One of the most representative groups of the carnival are the murgas and, in Lanzarote, Los Simplones are one of the best known and with the longest history. This 2025 they celebrate 20 years since their foundation, two decades that have given a lot to claim social issues and make the people of Lanzarote have a fun and entertaining time.
Last February 8, Los Simplones made their presentation at the Municipal Theater of Tías where their family and friends could already see the designs of the costumes for this carnival.
Los Simplones is made up of a total of 62 members whose ages range from 16 to 69 years old. Mencey Curbelo is one of the members of the murga, which he joined in 2011 after previously being part of another group.
In 20 years of history, the members have grown and evolved. "Many of us started from a young age and many of us are already parents, we are very happy with the trajectory of the murga," says Curbelo.
And Los Simplones is one of the murgas that has the most roots in the culture of the Lanzarote carnival. "I am still surprised to see children and young people wearing Los Simplones sweatshirts at the institute or anywhere else, even from other years, and you feel overwhelmed," he says.
"When carnival arrives and you go on stage, people support us a lot and they like us a lot because of the values we have, we are very grateful for that," says the murguero.
The challenge of staying active after 20 years
Staying in the carnival scene of Lanzarote is not an easy task because work, dedication, sacrifice and, of course, passion, are fundamental to overcome the stones in the road. "It is very difficult, every murguero knows that they must rehearse for at least six months before the carnivals, from September, but those of us who have more responsibility within the murga are already working on things from May," he says.
These rehearsals start from less to more. When there is still a lot of time for the celebration of the carnivals, the murgueros start rehearsing one day a week but from Christmas, those rehearsal days increase. From September they rehearse three days a week and it is maintained throughout the year, resting on weekends and some working days. "We rehearse for an hour and a half, from 9:00 p.m.," he clarifies.
Rehearsing is vital for their performances to be perfect and "you have to square with the family and it is complicated, but as they say, no pain, no gain," says Curbelo with a laugh. "For me, going to rehearse, seeing the guys and laughing with them is what fills me after the stress of work, the effort one makes is for that," he says.
Teamwork
During the preparation, the murga is divided into working groups to organize and divide the work. Mencey Curbelo belongs to the design group of Los Simplones, which is responsible for choosing the designs and fabrics for the costumes they will wear in the murga contest. From May, they begin to prepare the sketches and think about what type of fabrics they will use, as well as those who are responsible for composing the lyrics and songs.
In the case of the lyrics, the working group is made up of around seven members who are dedicated to creating the lyrics, the songs themselves and everything that has to do with the musical theme. They are one of the groups that meet the earliest, from May.
On the other hand, there is the costume group, which is made up of 10 to 15 people. "First an idea is worked on, a sketch is made and then the fabrics are chosen so that the seamstresses can move forward with the work and not leave everything to one person alone, so that it is more enjoyable," explains Curbelo.
The financing to be able to carry out all this work is obtained through the annual fees paid by the members, the sale of lottery tickets and with the subsidies they receive from public administrations during the year.
Not everything is what it seems, the 20 years are present, this year's fantasy
To celebrate these two decades of history, Los Simplones wanted to reflect in their costumes for this carnival something traditional but brought to the present. The fantasy, called Not everything is what it seems, the 20 years are present, is based on the clown costume but with modifications. "We wanted a very typical clown costume that was luxurious, very beautiful and elegant, so we chose black and white," reveals the murguero.
As for the lyrics, they usually talk about social issues based on current political and other issues, especially at the local, regional and national level.
Lyrics and costumes that, together with the attitude of the murga, have allowed them to win awards in all categories, from interpretation to costumes, but as Mencey Curbelo highlights, "the important thing is that people are satisfied with the performance because the affection of the public is what fills you".
