It was in 1999 that a simple discussion between friends lamenting the lack of Maltese music venues available to the underground music set the ball rolling for the birth of a collective local punk scene.
Spending much time locked away in claustrophobic, humid underground rehearsal rooms on a regular basis wasn’t quite as rewarding as getting up on stage and performing to an audience.
R.A.S. guitarist and vocalist Ray ‘il-Baħri’ Schembri remembers:
“There were about eight or 10 ska/punk bands active on the scene then. At some point we agreed that the best solution to the problem we were facing was probably to stage our own events.”
Taking punk’s integral DIY approach proved to be the right decision, the result being the formation of a close-knit community as the punk bands and their friends extended their musical activities and embraced other causes, among them environmental and social rights issues, voluntary work at childcare institutions, anti-racism and animal rights campaigning.
The various musical events, more often than not in aid of philanthropic causes, led to the idea of staging a bigger event, and Festaħwid festival was born.
Behind it was the concept that it would be a place where those attending mattered as much as the bands. It wasn’t about how many people turned up, but the ones that did.
The festival gave new bands and artists the space to express themselves freely, and anyone else the opportunity to contribute to the self-produced punk zine.
A mixture of socio-political songs and the simple pursuit of having fun, Festaħwid‘s eclectic nature has always attracted a diverse audience of punks, rockers, metalheads and indie fans.
This year’s edition will be held at V-Gen in Paceville on November 18 and 19 and features 12 bands, including special guests Cut My Skin from Berlin.
The rest of the line-up includes BNI, The I-Skandal, Kontroll, Wan Choo, The Beerbellys, Pupi tal-Logħob, Dripht, Xtruppaw, Bark Bark Disco and Errormantics.
Tickets are €12 for both nights. Doors open at 8 p.m., with the first band going on at 8.30 p.m. The first 50 people on each night will receive a free copy of the Festaħwid 8 CD compilation. For more information, look for the page on Facebook.