A music-meets-blockchain festival is happening in Kuala Lumpur in September

A “techybrid” festival called Blockfest will be held in Kuala Lumpur this September, featuring a music performance line-up that runs the gamut from Kyoto Protocol and Gerhana Ska Cinta to Naratu and Carthreena.

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On its website, Blockfest says it “aims to bring the best of the best from blockchain technology, showcasing the trending world of cryptocurrencies, [and] bridging the gap between traditional and modern arts by NFT [non-fungible tokens] arts exhibition”.

The festival, set to be held at the Sentul Depot in the Malaysian capital, will span three days from September 16 to 18. Blockfest has already announced the first two phases of its lineup, including rock band The Times, indie veterans Couple, indie duo LUST, black metallers As Sahar and hardcore bands Transitions and Empty Page.

So far, only Malaysian acts have been confirmed, but the festival has said on social media that “international performers” will be involved. Nevertheless, at 22 acts announced so far, the self-proclaimed “FinTech [financial tech] hybrid festival” may be the biggest local live music event announced since the reopening of all business sectors in Malaysia.

The list goes on! Here are another round of performers that will bring down the house at BLOCKFESTmy!

More to come, just stand by. pic.twitter.com/jKfZ8leSu1

— BLOCKFEST | KL 2022 (@blockfestmy) February 19, 2022

Ticket prices have yet to be announced, but Blockfest has revealed that NFT tickets will be available for the festival.

Aside from the live music, the festival will also feature several activities and panels related to Web3 innovations such as blockchain and NFTs, while also delving into wider tech topics like cryptoasset security and artificial intelligence.

An NFT art exhibition will be held featuring works from local and international artists, as well as a two-day hackathon with the theme of improving city services by decentralisation. An esports competition will also be held at the festival, though the organisers have yet to reveal the game(s) in question, and an open mic session “to discuss issues in the world of blockchain, for civilisation, humanity, union and economic perceptions”.

This is the first event from the Blockfest team, who appeared to have attempted to organise a tech-meets-pop culture festival called Culturazz in 2021. No names are officially attached to the team behind Blockfest, though they describe themselves on the festival’s website as “a group of people from various disciplines”.

Blockfest Malaysia’s line-up so far is:

The Times 
Gerhana Ska Cinta
Couple
Statik
Margasatawa
Dum Dum Tak
Kyoto Protocol
Milo Dinosaur
Servants
Juno and Hana
Sharpshooter
Rootstalk
Triumph Ov Fire
Empty Page
As Sahar
Lust
Heldrasil
Naratu
Bunuhdiri
Profane Creation
Carthreena

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