‘Mal del Cap’, a countercultural festival on the island of luxury

This weekend the first event of a festival, “Mal del Cap, Narratives Mal Say”, is celebrated in Ibiza, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in this edition, with an offer of live music, stand-up, short films and graphic humor. mainly, and with the participation of prominent artists from the most underground and hooligan side of current culture. Or, as the organization explains to elDiario.es, it is a “counterculture event in winter, free, with a class and gender perspective, on the island of luxury where nothing ‘is free’. Names like Flavita Banana, Yúnez Chaib, Vanessa Valero, Darío Adanti or David Sainz (from the YouTube series “Malviviendo” and currently premiering on Prime) “En fin” participate in this edition which will present a cultural offer not general public until November 30.

A festival where electronics have no place. “A peripheral event, consolidated at the state level as a reference for counterculture, which continues to focus on new audiovisual stories and innovative artistic proposals,” according to Inma S. Martín, director of the project. Mal del Cap was presented on November 8 at the Can Jeroni auditorium-theater, in Sant Josep de sa Talaia, with the participation of the Catalan comedian Magí García, formerly known as “Modgi”, who attended this opening with his latest show “Quanta dignitat”; a proposal that served to announce the tone of what the public will find next week. “Sharp humor, social criticism and creativity in its purest form,” explains co-director of “Narratives Mal Say,” Pedro López.

Yúnez Chaib of “La Revuelta” and David Sainz of “Malviviendo”

The Mal del Cap program started this Saturday in the Plaza de Vara de Rey, in the center of Eivissa, with live music from Pussydònia, “a local group that sings in Ibizan”. Cheetos Magazine, a progressive rock group from Barcelona, ​​and Los Gandules, an Aragonese duo who mix humor and music, in an increasingly broad artistic commitment, were also present. And the festival has evolved its content since its beginnings.

“The short films are still there because they were the origin, but they have less and less importance, in fact this year there is only one day and the rest have two or three activities which are shows, shows, conferences, concerts… We immediately “We saw that short films were not enough, that we had to give them a twist in which different proposals fit in and that’s at that time we incorporated new stories”, declares the festival management. The aim of Mal del Cap is to welcome artists who cross barriers, including those of (artistic) genre. “Some people make music and poetry, others make literature on Twitter, what we call twitter…,” explains Martín.

“The counterculture festival” has been evolving since its first edition 11 years ago, since an interruption “caused by the COVID-19 pandemic”. “We have evolved into different artistic disciplines. We started as a short film festival, because at the time there was no competition of this type in Ibiza, except for a small one in Sant Antoni, and there we had already invited David Noguera, who continued to attend the festival. In fact, the festival was made for him,” says Inma S. Martín with sarcasm, referring to the rarity of this type of cultural offer in Ibiza and the desire of the organizers of Mal del Cap to ensure that in the Pitiüses the public can access this festival. type of shows, more common in large cities.

Likewise, Mal del Cap has gained prestige nationally in terms of alternative events and eclectic offerings. “It’s a risky festival that, year after year, gains followers in Ibiza and beyond. Word of mouth is very important in these types of events and, in our case, the promotion that our guests give us is priceless. Otherwise, we would not have been able to bring in characters of the level of Nacho Vigalondo or Josele Santiago, to name just a few,” explains S.Martín.

An event of posthumor, cinema, graphic humor and music

Among this year’s guests, the “unclassifiable comedian” Miguel Noguera could not be missed, who will be next Tuesday, November 26 at the Can Ventosa Cultural Center with his “Ultrashow”, a disconcerting monologue constructed from more immediate current cuts. Before, in this same space, the long-awaited presentation of the web series of the attractive company Smithers, based in Barcelona, ​​will take place.

The next day, November 27, illustration and graphic humor will be in the spotlight with the audiovisual show “España Futurista”, by designer and musician Paco Alcázar. Then there will be a conference entitled “We laugh with…”, where big names in graphic humor like Flavita Banana (who has been publishing in El País since 2021 and whose work has been described, as explained on her website) , as “sad humor, mixture of customs and absurdity”), Mamen Moreu and Darío Adanti (one of the most innovative comics authors in Spain and one of the founders of the magazine Mongolia, where he writes and draws, and contributor to the magazine El Jueves) will debate the state humor in the age of the internet and social networks.

Stand-up will be another highlight of the festival, with emerging comedians like Yúnez Chaib, from “La Revuelta”, Vanesa Valero “Lokiu” and Didac Alcaraz, who will perform on November 28 at Can Ventosa. “His irreverent and accessible style will address themes that directly affect young audiences, demonstrating that Spanish comedy is experiencing a moment of splendor,” explains the festival.

“They are different shows and artists. This is called posthumor. The champions of posthumor reject this label, but it is a way of being able to talk about this style. It is a type of humor between the gagá, the surreal and a narrative experience which goes beyond the comic and which does not have to make people laugh; “Sometimes it turns into a tragedy,” says the event management.

The short films from the youth edition will be screened on November 26, 27 and 28 at the Jove C19 Creation Center, in Eivissa. The official competition section will take place on November 29 at the Can Jeroni Auditorium (Sant Josep). In addition, on the same day, the public will be able to attend a conference on the series “En fin”, from Prime Video, in the presence of its director, David Sainz (of the YouTube series “Malviviendo”) and the screenwriter, Enrique Lojo, who will share his experiences and creative secrets behind the production.

The closing of the festival will take place next Saturday, November 30, at the emblematic Can Jordi Blues Bar, with the presentation of the short film awards and with more music, in this case by female groups. The closing day will be opened by the Ibiza pop rock band Ruda. The final touch will be Tiburona, who will present in Eivissa his new work ‘Nos extinction’, after the great critical and public success of his first opus and his song ‘Pensando en ti’, a shot of fresh and current Spanish punk rock. .

In Can Jordi you can also visit the exhibition “10 years of graphic art”, which includes all the posters designed for Mal del Cap since its first edition. “Incredible posters created by great illustrators. There are posters of great artists of the national scene such as Didac Alcaraz, Paco Alcázar, Monstruo Espagueti, Manuel Bartual, Alba Diethelm and Carla Berrocal, as well as Ibiza artists Juanjo Ribas and Pau Kokura. Furthermore, the poster of

During these ten years of existence, “Mal del Cap – Narratives Mal Say” has offered shows and artists “that challenge established norms, the references of posthumor, alternative cinema and Internet culture”. Names like Jordi Costa, Esty Quesada ‘Soy una pringada’, Nacho Vigalondo, Fermín Muguruza, Josele Santiago, Julián Genisson, Lorena Iglesias, Lidia García, ‘Queer cañí bot’, Carlo Padial or Venga Monjas, among others.

Art and culture out of season

One of the most interesting aspects of this festival is that it is celebrated outside the usual tourist season, “offering an alternative cultural offer that positions Ibiza beyond the traditional concept of sun and beach, and energizing the island’s art scene during the fall months. , highlights of the organization. “Proving that Eivissa has a lot to offer beyond club openings and closures. In this context, El Mal del Cap is a commitment to the seasonalization of tourism, promoting a cultural interest that attracts both residents and visitors looking for different experiences,” they conclude.

The Mal del Cap association, created in 2014, has played a fundamental role in this effort, supporting independent culture and promoting the creation of spaces for experimentation and dialogue.