Sangria Furlo are something of a revelation for southern Spain and belt out high-energy rock with punk attitude from their base in Mijas. Frontman Mark Waters brings a life story packed with famous connections, filmmaking success and personal tragedy that has ended up behind the band’s distinctive sound and nothing like anything else from the Costa del Sol before.
Creative start: From Dublin to Swiss boarding school
Mark Waters grew up in Dublin with a mother who worked at Irish Distillers and a father who served as director general of Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE. Early family life involved extensive travel across Europe, the USA, China and the Soviet Union. Later his father took a senior role with Eurovision and the European Broadcasting Union, which led the family to Belgium and then Switzerland. Mark then attended the prestigious Institute Le Rosey, where he played in the teenage band Presque Nul that included Sean Lennon. Waters also appeared in school plays with future Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas. Those experiences still shape his songwriting drive today.
Tragedy shapes a new band in Spain
Sangria Furlo formed in 2022 after an impromptu jam session at a friend’s house in Andalucia. Songwriter Mark Cornthwaite, drummer Roly Quesnel and bassist Klas Blomstrand invited Waters along to join on vocals. Waters wrote his first song with Cornthwaite, called Sangria Furlough, and played it to his close friend, poet and Cream lyricist Pete Brown, who loved it. Just weeks later tragedy struck when Cornthwaite passed away from a sudden heart attack. The remaining members ended up performing for the first time as a three-piece at his wake. They renamed themselves Sangria Furlo and pushed on as a band the likes of which the Costa del Sol had not produced before. Ukrainian bassist Denys Kyrylenko soon joined, completing the current line-up of Waters on vocals and guitar, Quesnel on drums and Kyrylenko on bass.
Film director with an impressive phone contact book
Waters had already enjoyed success as a film-maker long before the band. He directed the documentary White Rooms and Imaginary Westerns, based on Pete Brown’s autobiography. The film features interviews with Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Arthur Brown and Martin Scorsese. Waters and Brown also produced The Cream Acoustic Sessions, a re-imagining of Cream songs recorded at Sensible Studios and Abbey Road. Their collaboration continued until Brown’s death in 2023, after they had completed several more screenplays together.
Debut album, new EP and busy live schedule
Loss of both Cornthwaite and Brown spurred Waters into a creative burst. Sangria Furlo released their debut album, Trans European Metal Disco, in 2025. The record tackles themes of injustice, rebellion and personal experience through tracks such as King Bartholomew, Downed Uniform and Song 9, the latter inspired by Waters’ memories of Julian Casablancas. In March 2026 the band issued their debut EP Dregs, which includes King Bartholomew plus French-language versions of two album tracks and live recordings.
Those seeking something fresh and loud can catch Sangria Furlo live in Malaga on Friday, May 15, when they support legendary US rockers Green Jelly on their 45th anniversary tour, and who it looks like are coming to Malaga specially to tour with Sangria Furlo. Advance tickets for the gig at Sala Marte (Calle San Nicolas, next to Muelle Uno) are available from entradium.com for €20.40.
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