Afterhours

Afterhours are an Italian rock band formed in Milan in the second half of the 1980s, led by singer and guitarist Manuel Agnelli, who has remained the group's only constant member since its founding. Over the following decades the band became one of the most influential acts in the Italian alternative and independent rock scene, helping to define a home-grown sound that drew on post-punk, noise rock and cantautorato traditions while singing largely in Italian rather than English, a choice that set them apart from many of their peers.

The band's music is marked by raw, emotionally intense arrangements, Agnelli's distinctive raspy voice, and lyrics that mix poetic imagery with blunt, often dark subject matter. Their sound has evolved across records from abrasive guitar-driven rock to more atmospheric and orchestrated arrangements, while keeping a restless, uncompromising edge that earned them a reputation as a critics' band as much as a commercially successful one.

Songs such as «Non è per sempre», «Quello che non c'è», «Voglio una pelle splendida» and «Bianca» are among the tracks most associated with the group's legacy, showing their range from anthemic rock to more introspective material. Manuel Agnelli has also become a well-known public figure in Italy beyond the band, including through television work, which further raised Afterhours' profile with a wider audience.