It may be something much of the world takes for granted, but it's something Afghanistan hasn't seen in over three decades – a rock festival.

Young Afghan rock bands shared the stage at the Sound Central festival with bands from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Australia in this celebration of music from Central Asia and beyond.

Under the Taliban regime, all non-Islamic music was banned and there's still a prevalent attitude that western music, especially rock, is a negative influence in Afghanistan. District Unknown, the only Afghan metal band in the country, used to wear masks onstage for their safety, but nowthey feel the time's come to be themselves doing what they love.

The festival was the culmination of two weeks of workshops with Afghan and international musicians, sharing performance and writing tips in rock master classes.

For security, the location, date and time of the festival was only announced the morning of the event. That led to a small, but dedicated group of fans, dancing and cheering to their new Afghan rock idols. - And there were a number of female rock fans in the crowd too, happy to have their chance to listen to live music.

With breaks for prayers and only soft drinks for sale, the festival maintained a local flavour throughout, rocking until nightfall. It may have only been a small affair, but it was a historical day for Afghan rock.

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