Acclaimed and anticipated year in year out for the past nine years, “Teatru Unplugged” once again presented some of Malta’s best musical talent, obviously with a heavy helping of humour and panache. Music correspondent Michael Bugeja did his best to take notes in the dark.
Three nights of entertainment, and it was all over, at least for this year. Yes, the ninth edition of Teatru Unplugged, sponsored by Global Capital, has come and gone, and the overall comment is – it was worth it! After Zoo Team’s comical intro (one of many that would follow), it was left to Chasing Pandora to initiate the evening’s musical proceedings. I had already been pretty impressed by this Gozitan duo’s debut EP, so I had high expectations. Keith and Melissa (with Ismael on keys) captured the poignant essence of the original material beautifully (particularly on Divine), but the attempt on Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus didn’t quite work for me. It stood out in stark contrast to the intimate charm oozing from the previous two numbers, but thankfully, the closing number and current single Feel The Rain put it all back in place…
Next up, another new act – the spirited Brikkuni take the stage by storm. This band may be new, but its members are no newcomers to the stage. Fronted by the unpredictable and vivacious Mario (ex-Lumiere) and embellished by Ruth Abela’s clarinet and Roberta Attard’s cello fill-ins, Brikkuni fired a tirade of original folk numbers a la Maltija, picking a variety of contemporary social issues (illegal immigrants, homosexuality) for lyrical inspiration and artistic dissection. Backed by Particle Blue’s Antoine, notorious guitarist Delli, drummer Mike Galea and fellow ex-Lumiere-ite Thomas, Mario gave a passionate performance, often losing himself in the fray and cavorting all over the stage in between belting out vocal digs. Brikkuni’s mission may have been to put Maltese back into local folk music, but they’ve gone and developed a punk-folk hybrid that is perhaps even more enticing.
The last act for the first half was none other than local starlet Ira Losco. If you were at TU9, you won’t need me to tell you how good her performance was. She has certainly grown in leaps and bounds in the few years since she embarked on a solo pop career, and possesses tons of onstage presence. Credit is also due to her very talented backing band, whose experience has been essential to her success and growth. Kicking off with a delicate acoustic cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time (from her new Unmasked album), Ira retained the acoustic edge throughout her set, which also included I Don’t Wanna Talk About It, Love Me Or Hate Me, Get Out and a diluted take on the Guns’ N’ Roses classic Sweet Child O’ Mine.
The second half of the show featured two bands. The first one was Muzzle, a seasoned group of musicians who got together with no major ambitions except to have fun. Tonight they certainly did, and so did the audience present. Fronted by Charles on vocals and with Characters bassist Gino offering a fair part of onstage antics, Muzzle delivered a set that had me worried at first. Starting off with languid Floyd and Sting covers suggested it would be a quiet set, but by the time they run through their honky-tonk version of Led Zep’s Whole Lotta Love, The Eagles’ Hotel California (yes, a cliché, but who’s complaining?) and their fantastic cover of U2’s With Or Without You, they had the whole theatre rocking from its rafters. Easily the highlight of the evening.
Last on was the band Rug, notorious for their infectious live performances but perhaps more so for their fun-loving and often daring attitude onstage. With Gianni at the helm, and Boris a worthy henchman, the theme for their set this year was Italian music. Their act started even before they walked onstage to the theme from The Godfather (courtesy of Brikkuni’s Delli on mandolin). After a round of “obligatory” Cosa Nostra kisses, they launched into Zucchero’s vintage Con Le Mani, following it up with Tu Vuo’ Fa L’Americano, complete with Gianni’s convincing “Neapolitan” accent and added humour. Given Rug’s choice of Italian theme, there was no way Gianni was going to skip an opportunity to belt out his (Bondi) version of Vasco’s splendid Vita Spericolata, but Rug’s peak had to be the cartoon medley featuring the themes from Tigerman, Benji, Mazinga and Sampei. Not only was it funny but very nostalgic for many there. Toto Cutugno’s L’Italiano was intended to round off the night, but the band was hailed back by the audience to finish alla grande with Lunapop’s pop anthem, 50 Special, which had everyone was singing along to it. A special mention has to go to sax player Mario for a splendid performance.
Well done all. We’re already looking forward to next year’s anniversary edition!