Rock the South music festival returns for its 11th year. Gwen-Jane Agius talks to one of its organisers, NICK MORALES, about what makes this year special and how various alternative scenes find a home in this one place.

GA: This year welcomes Rock the South’s 11th edition. For those who have never heard of it, what is Rock the South exactly? What does it consist of and what makes this year’s edition stand out from previous ones?

NM: Rock the South is an event that takes place at Zion Bar in Marsascala, at St Thomas Bay. It’s a showcase of the best alternative acts and bands of the island, especially bands that are emerging now; but we also have a lot of classic local bands playing who have been active for a long time.

This year we have Forsaken, who have practically been playing since the early 1990s. They’re basically legends in the doom metal scene. We’ve also got Dolls for Idols back together after 10 years.

The poster of the festival

We have two stages which will play back-to-back, as well as the silent disco where people listen to the music through the provided headphones. We sometimes have DJs battling against each other simultaneously. Through the channels, one can choose which DJ they would like to listen to.

We have also tried to bring foreign musicians these last few years. Two years ago, we had Iggor Cavalera of Sepultura playing; this year he’s back, but with his band Petbrick. We’re also going to have Waq Waq Kingdom, a band from Japan, who perform extremely experimental electronic music.

We try to offer as much variety as possible, so it’s not just rock. Although the festival is based on guitar bands, we have a lot of electronic and experimental acts.

For a few years we also had reggae and dub, along with hip hop. We like to give other musical styles a chance, as long as they fall under the alternative umbrella, if you can call it that.

A performance in a previous edition of 'Rock the South'.

GA: Except up-and-coming Maltese acts and well-known classics, like Brikkuni, the festival also includes foreign bands – to name a few, Petbrick and Bumb from the UK and Minivan from Germany. With such a vast worldwide assortment to choose from, can you explain how the selection process takes place? What is the purpose of including foreign bands in a locally concentrated festival?

NM: We have already started thinking about next year’s edition. By mid- or end of summer, the planning begins for the upcoming shows.

The main idea of Rock the South is to give the audience something new to enjoy as we believe that is very important. At the same time, we like to showcase the local acts in order to give them a more professional platform and a wider audience for them to get recognised.

It also gives us an opportunity to attract people who maybe wouldn’t usually go to see certain bands from different musical scenes.

The festival is a celebration of where we’re from and what we grew up listening to- Nick Morales

GA: Along with the two main stages where bands and solo musicians perform, there’s also the silent disco. What is the aim behind mixing a more traditional method of live music with a more modern version? Do both attractions gain the same amount of attention?

NM: The aim of the silent disco is to offer something refreshing to our audience. If they feel like listening to a different sound and genre, they can grab a pair of headphones and listen to a distinct style of music than that of the two main stages. The reaction isn’t the same – you have to experience it to understand. It’s really fun and it’s something that works very well.

At the same time, we’re giving opportunities to other artists. It’s not just DJs who perform at the silent disco, but also electronic artists. Like that, we’re always giving more space to musicians, which is our main aim.

A showcase of the best alternative acts and bands of the island.

GA: The line-up is made up varying types of music. If I had to take a guess, some genres I can point out are alternative pop, electronica, experimental noise, metal, indie, new wave, and ultimately rock. With musical styles that almost juxtapose each other, how do all these contrasting acts find harmony in one setting?

NM: We do give direction to how the days are organised. Friday consists of electronic and indie-leaning music, while Saturday is a bit more rock and alternative. Sunday appeals to metal and punk-based audiences.

Abroad, more often than not, people tend to only hang out with others who have similar tastes in music. Although Malta is a small island, somehow we tend to mix our styles more frequently and easily.

Most of us grew up listening to different genres: from metal to rock to hip hop to pop. The festival is a celebration of where we’re from and what we grew up listening to, but always falling under the alternative and indie umbrella. I think our audience appreciates the fact they can come for three days and enjoy a diverse array of bands.

The silent disco offers a place where people can listen to music through the provided headphones.

GA: The name of the festival is eye-catching in itself. There has always been controversy when it comes to what can be considered ‘rock’ and ‘alternative’, especially in the Maltese scene. How does the title reflect its contents, when even sounds such as pop and electronica are included? Is there an attempt at breaking the barriers of labelling music?

NM: Rock the South started when I wanted to hold an event for my Italian friends and their band, AIM. I organised a couple of shows for them, one of them being Rock the South; thus, we hadn’t given a lot of thought to the name. We came up with that name because the event was taking place in the south of Malta and rock music was going to be played.

The more popular it became, the more thought and effort was put into the festival. The first edition was only made up of seven bands, now we’re up to nearly 40 and over. Obviously, there was a huge change – the name remained but the concept evolved into something that has become bigger than the title.

People hear “Rock the South” and think they’re only going to listen to rock music – no, there’s a variety of styles at play.

We can say we’re ‘rocking’ the south in an earthquake kind of way, rather than the music in itself, as unfortunately not a lot of events happen in the south.

Rock the South runs from May 3-5. For more information log onto rockthesouthmalta.com.