Who would've thought five years ago that Malta Takes London (MTL) would become an annual occurrence. An ambitious event that started out as a simple gig but evolved into a mini-festival based around musical talent with a Maltese connection, MTL has grown into an eagerly anticipated live gathering whose audience has gradually become a mixed bag of UK-based Maltese residents as well as a significant number of British and other UK-based foreign music fans from Europe and beyond

The organizers of Earth Garden have released an official statement, declaring that the Earth Garden Festival will go ahead as planned despite the fact that the date of the general election called last Monday by the government clashes with this year’s edition of the popular festival. “It’s definitely business as usual for us. We're not going to lie - we were taken aback by the announcement of the general election as we've been working extremely hard on this year’s edition for

Back for what will be their third performance in Malta, Italian instrumental rock band Sdang!'s latest visit will see their line-up boosted by none other than Colin Edwin. The Australian musician is probably best-known as a member of internationally-acclaimed progressive rock band The Porcupine Tree, but he is also involved in several other music projects that stretch across the musical spectrum in terms of genre, among them Metallic Taste of Blood, Endless Tapes and Ex-Wiseh

Next weekend will see the sixth edition of the Rock The South festival kick off, once again offering a fantastic line-up of local and foreign bands. Of the latter, one name rings particularly familiar. Back for their third visit to Malta, Italian rock duo Sdang! will this time be joined by Colin Edwin, of Porcupine Tree fame, although one must not fail to also mention he is involved in countless other music projects. MikeBugeja.com caught up with the prolific musician ahead o

Adopting a curious name like The Shh was in itself already a masterstroke by marketing standards on Alison Galea and Ian Schranz's part, so the simple fact that they write wonderful songs with infectious pop hooks that sink in so quickly is a bonus, really. They established themselves on the local scene and attracted a foreign fanbase as far away as Japan seemingly without too much effort, which says a lot about how powerful their songs' reach and appeal is. The result of a s

It was a chilly November night, Friday the 15th to be exact, in 2013 that The Water Rats in London's King's Cross opened its doors to what effectively would become the first edition of Malta Takes London (MTL). Born out of the idea of a two-band London gig that grew into a six-band line-up, MTL has not only continued to grow even further, but also become a regular showcase for Maltese talent; an annual fixture that brings Maltese bands - locally or elsewhere-based - together

By tradition, Hallowe'en is a time of celebration and superstition. Dating back to Celtic times, it was meant to keep ghosts away, or something like that anyway. Dia de los Muertos (that's Spanish for Day of the Dead but you probably sussed that out already) is similarly inclined; a Mexican holiday tied to the Hallowe'en tradition but adapted to Hispanic customs, and this Hallowe'en (a couple of nights earlier, actually), the Funky Monkey will see the two traditions come toge

Following the success of their recent Rejects Asylum concert, Rejects are back with another live event. The Darkroom, which will take place on Friday, September 30 at Razzett L-Ahmar in Mosta, will feature four local acts covering different genres. Apart from Lucy's Last, Falcon's Flying Circus (still riding high after releasing their self-titled debut last month) and Jack's Fusion (who also released their debut EP earlier this summer), The Darkroom will also feature Forty Da

Their debut album Cuckoo Island was by far one of the most enticing works to come out of the Maltese music scene in recent years. Their love of penguins has (indirectly at least) made the news, and they have a penchant for churning out engaging tunes that simply refuse to be categorized (even if at its core, their music has more than a hint of jazz). They are The Ranch, and MikeBugeja.com spoke to Benji Cachia, their only remaining original member for an update on what the ba

1. Beesqueeze is a duo - the sum of two parts, both named Chris! Did you know that before they settled on the name Beesqueeze, someone had suggested they call themselves Too Many Christians? 2. The idea behind Beesqueeze was for the two Chris's to look for a fresh sound, and by mixing psychedelia with alternative rock they've come up with something they like to call it 'alterdelic'! 3. Chris and Kriz do not like haircuts at all... they do however, love to party....hard! 4.

This coming Friday, Rejects will be hosting, Rejects Asylum, the latest live event from this organization as it steadily establishes itself as one of the leading promoters of the underground scene in Malta. The Rejects team was interviewed by Michael Bugeja on the August 12 edition of the weekly radio show on Radio 101. rejects.com.mt #live #concert #metal #alternative #radiointerview #rockna

Plan De Fuga's first official album, In a minute was released back in 2010, but the Italian rock band had existed long before that. There's no crazy story as to how this band got together - like most bands, they started out as a bunch of friends who hung out and decided to give music a shot. Taking the D.I.Y. approach and learning to produce and record their own music, they have worked hard to make music that has attracted the attention of not only the home crowds, but also o

Last year's Rock The South flaunted all the fours with its '44 acts over four days' fourth edition. This year's fifth anniversary edition, which is endorsed by the Valletta 2018 Foundation, will see the festival go back to a three-day format, but it will still, however, offer a line-up of more than 40 acts. Kicking off on Friday April 15, once again at ZION Restaurant & Reggae Bar in Marsacala, the festival's three days will be jam-packed with with live music from an explosi

Just under four months on from its international release in Venice via the Youth of Today record label, Bila's debut release is finally being launched in Malta. As colorfully titled as the band's name, the L**a EP will be given an official release here with a live performance from the raucous punk trio. The event, which takes place tonight at Funky Monkey in Gzira, comes just a few days on from the release of the music video for Wiċċek ma wiċċi, one of the stand-out tracks on

Now signed to Portishead’s Geoff Barrow’s Invada Records, The KVB have been giving us gloriously reverb-drenched songs for the past 6 or so years. Their music has drawn comparisons to some of the foremost post-punk icons – from Joy Division to The Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine to The Cure, to which one can’t forget to mention the minimalist electronic undertow that gives The KVB’s sound its delicate yet impacting energy. With several albums to its name already, t

Popular Maltese rock band Airport Impressions has got together with Hospice Malta, which collaboration is linked to the ‘When All I Have Is Yours’ campaign and will involve the release of the band’s latest single Mariette. Released today, the new single - which is also the title track of the band’s second full-length album and the last single to be released off said album - carries a strong message of love and respect towards the ‘maternal’ figure, here also representing thos

Until now, Remember Nothing has largely existed in the background, surfacing gradually via music posts via the internet. With more music in store, 2016 looks set to be the year that RN becomes a household name on the local music scene, possibly even the live circuit. ROCKNA's Michael Bugeja interviews Carlo Cranmer to find out where RN started and where it's headed. New track Breathe was exclusively launched during the show too. Enjoy! www.facebook.com/remembernothing #radioi

Even before they decided to move to Berlin, Maltese musicians Alexandra Aquilina and Daniel Borg had already been distancing themselves somewhat from the indie pop/rock they had successfully traded in as Skimmed. Venturing into darker waters, the duo tapped new sounds and absorbed fresh influences which, coupled with their own creative musings have surfaced in the music they are now making under the name of BlackFawn. Describing its music as experimental, psych-noise Goth, th

Trackage Scheme's Rooftop Sessions last summer proved to be more than just another series of live gigs. So much so, that the organization has followed it up with a new series of live events - held indoor of course given it is wintertime - with the marked difference that instead of a midweek slot, the Sacred Noise gigs, as the new series is called, are being held on Sunday evenings, showcasing Malta’s finest musical talent both on stage as well as behind the decks, where each

There, in a nutshell, are the Fuzzhoneys, captured for your benefit in just under 10 minutes of footage that brings together a good chunk of what this dynamic duo has been up to since bursting onto the local scene sometime in 2014. Less than two years later, they've become a household name on the local alternative scene and are about to launch their debut EP, aptly titled CD Tal-Ġenn on Saturday, January 9 at Beachaven in Xemxija. With just a few days to go, here's an inter