioni Paoline Associated acts Angel & The Brains, I Barrittas Similar Officina meccanica, I Barrittas, Mat 65, Bruno Filippini, Marcello Giombini | ||
The Bumpers were a garage rock and beat group from Rome, Italy in the 1960s. They were one of the three bands to participate in an Italian liturgical rock mass, called The Mass of the Young in 1966.
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In 1966 the Bumpers performed in a rock "beat' mass organized and composed by Marcello Giombini, La Messa Dei Giovani (The Mass of the Young), which premiered in the Borromini Chapel in Rome on April 27, in front of a large public gathering and in the presence of the mass media TV crew of the RAI network. The event, which also featured two other groups, the Angel Brains and I Barrittas, caused considerable controversy in the Catholic Church, as it was in the process of modernizing its liturgy in the wake of Vatican II. The Mass was overwhelmingly successful in attracting a young audience, but the response of the Vatican hierarchy was unexpectedly negative and swift. The band members of the Bumpers and the other groups were excommunicated, though the edict would later be rescinded. A proposed tour, which included a performance at Albert Hall, was cancelled, when all of the sponsors and venues pulled out simultaneously. The Ariel company, which had recorded the Mass went bankrupt, and the Bumpers, like the other bands were unable to get gigs even in small Italian towns. The exhibition was released on the Ariel LP, La Messa Dei Giovani (The Mass of the Young), became a cult favorite over the years, and was recently re-issued on Roman Records. In 1966, the Bumpers released several singles featuring songs excerpted from the mass, including "I believe (I believe)" b/w "Sanctus (Holy)" and "Marion" backed with the protopunk "Cupidation".