"Għall-Punks, Mill-Punks” — Inside Malta's Punk Zine, Smashed to Shit

Smashed to Shit is a local zine (think DIY magazine), designed and curated by David Cauchi, carrying the slogan “għall-punks, mill-punks” (for punks, by punks). For those familiar with Malta’s punk history, it echoes the spirit of the original MaltaPunks zine Pissed and Fucked Up, which featured contributions from notorious scene figures such as Kinnie (no, not the drink), Żgħiru, iċ-Ċiz, il-Baħri, and countless more.

Though it features lengthy tales of the underground back in the day, Smashed to Shit is much more than simply a throwback zine. We spoke to David to understand where this idea came from, why preserving the scene matters so much, and the upcoming all-punk Grintafest inspired by Malta’s very first punk festival, Festaħwid.

What was the moment you realised you wanted to create Smashed to Shit?

I realised that I wanted to create Smashed to Shit when I would be driving friends to a gig and I would be listening to ISkandal, Dripht, R.A.S. or BNI, and they would ask me, “Who is this band? They’re good.” I would be talking about the band and telling them their stories and the history.

Eventually, I realised that this information should be available for everyone, because these things are unfortunately often only told face-to-face. I also realised that these stories shouldn’t be lost to time. That’s why I created Smashed to Shit. I started off the zine doing interviews with older people that have been in the scene since the 90s or 70s, but I’ve also been incorporating the newer bands as well. It started out as a small zine, now it’s huge,. Issue 3, which is our most recent, has around 60 pages.

Why a zine, in such a digital era?

I decided to make a zine because it was my rebellion against my own profession, graphic design. Sitting down at a desk for an entire day started to become tiring. And in the AI age we live in, it’s become so hard to find things that are made by humans. Even the fact that you have something that is physical, in my opinion it’s nicer because you have something tangible in your hand.

A zine is important to have in the punk scene, I love the DIY mentality in the culture. You don’t need much to do it, you don’t have to be a designer, just do it yourself. Of course, you have to leave a digital footprint in this day and age so people know about the project, but the zine is essential and remains the point with the most information.

What does “għall-punks, mill-punks” mean to you personally?

I say this because we are just people that like punk music and want to share this information with others and make it accessible to everyone. To all the punks that want to read it, and even people that aren’t punks, to be honest it’s accessible even for them. Maybe it could get someone interested in the punk scene in Malta, which is so rich in history, and the music... the music is fucking good.

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“There was a period where I wanted to stop playing music”

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What role has the punk scene played in your life?

Well, to me it means a lot. There was a period where I wanted to stop playing music, I wanted to sell my guitars, amps, everything. But then, one fine day I was at the Farsons Beerfest 2022, and by coincidence, BNI were playing. I didn’t know who they were, but I just was shocked. First thing I heard were Mammal’s vocals... “That raspiness,” I said to myself, “This is what punk should sound like.” Then hearing the massive feedback from Kinnie’s guitar, it was so loud and punchy. And the strong vocals that would hit you in the face... and then hearing Steve’s drums like a clock ticking, every beat, every drum fill, they tied everything together. I remember a few days later after Beerfest, I decided to try to learn a BNI song, and I did. Thanks to that I still play music. So I credit Maltese punk, mostly BNI, for the fact that I still play music, and of course later other bands such as Xtruppaw, Pupi tal-Logħob, ISkandal, etc.

Do you feel a responsibility to document or protect the scene?

Well, the first issue started out as a hobby because I was doing something I love doing. But then, I started taking it seriously, so I did start to feel a responsibility to document and protect the punk scene, mainly so that these stories don’t get lost or twisted around from people that aren’t in the scene. People outside the scene will assume that punks are ‘fucked up’ or ‘a bunch of drug addicts’, but in reality it’s not the case. I want people to see that it’s such a fun and nice community, where everyone’s together having fun, no fighting. Everyone there is having a good time.

Is there a "gatekeeping" conversation in punk; who counts as punk, who doesn't, and what’s your opinion on it?

First things first; ‘Punk is Not A Fashion’, as the band R.A.S. says. To me it is whatever you want it to be. Everyone has their own idea of what punk is which makes it unique. Regarding bands not being punk or ‘not sounding’ punk, it’s mostly all about the mentality. For example, Brodu doesn’t sound punk at all, but the band has such a punk mentality. Żiżża was in a punk band called The Vegetables... yes, he moved on from that, but the mentality is still there. There are also many bands that mix punk with a different genre, like Double Standard, who are a hardcore-punk band. There is such a huge blend of different music styles and genres, that I believe is what makes punk beautiful. People can create what they like and they create it for themselves, and people like it because it is something that feels real.

What has been the most special moment since you started this project?

My special moments will always be when someone comes up to me and tells me, “You and your team are doing an amazing job,” or, as they say, “Qed tagħmlu biċċa xogħol tal-ostja.” It’s the people that appreciate the things that our team is doing, to me that’s what’s special. Of course, there’s also meeting the bands and the punks that have been in the scene for a while. It’s always special. They tell you so many stories, for example sitting down with Nico, Stephan, Nick Morales, Baħri, and learning the history turns into us talking for hours. In the next issue we will be talking with Żgħiru, who I believe was a very fundamental person in the scene. In the late 90s and early 2000s he created Festaħwid, which was my biggest inspiration to create GrintaFest. I had just seen one video from Festaħwid 6 that Steve Lombardo sent to me, and that was the point when I said, “Okay, I want to do this.” I’m looking forward to talk with Żgħiru for hours. Even the fact that Smashed to Shit is available in stores such as Ġugar and The Garage. Sometimes the owner will tell me that someone from Canada, Austria, etc. bought the zine. It’s crazy that the zine is traveling beyond Malta.

What’s your favourite story in Smashed to Shit so far?

There are so many, but one of them has to be from the recent issue, issue #3. Stephan told us about one time when they were having a BBQ as usual, and these 3 policemen came up to them to ask what they were doing. They replied to him, “We are just eating, sir,” and one of them (Xixu) turned to the BBQ, picked up a sausage and told him, “Here, do you want a piece for yourself?” There are many others, like when the band ISkandal were going to their garage and they were in Żgħiru’s Suzuki... Nico was standing up in the car and Fre grabbed him by the back to pull him down because his head was about hit the roof of the garage complex where they used to rehearse.

You recently announced Grintafest, an all-punk festival happening in September. Can you walk us through the process of creating this event and why it’s so important to you?

Well, GrintaFest is an all-punk festival, not sure if you’ve heard, it’s all punk. P. U. N. K.

GrintaFest was created out of the fact that I want somewhere to have fun with my friends in, and for the people to have fun. As I said, without Festaħwid there would be no GrintaFest. I am not expecting the same energy as Festaħwid because it was a different time. Festaħwid is legendary to me, so even if we create just a bit of movement, I’ll be very happy. Even getting those people that would attend Festaħwid, I would be very happy. One wish I have is that Dr. Ciz (the Former President of MaltaPunks) comes to GrintaFest.

It is important to me to create something for my generation, I want to create memories for people. It is important to tie in the old generation with the new generation, and I’m incredibly happy that Pupi tal-Logħob are playing after I’ve been telling Malcolm and Kuzza to play again for so long. I managed to get them to play again after 8 years... to me it’s a big deal. There is a whole generation that has never heard of them or only know of them from the track “Milli Jidher M’Hu Ħiereg Xejn” from Xtruppaw’s debut album. But most of them have never heard the songs, so I encourage these people to come see them play. To the people that have seen them live before, come and rekindle those memories.

If someone picks up Smashed to Shit knowing nothing about Malta's punk scene, what's the one thing you'd want them to walk away with?

I want them to go to a local punk gig and experience the scene and the feel. I assure you, it will be fun and you will enjoy it. But also, learn the history of how it started and how it arrived here... it was a different time, no Spotify or YouTube to listen to music. I consider ourselves very lucky being at this point in time in history, but its amazing to see what they managed to do at that time.

Where do you want Smashed to Shit to be five years from now (no pun intended)?

So many projects, my mind never stops thinking. You can ask the team, I would say, “Okay, let’s do this, let’s film a video, lets do that,” and they tell me, “You’re crazy,” or, “How will you manage to do this in time?” Five years from now I see hopefully having Smashed to Shit be more accessible for everyone, with more issues released. I am currently working on a digital archive website where people will be able to see a small summary of the bands, and access old videos and photos and some of their music.

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If you're new to the scene, consider this your invitation to catch a gig, pick up an issue of Smashed to Shit, and see what David's been talking about for yourself. Follow Smashed to Shit on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated, and as always, f’għoxx il-punks!

D: Sal-mewt!