Italian Psych Stoner Rock Festival will be happening this weekend of 15/16 May - Pescara, Italy. It will be the 7th edition this year will be featuring bands such as: Belzegong, Simeon Soul Charger, Black Rainbows, Unhold and Methadone Skies
In the past editions the festival has the following bands graced the stage: Karma To Burn, Los Natas, Ufomammut, Samsara Blues Experiment, Whitehorse, Glitter Wizard, Kongh, Stonebride, and many many more. It's a very small underground festival taking place in Pescara since 2008 and it's getting credit year after year.
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My good friend Davide Straccione (Zippo and Shores Of Null) is the mastermind behind this festival and I've been given the chance to conduct a small interview with Davide. Davide will explain how the festival started and what is in store for people visiting this year's festival.
Hi Davide. How are things with you? Not long to go for this year’s Tube Cult Festival. You feeling excited or nervous about this year’s festival.
Hi Davide. How are things with you? Not long to go for this year’s Tube Cult Festival. You feeling excited or nervous about this year’s festival.
Hi Steve, I'm busy and a bit stressed out in these days, there are so many things to take care of and I'm doing mostly everything by myself. I can't wait for the weekend to come, Tube Cult Fest has always given me good vibes.
Can you tell our readers how this festival came about and when did it all start?
It all started in 2008. I had already been organizing concerts in Pescara and booking my own band Zippo in Italy and Europe, I started to get involved into exchanging gigs and getting bands from abroad also. Our town is not very receptive when it comes to innovation, but we've always had a great following as a band, so I wanted to exploit that fame to bring other underground bands that I liked and let them play in front of a suitable audience. That's how I came up with the idea of the festival, and the whole philosophy behind the Cult of a particular way of making and approaching music. Apparently we're still here.
WOW, 7 years did you expect it would last that long?
Yes. My intention has always been to make it a regular appointment every year and so far I only skipped one edition, in 2013. I focus on things I can afford, without any mania of grandeur, that's why my fest is still alive and going strong.
Which bands are appearing this year?
This year we're having Belzebong from Poland, Simeon Soul Charger, a US band currently living in Germany, Unhold from Switzerland, Methadone Skies from Romania, and then a bunch of loud Italian bands such as Black Rainbows, The Haunting Green and Hyperwülff. All the above mentioned acts will be playing at the venue called Orange, while there is another venue called Maze which will host the more experimental sets of Lili Refrain, BeMyDelay and Mu plus a series of acoustic shows delivered by bands that normally play heavy, like Shores Of Null, Last Minute To Jaffna, and Simeon Soul Charger (again).
Is this a festival primarily for the Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal fans or do you cater for different genres as well?
It is mainly a festival for those dudes, but I'm trying to offer enough variety between the bands, and as you can see from this year's bill, it's all true. My goal is basically to attract fans of good live music.
How hard is it promoting a festival in Italy on a yearly basis? It is easier to promote a festival on yearly basis than promoting individual shows every week.
With a festival you can count on months of promotion and more possibility to attract people because of a wider choice in terms of bands. When something is recurrent and well done, it surely gets a good credit. Promoting an individual show is harder, there are so many events going on that you have to be smart to stand out and bring the people to you.
Have the attendances got bigger and bigger? Or have they stayed the same?
I can say it got bigger, although my definition of big is still small in numbers. We use venues with a limited capacity, venues I'm sure I can fill up. I don't need a venue with 1000 people capacity if my attendance barely reaches 150, it's all about understanding your target.
Do you have a set of rules and ideals on which bands you let on the bill?
No rules. I know what is good for my fest, sometimes I want a band so badly and I contact their agent or the band itself, sometimes it's the band that gets in touch with me directly on Facebook or via mail, in both cases I only book them if I like their music and if I think their attitude would fit into the festival's mood. Human aspect is as important as the quality of the music.
Words by Steve Howe and Davide Straccione
I want to thank Davide for his time in doing this interview. Best of luck with the festival Davide. Looks a brilliant lineup.
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