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Alou, Armando's schoolmate from Escola Comercial, introduced him to Api and Manuel who were students at the Colegio Dom Bosco.

We were thinking on getting the band together again and would like to know if you are willing to join us," said Alou. But I can't play anything!" – was Armando's surprised answer. Alou insisted, "it’s a piece of cake! (He handed over the small bongo to Armando. You know that song “Apache” by the Shadows?" (He took the bongo from Armando's hands, and started drumming it to the rhythm of  "Apache", and handed it back to Armando, who makes his attempt to the same rhythm).

Full of enthusiasm, Armando accepts the invitation. The group exchanged some views and the party leaves, leaving Armando the bongo for further training. The first rehearsal is scheduled for Alou's house, who by that time was living at the Travessa da Misericordia, near the Leal Senado Square.

It was a joyful and proud moment for Armando, a 14-year old who suddenly recalled what he had watched just a couple of weeks earlier, in Macau's First Music Festival, at the Cheng Peng Theatre. There were Alou and Api, both sporting the flashy waistcoats of the Colourful Diamonds as they were then known, singing and playing their guitars along with Sonny Fernandes and Antonio Marinho. At that time, Bélinha (Isabel Batalha), Alou's girlfriend was also performing and she did sing well "I Love You Baby" and "Remember When?" Armando practiced so intensively drumming Shadow's "Apache" at home, that his fingers were all swollen and blue by the time he showed up for rehearsal. He was the barrel of laughs...and it was then that Api suggested he played bass instead.

"But I can't play this!" – Armando cried out again. "No problem. I'll teach you" – Api assured him. There you have how Armando learned to play bass.

"It took a great deal of work to refine one's tune perception and understanding music", recalls Armando who had to memorize the entire finger positions for each performance. It took endless and repetitive rehearsal sessions, thanks to Api who although he was perfectionist was always very considerate in the way he corrected any faults so as not to distress or discourage others. It was from him as well, that Alou managed to learn his chords on the guitar.

Leonel (Neco) Barros, an old hand at teaching music to beginners, was a usual presence at rehearsals. He would coach the boys in tuning their voices while singing the difficult but harmonius songs by the Everly Brothers like "Let It Be Me", "Pretty Blue Eyes" and "Bye Bye Love". Those were the ones who received more encore requests from the audience.

Herculano (Alou) came naturally as the band's leader, because of the way he was cut out for organizing, directing and marketing. Rigoberto do Rosário (Api) was full of musical talent, persistence and comradeship. The Thunders’ most remarkable songs are his compositions, especially the one entitled "Macu, terra minha" which still plucks the heart strings of most Macanese, young or old, whenever they listen to it. The electrifying wistful poignancy of its lyrics and melody evokes the soul of one in love with the land that bore him.

Nevertheless, Rigoberto recalls and his comrades agree, since there were no schools or academies for learning music, most of those who dedicated their time to playing music were self-taught, and would teach others. As to reading music and writing scores, although "nothing as complicated as Beethoven's", Api managed to learn how to compose by whim and will-power.

They also recall a Portuguese army sergeant named Mário Fernando Tomás that would be the first in Macau to introduce music contests for pop bands and other genres, thus making his contribution to motivate talented youths to get together in bands. Mário Tomás himself also had a band, and he organized the two first-ever Macau Music Festivals in 1963 and 1964 at the Cheng Peng Theatre.

As a matter of fact there really was no money for anything at all... When the band got together, recalls Herculano, their main trouble was gathering money to buy proper instruments. At the beginning they managed by getting some material here and there. Their second-hand loudspeakers, restored to good use, were acquired from "Chico-Chai" who owned a sound system repair shop in a small alley of Rua da Palha, the area around St. Paul's Ruins. Their amplifier, also restored was recovered from another repair shop. Used to make ends meet, the boys would then have good laughs, especially Armando, every time the reconditioned material would give a "moan" to the snuffled bass sound, sounding like a "torn out drum".

But amplifying those mishaps during rehearsals added more insult to the injury. To this day, Alou is still mortified when he remembers teacher Augusto Canhota, who was their third floor neighbour, just below where he used to rehearse daily, in a bulding at Rua D. Belchior Carneiro. Forever praised the qualities of understanding and tolerance of the Canhota, a very religious couple that would recite the Rosary every night at 8 p.m. along with Rádio Vila Verde's broadcast. As soon as they got ready to retire for the day hell would break loose just over their heads with electric guitars and drums in full swing and blast. Mr. Canhota, who taught Portuguese classes in Escola Comercial, would wake up every morning at 7 a.m. sharp, regardless of whether he had slept or not. Who would certainly not wake up in time was this pupil of his...Anyhow, since the teacher didn't have a telephone at home, he would have to borrow his upstairs neighbour's one to call for a taxi and get to school in time. Then Alou would make the best of the situation, got dressed in a hurry and even manage to get a ride to school. The final result was plaint to see...a big flunk in Portuguese, Mr. Canhota's subject, as school term reached end.

After Herculano moved to Av. Conselheiro Fereira de Almedia, a landed property with a back door to Tap Siac road, they found new victims for the high decibels: the Batalha da Silva and Braga families. But since they played reasonably well by then, and there were other youngsters in the neighbourhood to lessen the sound impact, no reason for ill-feelings were ever created.

The original Colouful Diamonds appeared in 1960 and included two Rosário brothers, (Ricardo and Rigoberto): two Marinho brothers (António and José) and one Vasco Santos, all aged between 12 and 17. With Leonel (Neco) Barro's help, and just a few months of rehearsals they were ready for their public debut performing in 1961, in a bazaar at Colégio Santa Rosa de Lima. This traditional bazaard was held every year and attracted large crowds.  The nuns managed little stalls selling raffles, games and tidbits along both sides of the school's large and long stone stairway. Prizes were voluntarily made and donated by society ladies for the bazaar and the labour for assembling the stalls was often provided by soldiers sent by the military headquarters and volunteers among the parishioners.

He rolled-up his sleeves in 1963 and managed to get nearly every local music group to accept the invitation to take part. Next, he succeeded in getting the permission of the owner of Cheng Peng Theatre, Comendator Ho Yin to borrow the premises and also Dr. António Nolasco's promise of a sponsorship by the Centro de Informção e Turismo, as it was then called.

That year, audiences for the afternoon sessions of November 9 and 10 saw two multi-faceted shows although it was intended to be a local pop bands competition. It included Portuguese folk music, folk dancing,, fox trot and bolero rhythms in-between the ultra modern rhythms of twist and mashed potatoes. The Colourful Diamonds performed with Herculano, Rigoberto, Humberto (Sonny) Fernandes, António Marinho and Manuel Costa, all aged roughly 14-year. They didn't qualify and the three prizes were awarded to the Grey Coats, to Mário Tomás e o seu Conjunto and to The Lovers.

Nevertheless, the youthfulness and potential of the Colourful Diamonds caught the eye of entertainment entrepreneurs and very soon they were hired to play at the floating casino Macau Palace (at that time moored in the Inner Harbour) and also at Kam On nightclubs, which had recently opened, next door to the Riviera Hotel.

The quintet became a quartet once more. Alberto Amante and António Marinho left and Armando Ritchie, the one who didn't know how to play anything, joined the band.

With Armando, there formed performances at formal parties of the Club de Macau, Clube Militar and other parties at the Escola Comercial and Liceu, and also at the old Clube Macaense, then located in the Areia Preta neighbourhood, totally unrecognizable nowadays. They livened up private parties and took part in several music festivals and contests – Top of the Pops and Seven-Up Show, among others – staged in threatres that were more inclined to such events as the Cheng Peng, the Nam Van and Apollo Cinema.

The boys would play at tea dances just for practice and basically for their own enjoyment, since payment came often in the shape of goods and fried noodles. The band was the first to play at the tea dances at the Esplanada, a "café" previously named Waltzing Mathilda established by an Australian gentleman. The Macanese manager, Cândida Vieira, would allow them to pick any of the dishes of the menu along with a small pecuniary compensation as payment. But they also played at the Vila Tai Yip, a guesthouse in Avenida Rodrigo Rodriques owned by Comendator Kou Ho Neng's family.

Their generous patron not only gave them a daily allowance for shopping, but also presented them with new instruments so they could perfect their tunes. Besides making available one of the houses he owned in Macau, in Avenida Sidób\nio Pais, just next to the Victoria garden and monument marking the 1622 victory against the Dutch, so that the boys would have plenty of space to rehearse. Up till the time the Colourful Diamonds broke up, the house was also used for hosting Saturday evening dance parties.

Macau’s high society, including the Governor and his wife, would attend these balls, which always attracted big crowds. They would last all the way until 4 a.m., and a supper would be served around midnight, presenting a well-chosen menu prepared by Anita Assumpção, one of the most famous names in Macanese cooking. After that, they had two new opportunities to perform in the Clube Militar balls, and Api tells that one of their fondest memories is when the Governor and his wife, approaching the stage while they were dancing and cordially complimented the band, saying that by keeping their good work they would surely reach “the top”. The youngsters were sol filled with joy, that without noticing they speeded up their music.

Performing at Macau’s nightclubs, they played at the Macau Palace, the floating casino overflowing with colourful neon lights, docked at the Inner Harbour, besides at Hotel Estoril, first opened in 1963 and no longer in business. Also the Hotel Caravela, on the waterfront near “meia-laranja”, had a very pleasant "café", unfortunately torn down to give way to nothing as the grounds on which it stood remains unoccupied to this day.

The Colourful Diamonds signed a contract with Radiodifusão de Macau, then based on the penthouse of CTT head office in Avenida Almedia Riberiro, and recorded four half music shows to be broadcasted weekly. But the band would break up shortly after when two of its members (Manuel Costa and Alberto Amante) left to join the Black Cats, founded by Domingo’s Rosa Duque (and João Magalhães). Rigoberto (Api) himself followed them afterwards. The first line up of the Thunders were put together by two former Colourful Diamonds members: Herculano (Alou) and Airosa and Armando Ritchie. They invited César Place, Mário Pistaquini and António (Sonny) Gomes to join them.

Rehearsals would take place at Alou’s new home, which had moved to Rua deo Tap Siac. But this line up also didn’t last long, and the three new recruits left the band. Armando and Herculano made the best of the breaking up of the Black Cats (the band lasted between 1965 and 1966), and got back Manuel Costa and Rigoberto Rosário to put the old band back together, now called Thunders. The local press, steadfast to Portuguese language, would soon rename them: "Os Trovões". They invited Daniel Ferreira, who had already sung with several bands, to relieve Rigoberto as lead singer. On their first performances, at a party of the recently opened Escola Comercial, on May 28th, 1966, they found themselves face to face with the Mighty Thunders, put together by the three deserters from the Thunders: César Place, Mário Pistaquini and Sonny Gomes. According to Rigoberto, the party went on in a lively "musical war" with quarreling rhythms and decibels fed by rivalry. Nevertheless, it would be a "peaceful war", in Api’s own words….

The perfomances were beginning to be more regular but only in parties, until the Tap Siac Sisters, with the Gazeta Macaense as a sponsor, organized a new show at the Nam Van Theatrre. The Thunders and the Flipsiders were the only local bands invited for the event, and from Hong Kong we had Anders Nelson & The Kontinentals, the British singer Dina Webster and Darryl Pattron, a Hong Kong Commercial Radio's deejay.

And it was really an unforgettable show. The Thunders presented Api’s second original song "My Love is a Dream", that later cut a record and what a show by the Flipsiders with lead singer José Manuel Rodrigues (Chai Chai) fetching hysterical cries from the girls sitting in the first row. He would later be turned into a craze in Hong Kong.

One week later, Anu Khan, the entrepreneur who organized the first shows at the Nam Van and the Apollo, would bring another event to the Cheng Peng Theatre gathering the Thunders, the Irmãos Espirito Santo, the New Telecasters and the Flipsiders.

Since in 1967 and faced with the need to hire a band to share the nightly performance with the nightclub’s Banda Estoril, Hotel Estoril’s management got in touch with the Thunders and gave them the opportunity to perform for several weeks in one of the city’s most luxurious clubs. This invitation tasted as a sweet victory, since it was an unusual honour for teenage bands to be given the change to occupy such a post. By then, they were faced with yet another desertion, this time that of lead singer Daniel Ferreira who left the band for personal reasons.

Along with performances in parties at the Escola Comercial and in a show sponsored by the charitable institution "Obra das Mães" at the Cheng Peng Theatres, as from Spring of 1968 the Thunders played at the Macau Palace Casino for three months. They did attract big audiences, but lost in turn part of their devoted female fans, since it was ill regarded for young ladies to hang out in cabarets. As their season contract reached the end they returned to the Club de Macau and other parties to once again entertain their cherished audiences.