Rock the South Rockin' Malta this July

ROCKIN' MALTA THIS JULY

Nick Morales Credit: J&M Photography

In this edition of OhMyMalta, we speak to Rock the South

Malta organiser Nick Morales to learn more about this

year’s festival

Interview by James Cummings

In just over a week, the country's foremost alternative music festival, Rock the South Malta, returns to Marsascala for three days of concerts featuring both legendary and emerging artists. This year’s iteration of the festival sees a wealth of homegrown and international talent appear at the legendary Zion Bar, also known as Malta’s ‘chillest beach

bar’, which has grown from humble beginnings as a beach shack more than ten years ago to a bustling summer hangout.

Nick Morales, a prominent Maltese musician and recent member of the

well-known Maltese band ManuTapu, shares his experiences organising Malta's Rock the South festival, and what to expect from the island’s premier rock and alternative event.

WHAT FIRST INSPIRED YOU TO START ROCK THE SOUTH MALTA?

You could almost say it started by accident. I was organising some performances for some friends from Italy — a band called Aim — and, with help from Keith Decelis of Bass Culture, decided to organise a mini-festival at Zion bar in Marsaskala. That was the

first edition of Rock the South, and was really quite a spontaneous thing set up to help those friends from Italy. However, even from the first edition I could see that the festival was a great success, and so I decided to repeat it and could actually see it growing year-onyear, which was great. The festival has become a real staple in the alternative scene — bands look forward to it and

the event continues to attract new

people.

HOW HAS THE FESTIVAL GROWN SINCE ITS FIRST YEAR IN 2012?

One of the main signs of growth has been the size of the audience, which has increased each year. We are now seeing people not only from the alternative scene, but also people who might otherwise be interested in more mainstream music — those who may not choose to attend gigs showcasing this kind of music, but will come to Rock the South. One of the special things about the festival is that, despite its growth and the size of the event today, it retains a very underground spirit and is still very much for musicians, by musicians. Of course, growth is very important and remains a key objective for the festival, but it is important not to forget your roots.

AS A MUSICIAN YOURSELF, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE WELCOMING SO MANY FANTASTIC ARTISTS FROM ABROAD TO THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL?

I love seeing international artists myself, and I think it’s very important for local

Iggor Cavalera Credit: Universal Images Group

musicians. Of course, it’s now very easy to be able to attend music festivals overseas, but I think there’s something special about bringing artists to Malta — it helps people here make more contacts, and also influences them musically. It’s also very important to be able to show musicians from overseas what is going on in our country; we have so many talented artists and so many great bands here, and I think connection is always key.

THIS YEAR WELCOMES IGGOR CAVALERA, A RENOWNED BRAZILIAN DRUMMER AND FOUNDER MEMBER OF THE WELLKNOWN BAND SEPULTURA. HOW DID HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE FESTIVAL ARISE AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE ABLE TO WELCOME SUCH A WORLDWIDE ARTIST?

It’s a great honour for us to be able to welcome Iggor Cavalera to Malta for this year’s Rock the South festival. I’ve actually been listening to him since the age of 14, so this is very special to me. We originally were in discussions to bring his band Corroded Spiral to Malta this year, but due to certain logistical challenges we decided to invite him on a solo basis.

I’d seen some videos of him performing modular electronic sets, and asked him if he would like to perform in that capacity for Rock the South. He agreed, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming him to the festival. I think this is going to be one of the first times he will have performed this particular set, if not the first time, so it’s going to be a very unique experience for Malta and Rock the South.

THE EVENT’S SILENT DISCO TENT INCLUDES AN INTERESTING ARRAY OF ARTISTS FROM VARIOUS GENRES, INCLUDING ELECTRONIC, AMBIENT AND EXPERIMENTAL. WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THIS?

When I was in festivals abroad, I came across the concept of silent discos and thought they were great fun. Also, as the space at Zion is not that large, I was trying to see how we could create a second area that would be able to keep going at the same time, and so the idea of a silent disco seemed perfect. This year, the silent disco is mostly going to be singer-songwriter and electronic acts, with DJs at the end as well. This year was a real challenge to include all the artists as so many people wanted to play, so this gives us an opportunity to add even more acts to the festival.

MALTA BOASTS A TALENTED AND COMMITTED UNDERGROUND MUSIC SCENE, WITH ARTISTS APPEARING AT ROCK THE SOUTH VERY REPRESENTATIVE OF THIS. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS ABOUT THE COUNTRY THAT PROMOTES SUCH CREATIVITY?

I think one of the main reasons is that

Malta is such a mix of people. That really helps as, in bigger countries, it’s perhaps much easier to identify with only one type of music — for example, metal — due to the size of the country and therefore each individual musical genre having a larger fanbase.

Additionally, since we have so many people from abroad coming to Malta, we have so many opportunities to be exposed to different music, different sounds and

different ways of playing. It also goes hand-

in-hand with Maltese culture; we have such a mix of different cultures represented in our history and there’s a great energy in Malta.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?

The last thing I’d like to mention is that we really put a lot of effort into our merchandise as well, and we’re very excited to be featuring a very nice line of

merchandise this year. I’d also like to thank

the whole crew working on Rock the South.

It’s hard to mention everybody, but one of the main reasons this festival is such a

success is because of the crew.

We’ve created a family of super-passionate people who really go out of their way to make this festival happen, and, of course, I must thank the audience for their support and what they bring to the festival. They’re amazing, we’re very thankful to them and we’re sure they’re going to enjoy what we’re putting on this year.

Rock the South takes place 8–10 July 2022. For tickets and more information, visit the official website at www.rockthesouthmalta.com

A PERFECT SEASON FOR EVERY HOLIDAY REASON

The Maltese Islands are definitely much more than sunshine and good weather, but their sunny

disposition is one of the main draws for visitors. Nearly 40% of the tourists who travelled to Malta

in 2019 cited the weather as the top attraction. While weather-wise there really is no bad time to

visit Malta, the Malta Meteorological Office has shared some weather data that shows that the

islands truly are a year-round destination

A HIT OF OFF-PEAK SUNSHINE? YES, PLEASE!

September through to November is the best time to visit if you are looking to get a hit of sunshine and a good dose of Vitamin D to get you through a gloomy autumn or winter back home. These three months generally clock a total of around 652 sunshine hours and maintain an average air temperature of 21.3°C.

But be fair warned, while October’s air and sea temperatures are usually mild and days are steeped in around seven hours of sunshine, things can also get pretty wet and stormy during this month. If you are visiting in October, particularly in the first half of the month, your bathing suit as well as your brolly should go into your luggage.

A PERFECT TAN? THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO TAKE BACK HOME.

June, July and August are perfect for those who believe in the sweetness of doing nothing but working on an enviable tan and sipping cocktails on the beach while holidaying. The sea generally starts warming up properly in June as the average temperature surpasses the 20°C mark, making it warm enough for those who do not like cold surprises and cold enough for a refreshing dip. Between July and August, the average sea temperature rises from 24.7°C to its annual peak of 26.1°C, while the average maximum air temperature hovers at around 32°C. Things do tend to get hotter in July and August, with the dog days of summer seeing air temperatures hit the high 30s and, at times, even the low 40s.

AN EARLY TASTE OF SUMMER? WHY, CERTAINLY.

A visit to the islands in spring, particularly in April or May, will give you an early taste of summer, without the sizzling temperatures associated with this season. While April enjoys an average air temperature of 16.4°C and around eight hours of daily sunshine, in May the mercury rises further to average at a pleasant 20°C and the sun shines for around 10 hours a day.

Given that May’s average sea temperature remains below the 20°C mark, beaches that are ordinarily packed with people in summer, are still much quieter. Is the idea of having a beach practically all to yourself enough to make you put on a bathing suit and take the plunge?

DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS? NO, NOT REALLY.

For some snow spells magic, but for others it means shovelling and other annoyances. If waking up to blue skies and mild temperatures on Christmas day is more your kind of magic than a blanket of white, do know that the likelihood of the Maltese Islands experiencing a white Christmas is extremely remote.

This is because temperatures never drop to sub-zero – the lowest temperature on record was registered 41 years ago at 1.4°C - and the presence of the surrounding seas makes it difficult for snow to form. December 2021 was bathed in 175 hours of sunshine, and the month’s air temperature peaked at 18.9°C on Boxing Day! Not too shabby if you love a bit of winter warmth and sunshine, right?