Cable 35 – Kriz Zahra, Chris Mallia and Jeffrey Zerafa. Photo: Cleaven Grech.

Making a name for yourself away from Maltese shores is certainly no mean feat that is achieved by the mediocre.

For the talented few who do achieve it, the temptation to forget all about the tiny audience back home must be pretty irresistible.

Which is why I have a lot of respect for those musicians who don’t, and who still manage to keep a regular tie to their original fans in Malta, the same fans who probably gave them the initial impetus to pursue their artistic dream.

One such group of musicians is made up of the three lads who together form Cable 35. What started out as a local offering has now grown into a discreetly successful Britain-based band, as a quick peek at their gig schedule (absolutely packed with destinations like Berlin, Ghent, Utrecht and Glasgow, among others) will confirm.

The happy news is that they return to the fold pretty regularly, much to the delight of those who follow the alternative music scene. Their latest stint in Malta coincided with the launch of their new album, Fungus Rock , which they launched officially during this year’s Rock the South festival – a rocking performance that was followed by a full-length gig at the first edition of Hard Rock After Dark Alternative Saturdays. The latter are a series of events featuring alt-rock bands and DJs, transforming the place from a diner into a performance venue.

Photo: Cleaven Grech.

Perhaps surprisingly for those who are used to the regular diner atmosphere at Hard Rock, the location does lend itself well to this sort of thing. The dining tables were cleared away after dark, so to speak, creating a dancefloor/mosh pit area right in front of the stage.

From what I hear from local bands, finding an appropriate venue is usually quite an issue and we are used to attending gigs in the same two/three locations, which can get a tad boring. Not to mention that it must be a pain for the bands themselves to co-ordinate dates.

This particular venue had all the ingredients typically required to get things rocking: space, good sound, access to booze and snacks and, something which comes as a bonus for most of the targeted crowd, it’s slap bang in the middle of Paceville – which means that everyone is close to their favourite watering holes right after the gig. I applaud Hard Rock for the initiative and urge the usual suspects to give it a try.

On to the music. DJ duo The Car Crashers (Chris Radium and Ryan Abela) warmed up the crowd with a selection of alternative, rock ’n’ roll, rockabilly and punk. Anyone who is versatile enough to include the likes of The Avalanches, The Ramones and Pulp on their setlist gets my vote.

One word to the audience – dancing is not a crime. And a round of applause to the bunch of pretty young things who weren’t too shy to hit the dancefloor and get things moving.

The Car Crashers – Chris Radium & Ryan Abela.

By the time Cable 35 got themselves on stage, everyone was raring to go. The advantage of this type of venue is that it is quite intimate and really facilitates crowd interaction. This was something that Jeffrey Zerafa (guitars and vocals), Kriz Zahra (bass and vocals) and Chris Mallia (drums) took full advantage of, launching into their performance with a series of quips that set the tone for what was to be an informal, super-casual gig.

I say this in the best way possible, as (apart from the music itself) one of Cable 35’s biggest selling points is precisely how these three musicians come across as very down-to-earth and boys-next-door. No traits of the diva about them, which is very refreshing from an audience point of view.

As for the music itself, there is nothing casual about it. Cable 35 are all about the very distinctive sound of grunge and,

Photo: Cleaven Grech.

amid the abrasive riffs and harsh vocals, there is a decidedly professional approach that certainly contributes a lot to the band’s success and staying power.

The gig included all the old favourites – Cow Head, with its intro that pulls no punches; Fact in Spain, which is one of my favourites due to its strongly haunting bass solo; the relatively mellower and made-to-sing-along-to Come Down to Party; Crops, with its insistent refrain that seems to raise the tempo a notch with every repetition; and Bobby Funk, that owes a lot to the particularly unmistakable vocals.

I was also glad to see that Rental Sunshine, the single from new album Fungus Rock, has already become a favourite with the crowd.

From the initially hard bassline to the vocals – alternating between the shrill refrain that is the trademark of grunge and an eerier tones for the verses – to the intermittently softer bass solo, this track has what it takes to be the new album’s ambassador.

The set also included a cover of that evergreen punk anthem, The Ramones’ Blietzkrieg Bob, in a wisely-straightforward rendition that delivered all the elements that make it such a well-loved classic.

In short, this was a fair well gig worthy of the name, as the lads have already left Malta to continue with their Fungus tour while you read this.

Cable 35’s new single, Rental Sunshine, can be downloaded for free from www.cable35.co/free. Hard Rock After Dark returns on May 18 with The Car Crashers & Beangrowers. For more information, visit the Facebook page.

THIS REVIEW WAS FIRST PUBLISHED ON THE SUNDAY TIMES OF MALTA.

Italian band AIM. Photo: Sarah Falzon.

 With apologies to the Texan post-rock band for nicking their name for my header, this happens to be the perfect way of describing the Rock the South festival that, as it were, rocked the south last weekend.  I’m talking musical explosions, of course, with some 17 bands coming together on two stages at Zion Reggae Bar, Marsaskala, under two particularly balmy two spring nights.

Don’t let the descriptor attached to the location fool you. The festival, which was organised by Nosweat, Raw Events and Zion, was definitely not limited to reggae. The bands chosen – which included foreign acts AIM and Come headlining – covered a decently diverse mix of subgenres. There was punk courtesy of Dripht, ska with nosnow/noalps, experimental rock with Côme, hiphop with Sempliċiment tat-Triq, electronic/pop with Dolls for Idols and even some Maltese folk on the acoustic stage courtesy of duo Kukkanja among others.

Before getting to the music itself, a word about the location. Given the size of the outside area of the venue, I confess to initial skepticism, particularly given that there were going to be two stages. Sound spill from one area to the other is a sure-fire killjoy. As it was,  I was wrong. With the main stage set up near the entrance and the acoustic stage and a chill out area at the far back, the arrangement worked. Kudos to the organizers.

More kudos are due to the sound people. There were no sound hitches on either day, which is quite a feat considering not only the expected challenges in setting up two stages al fresco, but also the particular acoustics required by the set up.

On to the music. At a festival of this scale it is impossible to review every single band that took part, so I will limit myself to what I – and the crowd – considered highlights. Sempliċiment tat-Triq kicked off the festival on Friday. I’m not exactly well-versed in hip-hop, but I was curious as these guys have been making ripples on this particular scene. For the night, they were accompanied by a live band – a decision that really worked, particularly to draw in those who, like myself, aren’t necessarily familiar with the genre.

The Shhh. Photo: Sarah Falzon.

Quite an intense choice for a festival opener from a lyrical point of view, with numbers like Kamra Numru 24  and Pum Pah highlighting social situations that maybe not everyone is familiar with – though this doesn’t make them any less real. From a music point of view Sempliċiment proved a  good choice, launching into festival mode with their trademark fusion of softly melodic  interjections that contrast with the harsher sounds rap.

The Shhh followed, changing the tone completely; the Ian Schranz/Alison Galea duo never fails to charm, probably thanks to the seemingly effortless way that they manage to draw the crowd in. Their vibe is definitely mellow – maybe too much so to properly fit within the identity of this festival, when you consider the tone of the bands that followed. Nonetheless, Galea’s and Schranz’s  distinctive voices blended as beautifully as always  and seemed to strike the right balance before things got somewhat more lively.

I missed out on Three Stops to China’s performance, but got back just in time to catch Dripht. Judging by the energy levels, Three Stops to China must have done a pretty good job and the mosh-pit turned into a beast as soon as the band opened with one of their classics, Rockin’ To Resist. Dripht’s performance was definitely the Friday highlight for me. Their punk sound is delivered with ear-friendly riffs and refrains that the band’s regular followers delight in belting out. Playing their classic crowd pleasers, including Acid Fight, Pacifista and Clash cover I Fought the Law, which the crowd has now come to expect at Dripht gigs. Constantly throwing banter at the crowd, they were evidently having a great time; a feeling that was reflected in the moshpit and that sealed the success of the first day of the festival – if any more signs were needed, that is.

Dripht. Photo: Sarah Falzon.

The night closed with Aim, an Italian outfit that was returning to the festival for the second time. Aim describe their sound as “psychedelic rock”. It is very difficult to put a specific label on their genre, in fact, which in a way adds to their allure. Whatever you choose to call their music, they undoubtedly had what it takes to keep the crowd reeled in. Their tracks alternate between the high-octane and the the more mellow, a perfectly balanced act to bring the first night to a close.

The second day dawned with alternative rockers For Strings Inn, who gave a tight performance with tracks like Eyes Stalking, Julie July and Tangerine Rock among others. The band closed off with their newest single, Revolution. Inspired by the spate of ‘revolutions’ that hit the international headlines throughout the past years, this is arguably their strongest offering to date both musically and lyrically and was a fitting end to their slot. Also check out the accompanying video on YouTube.

Dolls for Idols were on next – a slot that unfortunately I had to miss out on as I recharged my batteries far from the madding crowd. From what I’ve experienced in the past at this band’s gigged, they know how to rev up a crowd, and I look forward to their next performance.

No snow/no alps followed, raising the temperature a hundred degrees, if you’ll pardon the cliché. Part ska, part finding its roots in reggae and part pure, loud rock, this band’s music is every festival-goer’s dream. So, ahem, lively was the vibe that this time round I didn’t dare join the main moshpit and had to be happy watching from the sides. This was the first time I saw someone moshing while hanging upside down from the wooden beams on the ceiling. I tried my best to unearth photographic evidence of this, but despite myriad inquiries, no such photo was forthcoming. It’s always a good sign when people are too busy having fun to whip out their mobile phones to take photos.

The band’s gig came to an end with two tracks that made them earn their place as another festival highlight for me. The first was their trademark Cherry Tree, a highly danceable and hummable track that is very strong on the ska element.  The very final track is so brand spanking new that it still lacks a name. Both left the crowd wanting more.

French band Côme. Photo: Sarah Falzon.

And the crowd did get more as soon as French duo Côme showed up. Côme’s music belies the fact that this is a duo – their sound is full, eclectic and layered. Their live performance is a multi-sensory treat, with the use of visuals further enhancing the aural experience. And what an experience it was.  At face value, this is just another drum-and-guitar act, with vocals thrown in. In reality, with tracks like Who Wanna Dance and I Kill You, the result is truly an explosion of sound – hence the inspiration for this review’s header – that in parts almost flirts with post-rock.

The weekend festival came to a close with Cable 35’s album launch. Cable 35 are definitely one of Malta’s most successful exports on the indie rock front. Well, on any front, really. On this occasion, they were also launching their latest album Fungus Rock, so expectations were definitely running high. Incidentally, you can download the new single Rental Sunshine for free from the band’s official website here.

Expectations were not disappointed – unless you count the fact that the usual curfew issues cropped up and the gig was stopped relatively earlier. The band kicked off with a classic from their first full-length album, Cow Head, and just kept on turning the vibe a notch higher with one pumping track after the other… Unfortunately,  the gig was cut short due to the archaic permit regulations  that we find ourselves lumped with in Malta. This, in a non-residential area.

On another note, I missed out on all the bands on the acoustic stage, as fitting everyone in was obviously impossible. But I can’t conclude the review without a second word of praise for whoever was in charge of sound and logistics. With a festival involving so many acts, something always winds up going wrong. In this case, it didn’t. Or if it did, it was sorted out before it reached the audience, and that’s all that matters.

An edited version of this review was published on The Sunday Times.

Cable 35. Photo courtesy of www.cable35.co

They rocked Zion Reggae Bar last Saturday at Rock The South (look out for the festival review on the coming issue of the Sunday Times) and now Cable 35 seem set to give us a wicked repeat on Saturday at Hard Rock Cafe in Paceville, before they bugger off back to their rock’n'roll life gigging in Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and the UK, where they will also be meeting up with Australian girl band Valentiine to set up some shows in June.

The Car Crashers. Photo: John Galea.

But why stop at one good thing when you can have two? The lads will be followed by another rockin’ duo, The Car Crashers, ie Chris Radium and Four Strings Inn Drummer Ryan Abela. The duo will be spinning the best tunes right after the gig, playing a mishmash of Alternative, Indie, 90s, Surf Rock, Rock ‘N’ Roll, Rockabilly, Punk and anything that falls in between. In short, all those tracks that will get your butts moving on the dance floor. Those of you who were at the last Swing Coach event at Coach & Horses know what I mean…

The cover artwork for Fungus

Back to the boys from Cable 35. Material from their new EP, Fungus, received an enthusiastic reception during last Saturday’s festival, with Rental Sunshine in particular taking the moshpit into overdrive. If you haven’t heard it yet, you can download it for free by clicking here.

Fungus was recorded at Temple Studios last February and even prior to launch has already attracted good reviews from international music journos. Check out the links on the band’s Facebook page here. While there, the trio made the video for Rental Sunshine  – in a dome in the middle of the forest at a friend’s place. Pretty awesome, by the sounds of it.

As for any possible ‘theme’ behind the new EP, in the lads’ own words, there’s no direct message and “it’s all about having fun”. Which is what the audience will certainly doing on Saturday.

Cable 35 & The Car Crashers are on at Hard Rock Cafe, Paceville, as part of the After Dark Alternative sessions, starting at 10pm. Entrance is free. For more information check out the Facebook page here. And don’t forget to download Rental Sunshine for FREE from here: http://www.cable35.co/free

Last year’s edition was chocful of good, old-fashioned fun. By old-fashioned, I mean it threw the spotlight right where it should be, on real music – and if you need me to explain what I mean by ‘real’ then you really shouldn’t be on this blog. It’s awesome to see that this year’s edition is even bigger, with not 1 but 2 headlining foreign acts (cue the int taf x’isarraf jokes, just for us locals). For those of you who missed it, read about Frenchies Côme and Italian AIM here and here.

The Maltese side of things is equally exciting, with the following bands performing on Friday:

Dripht
Three Stops to China
The Shh
Sempliċiment ta-Triq ( with Live Band )

There will also be Harriet Cohen, Elevator Music and String Junky on the Acoustic Stage. DJing between sets and after the live performances will be Davide Zane, who will get our butts moving with a set that includes the likes of Pulp, James, Bloc Party and other indie classics from the ’90s and noughties. There will also be an Italian twist to complement AIM’s performance towards the end – expect tracks from Verdena, Battiato and the like.

The local angle on Saturday follows with:

Cable35 (who will be launching their new album)
nosnow/noalps
Dolls For Idols
For Strings Inn
5 Years From Now

Alex Alden, Luke Briffa (from Cusp) Duo Kukkanja and Harriet Cohen will perform on the acoustic stage. Spinning the decks on the night will be Michael Bugeja, known for his trademark style that blends rock and indie, this time round with a good touch of ska and reggae. Michael is also the brains behind Rockna, the Friday night rock show aired on Radio 101, so you know what to expect!

As for Dolls fans, here’s a treat courtesy of photographer Gianluca Trapani, who took a series of photos of the band during the last edition of the Bay Music Awards.

 Rock the South is happening on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 April at Zion Reggae Bar in Marsaskala. For a full programme check out the Facebook page here.

Côme

So, Rock the South is back at Zion on Friday and Saturday this weekend, and with it a host of Malta’s top bands and 2 foreign offerings, French duo Côme and (once again) AIM.

Côme are French duo  François Byrski on guitarist and Lucas Barbier on drums. The 2 operate under the umbrella term indie-rock, which could really mean anything these days so best thing to do is to enjoy a sneak preview:

You can also listen to  the full EP on Soundcloud

Those who attended one of AIM’s 3 gigs in Malta roughly around this time last year know what to expect. The 4 Milanesi describe their sound as “a kinda brianza, foggy, psychedelic rock”.  Their debut album Limit of Sight was described by critics as reminiscent of bands like At The Drive In, Brand New, Thursday and Funeral For A Friend. You can read the full interview I carried out with them last year here.

AIM will be performing on Friday April 5, while Côme will be performing on Saturday April 6. For a full programme and list of bands, visit the official Rock the South Facebook page here. Check out this space later on this week  for a focus on the participating Maltese bands and DJs.

Ray ‘Il-Baħri’ Xkembri, BNI vocalist. Photo by Gianluca Trapani.

This review was first published on the Sunday Times of Malta. All photography is by Gianluca Trapani.

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea… it’s more like a shot of tequila, in fact. But those who insist that punk is dead would certainly have had to rethink their thoughts had they been present at the recent Punk Night at Rookies Sports Bar in Buġibba.

Organised as part of a music marathon in aid of Mission of Mercy – a Maltese charity organisation that runs a day centre for abandoned children in Brazil – this particular evening featured three of Malta’s punk stalwarts: R.A.S. (Rage Against Society), Regress and BNI (Batteries Not Included).

On the night, the sports bar was packed to the rafters and not only with regular faces from Malta’s punk scene. A sizeable section was made up of a more mainstream audience, which just goes to show that the genre has successfully distanced itself from its sometimes turbulent past in order to build a new image that is more in keeping with today’s ideologies.

It is gratifying to see that, on the local scene, this ideology has become firmly rooted in charitable endeavours. Nowadays, the majority of punk music events are, in fact, held in aid of worthy causes. One such example is Subkultfest, the brainchild of R.A.S. frontman Ray Il-Baħri Xkembri, a regular music festival that brings together the top exponents on the scene in aid of animal sanctuaries.

Regress vocalist Denis. Photo by Gianluca Trapani.

On this night, R.A.S., in fact, kicked off the gig. The band has been on the scene for about 15 years, give or take. Most bands would have reached their expiry date long before this, but not R.A.S., thanks to a combination of factors that includes the chemistry of the current line-up (consisting of Steve Lombardo on drums, Deniz on bass/vox, Stephan on guitar and Il-Baħri on guitar/vox on the night) and Il-Baħri’s cheerful and casual charisma.

Giving the crowd the classical R.A.S. ‘anthems’ that everyone knows by heart, he sailed nonchalantly over some sound issues and had everyone laughing at his trademark one-liners.

The set-list included both the old, hardcore favourites, some of which aren’t exactly suited to a family newspaper (before anyone gets their panties in a twist, neither are the majority of commercial hits performed at events such as Isle of MTV, which makes any moralistic observations highly hypocritical).

Tracks like Slaves of the Machine, Mafia, Miskin iċ-Ċittadin and We Don’t Believe portray everything that the punk ideology is about nowadays, focusing on social situations and the issues that a society that prizes capitalism above all else brings with it.

After a short break, Regress took to the stage. Compared to the other two bands on the bill, the band may be relatively new on the scene (the original line-up got together in 2010). Not that you’d think this, with tracks like Hard Headed, Watching Fakes and On the Edge; the current line-up, with Denis (guitar,vox), Matthew (guitar), Alison (bass) and Karl (drums) has found a synergy that is rare in musicians so young.

For those who would like to catch them live, the band will be performing again at Rookies Sports Bar on April 30.

By the time BNI came on, the crowd was pretty worked up. BNI is, of course, a stalwart on the scene, with vocalist Miguel Debattista, more commonly known as Il-Kinnie, always to be counted upon to deliver good, old-fashioned punk tempered with just the right amount of crazy. Part of the attraction of BNI is that they have all their own tracks that I like to call “pure punk”… but then, they also include in their repertoire a good number of ‘punkified’ mainstream classics, delivered in the inimitable style of Il-Kinnie, with a couple of wisecracks directed at whatever is happening on the current affairs scene. As was to be expected, a couple of puns involving the by-now legendary tagline “tagħna lkoll” didn’t fail to materialise, much to the crowd’s delight.

The crowd getting warmed up. Photo by Gianluca Trapani

Other typical BNI highlights included the Bud Spencer themes. The capacity for cheesiness of a Maltese audience is unlimited (I’m including myself here, of course) and Il-Kinnie certainly knows how to exploit this audience trait to its maximum.

Other favourites that made an appearance on the night, and that had the mosh pit go nuts, included the by-now traditional Coro dei Pompieri (from the Bud Spencer classic Altrimenti ci Arrabiamo), which was followed by Dune Buggy from Oliver Onions and a wicked cover of Sting’s Fields of Gold. Purists will probably shudder, but it worked big-time. As did Queen’s I Want to Break Free. However, the one that made everyone – from the hardcore punks to those at the back – really go wild was the Johnny Cash cover, Ring of Fire.

A night that took everyone present back to the roots of punk, with never a mohawk in sight…

Those who missed the music marathon but who would still like to donate to the Mission of Mercy can do so by visiting www.missionmaltabrazil.org.

The launch of their first full-length album, Summer Lovers, is 2013’s first big launch on the local indie scene and, if the rest of year continues along these lines, it’s going to be a good year indeed.   The CD kicks off with Ronnie, the teaser single that was pre-released online some weeks ago, together with accompanying video. Ronnie presents a rather different feel to the Skimmed that we have been used to so far –  with more mainstream appeal than the band’s usual tracks, this is a vibe that continues for the first five tracks.

Ronnie is an eminently likeable, hummable, upbeat love song of sorts that is totally in keeping with the title of this album. The intro is strong; Aquilina’s vocals take on a mellower sound than she is known for, say, in tracks like the old favourite Napoleon; the bass-line is consistently strong…  these are all elements that make Ronnie a winner and that hopefully, will guarantee it plenty of radio air-time. The latter is not necessarily high on the band’s agenda, but fact remains that products like this deserve more exposure across a diverse audience.

The CD moves on to an altogether more mature note with Fire in the Disco, a dark, intense track that gives Aquilina ample opportunities to play around with her vocal range. From the lyrics themselves – “the flames they grew to reach up to the skies” is one of my favourite lines – to the brooding riffs to the vocals that rise from a husky quasi-whisper to a determined strength,  falling in love with this one is easy.

The eponymous Summer Lovers follows, not quite as innocent as the title suggests with cutting lyrics that carry all the poignancy of a love that turns to disappointment. The trend continues with Tiger Tiger. It’s almost as though with every track, Summer Lovers gets better and better; the vocals become more unrestrained, the arrangements tighter, the lyrics more cynical (or realistic?) and the music more punctuated.

Sunday Drive follows, with its constant “True love, I wonder what it is to you” refrain that deliciously contradicts the upbeat crescendo of the music. This one really makes you want to tap your feet, no matter how cheesy that sounds.

The next track, The Stripper, shows Aquilina in full mettle. This is the dance-floor filler, the track that’s guaranteed to get everyone moshing like there’s no tomorrow, the one that will bring any performance to a roaring climax. Fingernails  gives us a break from the aggro, while Ghost in the Mirror delivers the kind of angry, aggressive sensuality that is now synonymous with the band. The same applies to Freak Show, with its frenetic beat and an urgent refrain.

While the whole album is an extremely strong product, Skimmed really reach their full potential from the eighth  track onwards, with the possible exception of God Will Take a Note, which is easily my least favourite entry. Devil’s Alibi  packs vocals and bass with a punch, but it is Isobel that wins my heart. I’ve been waiting for this track to be recorded since I heard the band perform it live, so forceful was their rendition.  Alternately haunting and rousing, this is one that gets under your skin.

Summer Lovers comes full circle with the last track, Dream Girl, a light-hearted, mellow (by Skimmed standards, that is) piece that brings the listener gently back to earth after the fire and brimstone of the previous tracks.

To conclude, definitely one to add to your collection for all seasons and not just for the summer.

Summer Lovers will be launched on Saturday at the British Legion Theatre, Valletta. The album was supported by the Malta Arts Fund and the Good Causes Fund.

AN EDITED VERSION OF THIS REVIEW WAS PUBLISHED ON THE SUNDAY TIMES OF MALTA.

So, Saturday promises to deliver more music in the same spirit as Andre Herman Dune, now better known now as Stanley Brinks, will be descending on the local indie crowd…. together with Freschard and Stalko, whose recent spate of gigs is making everyone uber-happy.

Doors open at 8:30pm and entrance is E10. You can find out more about Stanley Brinks here and about Freschard here. The kazin is on the main street of Hamrun, just one block away from the church.

Check out Michael Bugeja’s interview with Stanley Brinks here. For more info, visit the Facebook event page here, or call on  9980 8386 or send an e-mail to solofimusic@gmail.com.