The last time they visited Malta, UK band Moulettes acquired a taste for Gozo cheese, which vocalist Hannah Miller describes as “the sirloin steak of the cheese world”, and for carob syrup which (again in her own words) “seems to cure every cough and tastes delicious in coffee”.

It was, however, music and not culinary delights that brought the band over to Malta in 2010, and music is once again the reason behind the band’s live performance at V-Gen, Ball Street, Paceville, o n Saturday.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they won’t be taking in other aspects of the Maltese Islands. “I’m especially looking forward to returning to a magical sandy beach where we went swimming with the fish. Oh and drinking the local beer,” she says, before adding that the band will probably also be out busking some days.

Ever since the release of their 2010 debut album, plenty of musical tags have been attributed to Moulettes’ work in an attempt to try and define their music. This, however, is easier said than done. While there are traces of rock, blues and perhaps even a mild hint of pop in their songs, folk is probably the more appropriate category to file them under.

Landing four- and five-star reviews from practically all the music publications that matter, Moulettes’ latest offering, The Bear’s Revenge, is an interesting and inviting blend of, at times, upbeat, sometimes poignant and often dreamy folk. The group are still in touch with those elements that had them branded an orchestra of absurdity, but they also have an eye on the bigger picture.

Moulettes are performing live at V-Gen, Ball Street, Paceville, on Saturday. Stalko will also be performing on the night. Doors open at 9pm. Tickets cost €10 (more at the door). For more information, look up The Bear’s Revenge event page on Facebook.

Hannah Miller interviewed

This has been a hectic, but good, year for you. A new album, positive reviews, lots of gigs, and another trip to Malta…

Storytelling is part of the way we play; it’s wrapped up in the lyrics, textures and noises

Yes, we are looking forward to coming back to Malta to play and relax a little bit before the touring starts in earnest. We’re also very pleased with the good reviews. It seems like a long time since we took up our tools one July day last year in a studio in Winchester, where we dug in and stayed in our dark cave for most of the English summer.

It seems that the band has grown in numbers too?

Yes, we were joined by former member Ted Dwayne (of Mumford and Sons) on bass, Matt Menefee (Cadillac Sky, Chessboxer) on banjo, and Liz Green, Laura Hockenhull on vocals and Rioghnach Connolly (vocals and flute).

It was a pleasure to share the making of this record with such illustrious players. Unfortunately, we can’t afford to bring them all on the road with us… and besides they’re all busy with other brilliant projects. Our ranks have expanded since our last trip to include multi-instrumentalist stalwart wonder Jim Mortimore (Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Chris Jagger) and we’ll be initiating him into the delights of Maltese cheese and pastizzi.

In what way do you feel The Bear’s Revenge differs in relation to your first album?

It is a step further into the world we are creating; the next installment of the story, with new and strange places to see and characters to meet. The first record was mainly built on top of a live cello and drum track while a lot of The Bear’s Revenge was arranged and then recorded live with a larger ensemble, so it holds on to its impetus and shows different colours. We learn so much every time we choose to record together.

How much has Mumford and Sons’ success helped the ‘new folk’ scene and your band in general?

Mumford and Sons is a great band with an admirable touring ethos. They work very hard, putting their passion for live, acoustic music at the forefront of their campaign. They organised a touring festival of their favourite bands to parts of England and Ireland and we were very pleased to be asked to play along with them in front of huge crowds of happy people in beautiful settings. This is a testament to the impact they have had and the significant platform they helped create for a wider audience to enjoy acoustic music.

What is it that people have started to pick up more of now about folk that they didn’t before?

As with the boom of any ‘scene’ it is the efforts and ideas of many musicians and artists that build up the momentum over a few years, and often only a very few who reap the rewards in music industry terms. Ted (Dwayne) is a good friend and a fantastic musician and had been gigging on the scene with us since 2002 as an advocate for folk-inspired music.

I would say that it is both a blessing and a curse to be associated with this scene in the UK. New folk as a label broadly sweeps over acoustic singer-songwriter bands. There is some stigma attached as a lot of these bands often come from a perceived rich and well-educated background which some people are quick to judge. However, that is a complex subject and perhaps not helpful to get into… anyone who promotes creativity and sets out to entertain and edify people rather than create wars is fine with us.

Moulettes have a unique manifesto and perhaps a more progressive agenda than a lot of ‘new folk’ bands. There’s more fantasy, humour and classical elements in what we do.

You’ve worked with and played alongside an impressive list of bands and artists. Can you share a few favourite experiences with our readers?

At our album launch, Arthur Brown joined us in the cape and hat of office as the inventor character in Blood and Thunder and brought the song to life. He is a consummate performer and his energy and sense of theatre is a joy to behold.

We recorded Liz Green’s vocal in the ex-Gentle Giant drummer’s home studio. Her haunting and humble approach is marvellous. Emma Richardson from Band of Skulls sang on the first album. She has to be one of the most pleasant and coolest people in rock ‘n’ roll to date. Matt Menefee, who comes from Texas, was sent to little Winchester by Ted with a simple message: “Get this guy on the record. He’s the best banjo player in theorld.” He worked very fast; then we just jammed all night while learning about the art of ‘chess-boxing’ – go check it out. And of course there is the John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) incident… but I’ll save that story for the next time we come over.

New folk group in Paceville

Your live performances rely on both theatrical and musical aspects. How does one affect the other, and consequently, the band’s performance overall?

Storytelling is part of the way we play; it’s wrapped up in the lyrics, textures and noises. There’s a lot of comedy to be got from noises. We intend to go much further with theatrics – both in performance and in developing our stage show. I think there’s much to explore using light, projections, set, costumes and smell concepts ...

With the album and gigs in full swing, what’s next for Moulettes? I’ve heard there’s a book in the works too?

We have started work on the third album, and it is lovely to be writing together again. We have a really talented group of people around us to work on the new record and the projects around it; videos, a short film and yes, an illustrated book containing stories and characters from the songs are all on the horizon, so I have high hopes.

www.moulettes.co.uk