Grintafest: From Festatahwid to a New Generation of Punk 2 - Through the Eyes of Youth
The next person to tell me 'the scene is dead' clearly hasn’t been to Grintafest.
While I unfortunately was born in the wrong generation to be a part of the original Maltese punk scene, the energy in Tigullio during Grintafest is something that can’t be ignored. There is a hunger for these types of events that was made clear by what had to be hundreds of people coming together, creating a sense of community that’s felt quite hard to find nowadays.
The lineup brought together classics such as BNI and Pupi tal-Logħob, who made their return at Grintafest after nearly 8 years out of the spotlight, with bands like Bila, Bruda, and 5 Years From Now, as veterans of the original scene passed down the torch to the eager new crowd.
One of the most distinctive things about Grintafest was its focus on the physical side of music. That comes naturally to David Cauchi, the festival’s organiser, who also created the punk zine Smashed to Shit. Physical tickets and voting ballots for the next President of the MaltaPunks added an interactive element, making people truly feel like they were part of the festival.
The festival was flawless from beginning to end, of course thanks to David, who has made this his life for the past few months. I also can’t go without mentioning the amazing Sarah German, who is always ready to drop everything for the punks, even if it meant dressing up as an angel with me on stage in front of an endless crowd of eager Xtruppaw fans, waiting for their highly anticipated tribute band, Il-Banda ta’ San Ċipress, to take the stage.
Xtruppaw shared the same sentiment, with band member Dino sharing a lengthy post on Facebook, describing how honoured the band felt to see the next generation of musicians and fans screaming their lyrics like there’s no tomorrow.
“I arrived there with a dark cloud on my head, lost & full of anxiety... went out of the venue at the end of the festival with a big smile on my face, a plastic tit & fecie memorabilia in my pocket, & a placard with Jeffrey's pic on it begging him for his return on the shithole for Xtruppaw's sake”, Dino wrote, a perfect encapsulation of how important festivals like Grintafest are for the local community.
While the notorious saying is “f’għoxx il-punks”, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more dedicated, energetic and supportive crowd, always looking out for each other.
I think it’s safe to say that this is not the last we’ll see of Grintafest, and I’m ecstatic to see where it’s going to go in the future. If we want the scene to stay alive, it’s our responsibility to show up for it, and look what an incredible outcome you get when everybody chooses to come together.
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