Tribute concert for Erich il-Punk with Abstrass, X-Vandals and the Alazo Bombs

Charity concernt will celebrate the life of Abstrass founder Erich il-Punk

Erich il-Punk (second from left) with fellow Abstrass members
Erich il-Punk (second from left) with fellow Abstrass members

The memory of Erich ‘il-Punk’ will be celebrated at a tribute concert by the band Abstrass, which he founded in 1980. 

Eric Azzopardi – more commonly known as Erich il-Punk – passed away at 55 on 24 February, 2019. He formed the punk band Abstrass after “becoming fascinated” with punk. “It was great music. I loved it. I loved rock, and I was a Lou Reed fan. But when I heard The Sex Pistols’ Anarchy In The UK, the scene took off for me,” he had said in a rare interview on TVM. 

Described by his peers as a legend “with a golden heart”, Abstrass said the concert will be a proper tribute to honour his life with music and charity. 

The concert will be held on 30 April at The Garage, in Zebbug, and will raise funds for students requiring special attention. Abstrass bandmates said this would be in line with Azzopardi’s character, whom they said had helped countless charities without ever wanting publicity. 

The band will be releasing a limited batch of CDs that will include various audio clips from interviews with Erich and all tracks he contributed to, including a bonus track from his time before Abstrass, never before released. 

The tribute concert will feature a line-up that consists of The Alazo Bombs, Abstruse (composed of ex-Abstrass members from the era between 1980 and 1988, reunited expressly for this gig) and trash metal band X-Vandals. 

The final band to play is Abstrass itself, closing off the concert by playing tracks that Erich il-Punk himself had contributed to. A special guest will be announced during the night.