A joint collaboration between promoters Hairy Amp and The Gooboy, this weekend’s two-night indie festival is quite likely the first of its kind on the island with six bands – four local, two foreign – performing at popular live venue V-Gen in Paceville.
Although all the bands come from the alternative scene, none of them sound alike or even play the same genre of music
The Nil By Mouth Sessions – there’s no specific reason behind the name, just that it was the one (of several awkward options apparently) that stuck – will be fronting a line-up that ranges from the uniquely dark, brooding rock that Lumiere crafted so well a decade ago and resurrected for a very limited period just weeks ago, to the cut, paste rave ’n’ roll of buzzing local combo Dolls for Idols, via Stalko’s organic sounds of alluring melodic beauty and The Areola Treat’s female-fronted pummelling punk-brut attack.
And that’s just the Maltese bands. In Eimog and Discopolis, the festival has bagged two upcoming foreign acts with incredible potential – acts we’ll surely be hearing more of at an international level in the future.
The idea to stage this festival was the product of various elements. Areola Treat and Lumiere guitarist Adrian Mizzi (aka The Gooboy) says he’s always wanted to play at well-organised events.
“As a musician I’ve longed to play in events that can attract a sizeable crowd and also be properly organised in terms of sound, lighting and overall set-up, but I realised there aren’t any on the local alternative scene yet.”
This prompted him to stage his own event, which prior to Hairy Amp coming on board, was going to be an all-Maltese affair.
“We were looking to collaborate with someone on a larger-scale event,” says Jean Zammit of Hairy Amp.
“Once we’d learnt of Adrian’s plans, we hooked up and explained what Hairy Amp could bring to the event.”
More than just Nil By Mouth, the result is an incredible (and eclectic) line-up that captures the pulse of the local indie scene perfectly.
What were the organisers looking for? “We wanted diversity,” Mizzi says.
“Although all the bands come from the alternative scene, none sound alike or even play the same genre of music.”
The fact that each band brings something different to the stage should keep the audience engaged throughout.
When it came to picking the foreign bands, they went for two that are totally unlike any of the local acts, Zammit explains.
“With all four of us being huge post-rock fans, Eimog was an obvious choice, and they’ll also be the first post-rock band to play in Malta.”
The second night will have a more rock ’n’ roll vibe.
“On Saturday, we wanted to have a more upbeat line-up, so with The Areola Treat, Dolls for Idols and Danjeli already confirmed, we looked for a young up-and-coming foreign band that would fit in.”
With such a vibrant line-up, boosted further with sets from Danjeli and UK-based Capitol K, what are the expectations for attendance given the fragmentation that seems to exist among the local indie crowd?
Mizzi doesn’t quite get it: “I’m puzzled about this fragmentation. When you look at the metal scene, the support there is much stronger, which encourages the staging of such events.”
Zammit thinks it’s because the scene is very diverse and has grown rapidly in recent years.
“We now have some quality bands, and thanks to places like V-Gen, and Coach and Horses, there’s a regular stream of weekly events happening, which is all good. The problem is that the island is small and bands can’t afford to over-expose themselves because there just aren’t enough people to play for.”
Zammit says the crowd that attends live gigs is still relatively small, and that the mentality to choose manufactured music over live gigs is rampant.
“There’s also the issue of tribute bands, which I see as polluting the live music scene. The gig mentality is still relatively new here, but hopefully it will start to rub off on more people.”
He feels it really all boils down to instilling a mentality of art appreciation.
“The Maltese youth needs to be more open-minded and willing to experiment with other forms of entertainment besides the mainstream. We know this from experience, having brought internationally acclaimed acts to play here who ended up playing only to the regular attendees.”
The lack of new faces at such gigs does not augur well for the live scene’s survival.
“The sad thing is that it proves that unless the band is a household name people don’t seem to be bothered looking up the artist on the net, or at the very least, reading the interview on the local media.”
It all seems a bit disheartening but they’re not giving up any time soon.
“We’re confident the regulars will turn up in full force but we’d love to see new faces there. It’s only with the public’s support that such events can be staged.”
Tickets for the Nil By Mouth Sessions on Friday and Saturday cost €12 per night (advance) or €15 for both nights and are available either from Coach and Horses (Birkirkara), V-Gen (Paceville) and Blush and Panic (Valletta) or by calling 9984 6382 or 7986 1473. Ticket prices will be higher at the door. First bands are on at 10 p.m. For more information, look up Nil By Mouth Sessions on Facebook.
bugeja.michael@gmail.com