Questa E' Roma 2020 (Rome, 18th January 2020)

Fest: Questa E' Roma
Date: 18th January 2020
Location: CSOA Strike
Price: 8 €









I confess: during the new edition of the HC punk fest Questa E' Roma, a very big event for every HC punk maniac taken on 18th January 2020 at the Strike squat, I saw practically in action only 3 bands of the 16 in the bill. The fact is that I went late at the fest since I was there even at 9pm while it started the hostilities 4 hours before circa, and this means that I lost the beauty of 8 bands before I arrived. And there is need to say that this time I preferred to enjoy this fantastic event mostly by spending good moments with my many friends that were there, having a lot of fun with them until the end of the fest, precisely until 3am circa. So, the live report you're going to read today is very particular; particular as just the same fest, in which there was even a benefit dinner offered by the guys from the antispeciesist collective Agripunk, whose headquarter is located in a small town called Ambra, near Frosinone (Lazio, Italy).

I arrived just in time for the local heroes Verano's Dogs, whose presence in this fest was really surprising because they were some of the few metalheads within a crowd mostly composed of punks and skinheads, and also because they play a raw and stinking death/grindcore. Despite this, I liked a lot the exhibition of these three crazy men, that played many new songs, provoking also a good moshpit under the stage. Needless to say, I was there to mosh hehe! And incredible but true, during their concert there was a special attendant like Joe Bastianich, a US chief and pop singer very active in the Italian TV. This was an event in the event since his absurd and incomprehensible presence in the fest has already entered into legend... but WHO CARES OF THIS? Now you have to know that Verano's Dogs, who I included into the last episode of "Come on, burn my ears!", sent me recently their debut album, so expect a review about it in the next days to come.

The second band I saw already after Verano's Dogs were a very fukken strange band with female vocals named Kalashnikov from Milan, Italy and active since 1996. I saw a band, that I didn't know before this fest, consisting even of 7 members, included an elegant keyboardist that was dressed so nice that he seemed to come out of the conservatory, a really funny guitarplayer that did plenty of gestures worthy of a rockstars as we were in Rock in Roma, and a goth singer that instead came already out of the '80s! The variety of the image is reflected into their music, an incredibly particular and melodic mix with vocals in Italian between punk rock, hardcore punk, post-punk, ska, goth... and, believe it or not, power metal! Initially I was a bit skeptix about this band but, little by little and with the company of Marta Rose that love them, their special and creative sound surprised me in a positive way. And, despite their sonorities, there were even many fights into the pit!

After Kalashnikov, there was a totally abrupt change of sound with the only guest from abroad: the fastcore legends Vitamin X from the Netherlands! Now, I remember an ultra-intense concert, not only because they were clearly in a state of grace but also because there was an indescribable crowd under the stage. In practice, it's a miracle that all we came out alive of that pit and, personally, I risked some times to break my neck due to the many stage divers jumping over us at fukken clusters... and, obviously, also I dived haha (even though only once this time)! In addition, I remember also that, at a certain point, I went on the stage, so you could see me when I was walking among the band members haha! And, finally, the band pulled out a rubber crocodile, which flew from side to side of the pit! Other words are unnecessary since Vitamin X are surely one of the most intense and craziest bands I've ever seen!

To say the truth, there was another stranger band that was supposed to play: I am talking about the legendary Varukers from UK. For some reasons, they didn't play in any ways. Fuck, I was really excited to see them!

And to say another truth, I saw, but veeeery briefly, other bands such as No More Lies, Rake-Off and, if I remember well, the Turin-based Oi! band S-Contro. These last three ones were some of the bands that played on the smaller stage, that is located into the pub area (that was really suffocating because it was fuckin' full!) while acts like Verano's Dogs, Kalashnikov and Vitamin X played on the big stage that you can find in the very spacious skatepark area.

Instead, the other bands I lost, that play mostly, unless otherwise stated, classic hardcore punk and, especially, Oi! with some variations in the punk rock territories, were the following:

- Urto Nudo (a very young and promising band that is playing in every important Roman festival, included Marci su Roma, and I think they will perform even in the new Go! Fest if they continue to be so active!);
- The Ammonoids (still strong of their fresh "Devonian" EP);
- xCaracox (crust/grind);
- Pretesto;
- Coru & Figau;
- Fucksimile;
- Radio Shakedown;
- Ghetto 84;
- Tacita;
- Gozzilla e le tre bambine coi baffi;
- Urban Vietcong.

In conclusion, I can say only good things also about the new edition of Questa E' Roma, so I must thank not only the organizers (included Il Marinaio - singer of No More Lies - and Teschio - ex-Movement and ex-Grand Theft Age) but also the Strike squat and Agripunk, that created a particular situation in the sign of the DIY good food. And speaking about Agripunk, you have to expect to read a nice article about it written by Marta. So, stay tuned and see ya at the next live delirium!