Local bad boys of music Xtruppaw launched their new album Xtruppożitorju amid much rowdiness and with a supporting show by BNI. Ramona Depares reviews the evening.
It started out normally enough… well, as normal as a BNI/Xtruppaw gig can be, in reality. Until the surprise hit roughly halfway through, during Xtruppaw’s Eurovision spoof song.
But let’s start from the very beginning. The launch of a new Xtruppaw album is always something to look forward to. Malta’s bad boys of music sealed their reputation some eight years ago with a bomb of a debut album and the birth of what have now become classics. Gloria Tonna, il-Pubertà, Patata mal-Bar – all anthems beloved by an incredibly wide spectrum of gig-goers.
The same can be said of BNI, whose roots may be punk and ska, but who attract an extremely diverse audience whenever they play. Get the two bands together, and the vibe is guaranteed to be devil may care, buzz-filled, [insert other fun adjective here].
Saturday’s gig at the Old Prison (just got to love that venue) proved no different. BNI kicked off the night with some of their trademark tracks and covers. The band’s repertoire is never a surprise, and regular fans are probably used to it by heart. This is by no means a bad thing – rather, it is a testament towards the enthusiasm this group invariably generates.
Though by Maltese standards BNI went on relatively early in the night, the crowd was already sizeable. I arrived just as they started playing Bob Marley’s Everything’s Gonna Be Alright, which was followed by Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues.
The latter was unfortunately interrupted due to some tecchie issues. But hey, while this was being sorted, we had a member of the audience, a familiar face for the regulars, joining the band on stage for a spot of impromptu banter, so no damage done there.
BNI’s own Civilisation followed, a track that really kicked off the moshing. From then on, the tempo got considerably more upbeat, with The Police’s Rocking on the Moon (the band really brings something to this one), Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire and onto Bud Spencer’s Coro dei Pompieri and Dune Buggy.
The last two got the desired response, despite multiple starts and restarts for Coro dei Pompieri. I’m not sure whether the tech gremlins hit again or whether BNI were just fooling around there; whatever the cause the crowd lapped it up anyway.
99 Red Balloons made for a fitting gran finale, and the crowd was given a bit of time to catch their breath before the main event of the night.
As regulars know, a Xtruppaw gig is not just a gig. It’s more of a fully-fledged show, with the music being only one aspect and supplemented by (typically very creative and hilarious) props.
This obviously means that the stage requires quite a bit of set-up. By the time this was done, the crowd – by now the Old Prison was packed – was well and truly revved up. The boys kicked off in style, launching straight into what I think was the very first track to put them on the map – Diska Cool Għar-Radio.
This was immediately followed by Gloria Tonna. As expected, the crowd went bananas – although with Gloria Tonna being one of the biggest moshing tracks, I did feel it should have been played a bit later to give people time to really get into it. I particularly loved the Embarrassing Clubbing Photos-style visuals that were projected during this track.
When Malta came on, with the legendary intro and complete with singer Noel Cuschieri waving a massive national flag, the temperature went up a notch or two.
A strong sophomore album that manages to retain the wit and freshness of the first one
The next track was one of the new ones, Hard Rock. The wigs came out for this one, as did Cuschieri’s blonde and sassy alter-ego. But the crowd was too busy shouting out the cue that was being projected on the big screen in glee. Because according to this track’s lyrics, it is rock group Losh (sic) that saves the day, when a massive meteorite is on its way to earth, Armageddon-style.
As Cuschieri pointed out, it must be quite a funny feeling shouting out double entendres in front of a 1,500plus crowd. The immature brat in all of us gleefully complied and chanted along.
Although in truth, Cuschieri’s strutting on stage, complete with toy guitar, was actually funnier than the lyrics themselves. Hard Rock ended with some unexpected pyrotechnics, which made the audience go wilder.
Ewroviżjoni tal-Imħabba was next, a delightful send-up of that annual contest we all love to hate but wind up following anyway. The witty lyrics put the forced romance that is typically evident in the song contest in its place. Rex’s imitation of Willy Mangion’s famous Joe Cocker drawl, an appearance by a sprightly ‘Mary Spiteri’, and the intentionally terrible choreography were particularly effective. The performance was very reminiscent of Zelig sketches.
But the real surprise of the night, genuinely touching, was vocalist Jeffrey Galea’s proposal to his girlfriend Tania, with The Question being projected on the big screen for everyone to see. The other band members were reportedly as surprised as the woman.
Next one up, a cover of The Tramps’ Xemx, is always expected by the Xtruppisti, and the lighters went up as soon as the intro kicked in. The screen projections paid tribute to deceased songwriter Dominic Grech, in what was probably the only serious moment of the gig.
It was back to fun and games with another Xtruppaw classic, Poni, before one of the mainstays from the new album came on. Frutsalad is a beautifully satirical ode to all that makes a Maltese summer, from the sand-encrusted ħobż biż-żejt to the chubby kids stepping on your towels and the males leering at the bikini-clad chicks.
Throughout the track, beach balls and air mattresses floated above the heads of the audience, but it was the nymph in the white bikini on stage that held the attention of the crowd.
Other highlights from the concert included El Chupe Hangue (with very atmospheric projections from Nosferatu and an equally atmospheric, cloak-clad Cuschieri), the witty Il-Biskuttell and l-Oraklu Diġitali. The concert came to an end with three massive Xtruppaw hits. Il-Pubertà, Il-Marċ ta’ San Cipress (which manages to capture the Maltese sense of rivalry most colourfully) and Ġenerazzjoni Meqrudin.
Cue more chanting and lots of festa confetti, and the gig came to a very rowdy end. To conclude, a strong sophomore album that manages to retain the wit and freshness of the first one.
Xtruppaw will be performing on the Rock Stage at the Farsons Great Beer Festival on July 26. BNI will be performing on July 30.