Sickfest, the alt fest, is back for a third edition and this time it’s bringing Malta’s top alternative promoters together for one big festival. Ramona Depares catches up with the shadowy figure behind the concept, who claims he prefers to work from behind the scenes.
This is the third edition of Sickfest – what made you return to the concept?
We were totally overwhelmed with last year’s turnout and the feedback we got from our guests was heartwarming, so we didn’t want to make the mistake we made with our first edition and neglect the concept for a couple of years before putting together another one. Fortunately, we have no one holding us back from our ambitions and the people we surround ourselves with support us throughout.
What feedback did you get after last year’s edition? What are the highlights?
Everything fell in place flawlessly and it was a solid 12 hours of music. We had a lot of people messaging us and posting comments on the event page the next day. A renowned local radio presenter commented: “What a showcase of local talent and hard work we had last night! Sickfest rocked hard!” It was a celebration of the local alternative scene and we can’t really put our finger on a single performance that outshone any of the others on the bill, all performing acts delivered 150 per cent and rocked our socks off.
We look forward to seeing how people will react to different areas and we hope to make it easier for them to discover new music and local talent
This year the concept has grown substantially. Can you explain how?
Previous editions ran for 12 hours on a single day, with two different areas (local alternative bands and electronic DJs). This year we have spread the festival over two days with three areas on each night and, along with performances by local (and international) artists, we will also be collaborating with some of the coolest promoters on the island to deliver an eclectic musical experience. Each area will be hosted by a different promoter with some of Malta’s top movers and shakers from each respective scene: Sick Of Ants will be in charge of the live band stage on both days.
This year we have a good mix of bands – from punk, progressive rock to indie and electro pop. Caron Dimonio, from Italy and Neon Islands from the UK will be headlining the live band stage... there are lots of interesting local acts on offer.
Entropy, the Techno titans will feature a performance by Spanish PSYK, who has performed in iconic locations like Boiler Room, Berghain and Tresor. Tale, the hottest Hip Hop & Trap music organisers out there right now will feature a live performance by 215 Collective, a Maltese Hip Hop outfit making waves online. Lollipop, the fabulous Pride Promoters will be serving all sorts of camp tunes with a hint of pop rock and glam rock – think David Bowie riding a unicorn with Kylie Minogue and Avril Lavigne.
Alt Mt, a collective of DJs, artists and promoters from Malta’s alternative scene with anything from indie, alternative, electronica and 1980s anthems will also be on offer. Thre will also be sets by Oú est le pantie?, Rock & Rave, I.YOU, Geddumu and Ben Vincenti.
What made you decide to grow the event so much?
We consider ourselves lucky to be musically open-minded enough to appreciate anything from rock music to techno, jazz or hip hop, as long as it has substance. Our Sick of Ants label always stood for delivering eclectic music to Malta’s eccentric breed, so we decided to step it up a notch and feature more than the usual indie -alternative genres that have become synonymous with our events.
We reached out to other subcultures and other promoters that have created their own niche locally, and who were interested in being part of this project. We firmly believe that greatness can only be achieved through unity, so perhaps things can grow enough to stimulate our future ambitions and host an annual festival whereby which we can showcase local music to an international crowd, like Unsound in Poland or Le Guess Who? in the Netherlands, just to name a couple.
Who will Sickfest attract?
The festival will be held at the Tigullio, conveniently located at one of the most lively towns in Malta, St Julian’s. We anticipate a lot of new people attending this edition, especially expats living in the area looking for an alternative to the usual mainstream events happening there. Of course, our regular crowd attending previous editions won’t miss out and this year each of the hosting promoters will also bring their own demographic, resulting in a very interesting mix of people and cultures.
What are some of the highlights you are looking forward to?
This will be our biggest edition by far, with respected international artists performing alongside local ones. If last year’s edition was a celebration of the local alternative scene, then certainly this edition will be known as a celebration of the local contemporary subcultures.
This mix of genres/styles/cultures in itself is something we are very looking forward to witness – more so, we look forward to seeing how people will react to different areas and we hope to make it easier for them to discover new music and local talent.
Of course, the privilege of curating such a festival is that you get to unite all the artists you like under one roof, so we are looking forward to witness all of the acts on the bill.
What are the biggest challenges in bringing together such an event?
Time management and communication can be a bit daunting at times, because you need to connect with so many different people to make things work in a timely manner – and this is all achieved by sacrificing our own free time. But the biggest challenge will always be the financial hurdle and it’s only thanks to our main sponsors that we can make such a festival work.
Sickfest takes place between August 11 and 13 at Tigullio, St Julian’s. Tickets are available online.
https://shop.trackagescheme.com/event/sickfest-2017