Paceville oasis forced to stop music

The issue of noise, disruption and vandalism in Paceville is ever present in the news, made worse by the presence of so many young students.

The music that blares until 6 a.m. and the cheap drinks sold to underage children only adds to the problem. There is no question that there needs to be a crackdown and concentrated effort to improve this area of Malta. Many tourists who are staying in the hotels in and around Paceville are being put off from ever returning. This is not anything new. But I am astounded that with everything that goes on in Paceville every night of the week, the police have decided to target a small quiet jazz bar which is often described as “an oasis” among the noise of Paceville.

Smooth Jazz Inc. has been in operation for four years attracting many tourists and locals alike. Three nights of the week there is live music. This usually involves a keyboard player and a singer or a guitar. There are no drums and it always finishes around midnight. In fact the bar is often closed by 2 a.m. For some reason the police visited the bar recently demanding that they cease the live music immediately and obtain a licence from the Malta Tourism Authority. The MTA had already been in to assess the bar and told Smooth Jazz that they did not qualify for the amplified music licence as their music was not loud enough.

This relaxing bar has therefore been forced to halt all live music, disappointing its regular fans and tourists as well as putting local musicians out of work. If they do not manage to resolve this issue they will most likely have to close their doors for good. The live music is the soul of this bar and its desire to bring some peace and culture to a more mature audience. This bar attracts musicians from around the world who request to come and perform at the bar. Many tourists come back night after night and year after year as they appreciate the calm and relaxing atmosphere in an area where noise and drunkenness prevails.

It is just beyond my understanding why this bar, of all the bars around, would be a target when they are one of the few positive businesses promoting tourism in the area. I think the police need to focus on the real problems and stop targeting the people actually trying to bring some calm and sophistication to an out-of-control area of Malta.