Organisers, performers overwhelmed by support for Maltese talent
David Darmanin Half way through the night last Monday, the lager at Tattingers Nightclub had all finished, as a thousand or so music fans flocked to watch Maltese-singing bands Brikkuni and Xtruppaw give an “explosive performance”.
“We all remember when, up to a few years ago, Maltese bands used to attract about 50 people,” co-organiser Jean Zammit told MaltaToday yesterday.
Although Zammit did not yet have exact figures at hand, he makes a safe calculation of 900 to 1,000 tickets sold for an event type that usually attracts a less numerous, fringe crowd. The same organisers, who call themselves HairyAmp, recently brought over to Malta the band Therapy?, which had sold 4 million albums worldwide, but not more than 500 people had turned up.
Monday’s record attendance “could have been a one-off,” Zammit says, “but I do believe that the scene for the type of music played by Xtruppaw and Brikkuni is growing.”
Both bands have a no-holds-barred policy when writing lyrics, covering a spectrum of political and cultural issues concerning many disillusioned Maltese. Some songs of the more comical Xtruppaw explicitly make fun of a stereotypical Mediterranean attitude in many of their songs – including one named ‘Habbtu ma’ rizza’ (literally meaning ‘bang it against an urchin’, referring to the male sexual organ). Brikkuni on the other hand, openly attack Malta’s political culture in their song ‘L-eletti’, having no qualms with singing satirical lyrics about media personalities and mentioning them by name.
At the last encore, both bands went up on stage to collaborate in a rendition of ‘L-ewwel tfajla li habbejt’ which Freddie Portelli originally sang with the legendary 1960s band The Malta Bums.
“Because both bands sing in Maltese, they encourage a patriotic drive,” Zammit explains. “If local bands do things properly and are not too obsessed with being on the radio and winning awards, they are bound to earn themselves a good reputation, and Brikkuni and Xtruppaw are classic examples of this.”
The gathering was predominantly made up of youths, although Zammit notices that “there were also people of all ages and it was quite clear that many people came out of curiosity.”
Many, including the curious ones, stayed on until the end to dance to alternative DJs Vinci and Bob, acclaimed for their success in attracting fun crowds for their regular monthly event dubbed Club Sandwich.
“I was amazed at the turn out,” Xtruppaw vocalist Noel Cuschieri told MaltaToday. He explained that his band had been commissioned by the sports fan club South End Core to write a song which could be sung at the stadium.
“For last Monday’s gig, the club requested us to play Forza Malta live,” he said. “We had never played it at a gig before, but we were happy to oblige and I think it really went down well.” Although the event was predominantly made up of either youths wearing hippie-style garb or old-school rocker types, sports club members attending the event did not go unnoticed.
“I would be lying if I said that I was not expecting a huge turn-out, but I may not have expected 900 to come,” Brikkuni vocalist Mario Vella said. “The pulling power of Xtruppaw is very considerable, and ours is certainly growing. In the last gigs we played, we have always managed to attract about 500 people. The numbers of last Monday could have been a one-off, but I think something is happening. There is a thirst for music in Maltese and for styles that do not emulate what is seen on MTV.”
Former musician Kevin Drake, a self-avowed fan of Xtruppaw, said that Monday was the first time he had ever heard Brikkuni play. “I was really impressed,” he said, “The music of Brikkuni is very intelligent and it goes to show that the Maltese language is very adaptable to different kinds of genres – including rock and transatlantic music.”
As for Xtruppaw, Drake said that due to the technical setup and the quality of the sound “this was not their best gig ever, but I certainly look forward to their next one.”
“Utmost praise goes to HairyAmp for pulling together a great event,” DJ Andrew Vinci said. “The sheer attendance by the combined crowds of Brikkuni and Xtruppaw sends out a very clear message of support for these local bands’ hard work. Even after their explosive performance, the crowd was up for more when DJ Bob and I closed off the gig. That pretty much sums up the energy of the night.”
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