AA. VV.
Italian Party '24

I was born, raised, and live in Valtiberina. It’s a tiny valley in the far north of Umbria, nestled between Tuscany and Marche: it consists of 5/6 towns scattered among tobacco fields whose pesticides have always caused tons of cancers. Thanks to the low iodine in the air, there’s a quadruple per capita number of village idiots compared to the average, all prime narrative material. We make, from time to time, an appearance in the crime news. Like many other provinces, it’s a nice quiet place. Too quiet: seeking (counter)cultural stimuli can be very frustrating. It’s poorly serviced (the only way to reach it is the crime against humanity that is the E45 superhighway), and its nature as a valley makes it quite closed-minded. Most people, regardless of gender, age, and ethnicity, divide their horizon between factory and bar with no room for anything else, and even those with intellectual aspirations are indifferent to any interest in the underground.

The tactical advantage of living in Valtiberina from this point of view is having the Italian Party on your doorstep. The Italian Party is the annual festival of To Lose La Track, a label from Umbertide run by Luca Benni and specialized in punk, post-hardcore, and old school emo: it’s the best event of the year, and the day it falls on is always the best of the year. On paper, it’s no different from other niche festivals: there are bands, stands with merch and records, booths for drinks and food. What makes the difference are three things: impeccable organization, free entry - a significant detail for a day with 14 amazing bands - and, most importantly, the atmosphere. They are ALWAYS, ALL, SUPER HAPPY. ALL. The musicians, the audience, the staff, all incredibly happy. I've been attending since 2011 and have never seen a fight, an argument, or even anyone sulking in a corner, nothing: everyone super excited, knowing they’re part of a miracle that astonishingly renews itself every year. The bands on stage play as if there’s no tomorrow, while the crowd moshes as if tomorrow exists and is magnificent. For me, it’s the exact representation of how a concert should be and what music stands for. It’s by far the best festival I've ever seen, and each time it gets better, for more than two decades. This year was no exception.

Having moved, for logistical reasons, from its native Umbertide to the nearby charming Montone, Italian Party '24 opens the festivities on July 27th at 5 PM. As per tradition, it’s divided between two stages: one in a basketball court (very underground, the bands played under the hoop, and I was hoping someone would replicate the famous Guy Picciotto photo: if it happened, I didn’t see it) and the other slightly above, inside the picturesque Rocca di Braccio. I don't want to give a pedantic and sterile report: the musicians were all wonderful. There’s no room for fillers in these festivals, whoever takes the stage does so for a valid reason and gives their best. The audience knows this well, flocking in large numbers from the start despite the hellish heat and enthusiastically attending all the concerts.

The return of the heroic Disquieted By was highly anticipated after a long hiatus, and there was no chance they would disappoint: they rocked everyone just as much as the Riviera, who returned for the second consecutive year to launch their recent work Sempre. Highly recommended, of course, punk n’ roll emotional and intense as their live shows, where they don't spare even a milliliter of sweat. A new album to present also for Girless, appearing in full band to ensure adequate sound impact, and a new single for the mathematical Stegosauro, fun and noisy as always. Italian Party is like that, it’s somewhat the Wrestlemania of Italian indie emo, the Sanremo of To Lose La Track: it also serves to recap the past year and project into the next. There’s always someone with a record to break in, and even if it was released the day before, rest assured the audience already knows it by heart. It’s all beautiful, an absolute blast, indeed. Massilanciasassi was adorable, one of the few plausible heirs of the Camillas I know; the wizard Johnny Mox, another great festival regular, worked his usual magic, greatly helped by the charm of the Rocca in the pastel sunset; the supergroup (don’t call it a supergroup!) Liquami gave a lesson on how to hold a stage; Vilma, Real Terms, Shizune, all on top form, all enthusiastic and inspiring, all significant in their own way. At the end of the day comes the main event, the second monumental return: the legendary Raein come to devastate our souls, and put on an amazing concert even though plagued by continuous power outages. I would like to say "unfortunately", but something wonderful happens: every time at mid-song the sound system fails, the drummer continues to beat, and the audience sings at the top of their lungs despite the silent guitars and the darkness. Excuse the banality, but it must be said: technical problems don't matter, the music is right here in the heart, and the people crowded in front of the stage are there to scream into the Umbrian night how Raein's songs have marked them deeply. A perfect and moving end, emblematic and powerful.

Halfway through the day, a friend of mine said to me in astonishment, "They should build a monument to Luca Benni, I mean look at this: who else could bring two thousand people from all over Italy to Montone at the end of July?" Certainly no one. Do yourself a favor and become part of that wonderful audience next year.