Former members of Renato Russo's pioneering post-punk band Aborto Elétrico teamed up to form the Capital Inicial, continuing to perform the same type of music. Brothers Felipe Lemos (drums) and Flávio Lemos (bass) joined guitarist Loro Jones (former Blitz 64) and vocalist Dinho Ouro Preto, all of them based in Brasília, a city that, as Brazil's capital, revolves around politicians who abandon it on the weekends. The city's coldness was a choice culture for the fermentation of the aggression of dispossessed youngsters, creating an ideal situation for the inception of punk bands. With songs similar to those in Aborto Elétrico's repertory, the Capital Inicial followed in their footsteps. The first time Capital (and their sister band, Legião Urbana, also founded upon the ashes of Aborto Elétrico) played in Rio was on July 23, 1983, opening a Lobão show at the Circo Voador. In 1984, they released their first single, "Descendo o Rio Nilo" b/w "Leve Desespero" (Epic), to fair acclaim. The latter song was included in the film Areias Escaldantes. In April 1985, the Capital Inicial succeeded in having their "Descendo o Rio Nilo" included on the compilation Os Intocáveis (CBS). In the next year, the group recorded their first LP, Capital Inicial (Polygram), which had the hits "Psicopata," "Música Urbana," and "Fátima," and sold 200,000 copies. This was followed by a long period of touring.

In 1987, keyboardist Bozzo Barretti, who had played on the album, joined the band to record a second LP, Independência. With a pop-based sonority, it sold half as many units as the first. In November, the band opened for Sting at a packed Maracanã.

In December 1988, the group released their third LP, Você Não Precisa Entender, which was rift with commercialism. The album sold only 50,000 copies. Understanding that they were losing their punk rock fans and weren't gaining pop fans, their fourth album, Todos os Lados (1990), found them replacing replaced standardized keyboards with aggressive guitars. But the change of direction came too late. The album sold little more than 30,000 copies, and their fifth LP, Eletricidade (1991), barely sold 20,000 copies. This crisis provoked the departure of Barretti and Preto (who formed the band Vertigo) and the acquisition of a new vocalist, Murilo Lima, with whom their sixth LP, the independent Rua 47, was recorded in 1994. In 1996, they recorded the live album Ao Vivo (Rede Brasil), and in 1998, Lima left the band. The band enjoyed a modicum of success well into the next century, releasing a string of well-regarded albums including Atrás dos Olhos (1998), Rosas e Vinho Tinto (2002), Gigante! (2004), Eu Nunca Disse Adeus (2007), and Das Kapital (2010). ~ Alvaro Neder