The number of artists, particularly musicians, who are successfully pursuing their art away from our shores keeps increasing. In this first of a two-part feature, Ramona Depares catches up with some familiar names.
Malta just doesn’t offer enough opportunities and contacts for artists to make it big. How often have we heard these claims? There is, of course, a strong measure of truth in them and – in past decades – location was a hurdle that few managed to overcome.
However, increasing globalisation and the way internet seems to have blurred geographical boundaries, mean that those who are really determined will find a way out of the limitations of an island that still has some way to travel in terms of cultural diversity.
The number of artists – in particular musicians – who are currently successfully pursuing their passion abroad is on the rise. Only last year, a London festival focusing on Maltese artists, Malta Takes London, saw six acts come together at one of London’s iconic venues.
The audience that attended the festival included other Maltese artists who picked London as a launch-pad for their chosen form of art, and was testament to the sheer amount of talent that emanates from our shores. Some are already well-established and holding regular events. Others are still on that difficult first rung of the ladder, on the cusp of a new experience.
“Being in the UK has made it easier to keep the band active”
Cable 35 – Jeffrey Zerafa on guitar and vocals, Kriz Zahra on bass and vocals and Chris Mallia on drums – decided to decamp to the UK after embarking on a European tour to promote their 2011 album Louder. Although initial plans involved the city, the lads wound up living in a forest near Retford, Sheffield, which turned out to be a rather good thing for inspiration.
“Ever since the first days of the band, back in 2007, the idea was always to get out of Malta in order to be able to hold gigs anywhere. We got our first taste on the tour, when we played in Birmingham, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Scotland, among other places. The experience was so positive that we decided to keep on touring and base ourselves in Sheffield,” Jeffrey Zerafa says.
The decision gave rise to varied reactions from the different families – most were supportive and saw this a necessary move in light of what the group was trying to achieve.
“There is a great community of people and an underground scene that spreads all over the UK. Retford is also a place of music. The Porter House is considered an important venue in rock history, it’s been in operation since the 1960s. So maybe we were meant to end up there.”
Of course, no matter what fate wanted, nothing came easy. Being a musician abroad involves constant road trips, driving from one gig to another, which makes for a rather uncomfortable, messy and at times dangerous life.
“I remember driving somewhere in Italy, at about 4am... it was so cold and the van was acting up. We ended up just driving for about four hours, following the light from other cars, totally lost.”
Other incidents spring to mind: sleeping in the van in Germany, having to put up with the, ahem, pungent body odour of three guys who don’t shower regularly.
“Being stopped by the police has graduated from being scary to being normal. There was also that time when we had a policewoman point her gun at us, while we were enjoying our morning orange juice.”
In Malta there is a dearth of live performance venues and festivals. Having said that, there’s nothing to stop any band from playing anywhere
The first year after the move involved spending winter in the UK in the worst conditions thinkable. Zerafa describes how it snowed constantly, the temperature was extremely low and the guys kept “trying to make friends with a heater that preferred to work when the temperature was warm”.
There is also some rather fishy story about ‘borrowing’ a chicken that the guitarist says wasn’t good to eat anyway but “was good for the moment”.
Apart from the comfort aspect, there were culture shocks and strange tales aplenty. Zerafa reminisces about the time they visited Christiania, in Copenhagen, Denmark, at night.
“You could hardly see, people were gathered around the fire for heat and everyone was extremely friendly. It felt strange, almost like a dodgy horror movie when you know something is not quite right. We became convinced that we were going to die in some weird way. The next morning, alive, we could see that everything was cool and artistic. We wanted to live there forever.”
Horror movie scenes apart, the guys knew immediately that moving was the right decision. Throughout the time they’ve been away from Malta, their music has reached a wider audience than would have been possible here; their audience is now on an international scale, something that has also been made possible through their participation in festivals like Bomfest, Tramlines, O2 Academy Usay and others.
One of their biggest moments was Tour on Tick, a joint tour with an Australian, all-female band called Valentiine. In what sounds like a wickedly rock’n’roll experience, Zerafa describes two months of “craziness”, with “girls smashing guitars, fried Mars bars and puke, moshpits, exhaust inside the vehicle” and, finally, some good food in Holland.
Foreign audiences, they tell me, are different from the Maltese “in language, beers, time – gigs start very early – and attendance. We’ve had shows where we played to a great crowd with everyone jumping around... and there have been others with three people standing, nodding their heads. As long as they’re having fun, we are having fun.”
Has the transition itself affected their music? Zerafa tells me that, “just like the people we meet and the smell of fish”, (these guys do love a colourful turn of phrase) every experience has an influence on the music.
Talk turns to Malta, and Zerafa says that the scene here does have its positive aspects – compared to other countries, there is a diversity of genres concentrated in small areas. However, there is also a dearth of live performance venues and festivals.
“Having said that, there’s nothing to stop any band from playing anywhere – ordinary places can be turned into live venues, as all you need is the bands, some speakers and a bar. Considering it’s a small island full of churches, you can always ask the priest to use the parish hall I guess,” he chuckles.
The band returns to Malta on a semi-regular basis, mostly in the summer to perform in festivals like The Beer Festival, Rock the South and others.
“Malta is where we come from, and it’s part of us. But we don’t have any plans to return. We always do our best to keep the band as active as possible, and being in the UK has made it easier to achieve this.”
“Audiences abroad are more receptive and open to new forms of art”
Beatboxer Dana McKeon felt the pull towards London after a few months working as a newly-qualified physiotherapist. Despite the fledgling career that was going well, McKeon decided to leave every inch of stability behind her, and take the gamble.
“It was a risky move, but I wanted to be able to grow as a musician and take my music to the next level. I trusted my instincts, and the British capital is the mecca for musicians, really.”
As it turned out, the gamble paid off. In under two years, McKeon has achieved what many, more seasoned, beatboxers never will in a lifetime, putting Malta on the international beatbox map after representing Malta at the 2012 World Beatbox Championships. She was ranked number 5 in the female category.
“Being in London has provided me with so many opportunities which wouldn’t have been possible had I not been based here. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time,” she says.
Not everyone was keen about the move – perhaps understandably, her parents were anxious about their daughter jetting off to a foreign country to fend for herself, parti-cularly after a pretty sheltered upbringing with her brothers in Malta.
“Notwithstanding their initial resistance, they’ve been very supportive and take a healthy interest in my endeavours. We do miss each other a lot though, and they’ll never miss an opportunity to remind me that my cosy room back home is still available,” she smiles.
As with many artists, McKeon’s biggest challenge was overcoming the initial self-doubt – suddenly finding herself alone in a big city, facing responsibilities that she never had before, didn’t help.
“Personal issues like homesick-ness and financial difficulties seriously made me question my decision to leave a life of comfort and stability in order to chase my dream. But nothing worthwhile ever comes easy.”
We need a change in cultural education, and appropriate fund allocation
Another shock was coming to terms with the sheer scale of things in London, in comparison to what she was used to in Malta. She describes how she misses bumping into familiar faces around every corner – a huge contrast to London lifestyle, where everyone goes about his own business and fends for themselves. “It’s kind of like the overview effect, but on a much smaller scale, obviously,” she explains.
On a music level, Mc Keon says that she felt the difference in approach with her very first performances. She enjoys how her new audience tends to have been exposed to a large variety of artistic and cultural genres throughout their lives.
“This, generally, makes them more receptive and open to new forms of art. On the other hand, Maltese audiences are often more accepting of lighthearted music, which might stem from a Mediterranean outlook towards life,” she tells me.
As for gigs in Malta, these are happening less and less frequently, mostly because gigs on the island aren’t held on a regular basis, which makes timing difficult for someone who isn’t based on the island. As for returning for good, the artist acknowledges that Malta will always be home, and that she misses her family, but that coming back doesn’t feature in her plans for the near future.
“I am aiming for greater things than would be possible to achieve here at the moment.” These ‘things’ include a number of new projects and releases, both in the UK and internationally. The artist has already been booked for some big gigs around Europe, so 2014 is set to be a defining year for her.
The transition to the UK has also helped McKeon mature on a personal level, which maturity she says is also reflected in her music.
“Being surrounded by a high level of talent has encouraged me to hone my musical skills. The intense competition automatically makes you step up your game here.”
The artist still believe that the scene in Malta is an interesting one. However, she also feels that the sooner artists acknowledge the cultural and logistical limits of the scene, the sooner they can work to widen their horizons and create greater opportunities.
“We need a change in cultural education, which starts from a young age, alongside appropriate fund allocation and expertise directed towards the development of this sector.”
“In Malta, half the time I’d have to sing playback. Here, I perform live with my guitar”
What singer-songwriter Sophie Debattista lacks in years, she makes up for in sheer determination. Based in South East London for over year, the decision to move to the UK was prompted soon after she did a tour there in summer 2012.
By the end of summer, Sophie had realised that if she wanted to succeed in a music career, she needed to be in the UK. Her parents, as it turned out, were hundred per cent behind her decision.
“They saw how happy I was here, and they were the ones to suggest I move. Once it was spoken out loud, I knew it was the right thing to do. It was hard – I had never lived away from home before, let alone in a different country.”
Since moving, the musician has been awarded a scholarship for a songwriting course at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, a university dedicated to developing young musicians. Another highlight was opening as support act to Ciara in the Musicalise Concert at the IndigO2. Getting to the Grande Final of the latest OpenMicUK was another one for the books.
The move to the UK, she says, has definitely helped her music evolve. She has become more prolific at composing. In Malta she used to have to sing playback most of the time, while in the UK she can perform live with her guitar.
“In Malta, events like the Isle of MTV do help, but they need to be organised with Maltese talent in mind. I don’t think the talent is being showcased and appreciated to its full potential.”
Performances in Malta have become a very rare occurence for her – her last visit was a 20-hour stop purely for recording and filming purposes. Would she consider coming back? She pauses before replying.
“I never say never. It all depends on the outcome of my musical journey.”
Next week: Carrie Haber, Iella and nosnow/noalps.