Ira Losco played her first official concert to a full house at the Hilton last week.

The Grand Master Suite, chosen for its striking resemblance to halls Ira and her band perform in abroad, opened its doors to the audience at 8pm, who were looking forward to their favourite local artist’s unplugged concert. The audience was not disappointed, as Ira gave her most memorable performance to date of her most popular tunes.

The concert started at 8:45pm with performances by local acts Bitterside, Chasing Pandora and Scar. The stage was then beautifully transformed for Ira and her band for her first-ever live concert, where she gave the island a taste of the way they’re used to performing shows while on tour.

The concert was definitely the first of its kind in Malta by a local act, with a repertoire that showcased the singer/songwriter’s vocal talent and her band’s versatility. The impressive lighting and breathtaking visuals was comparable to any international concert.

“The reaction of the people was fantastic. This is the way we usually play the shows abroad. It goes without saying that it involves a lot of preparation, and creativity. It’s a process the whole team enjoys and it’s the professional way of doing it .The result is breathtaking and this time I could share it with my local fans... it was incredible!’ said Ira Losco.

She was accompanied by her band, Alex Mallia (guitars) Adam Bonello (guitars), Nadienne Sacco (bass) Steve ‘Cannibal’ Muscat (drums) and guest musicians Paul Micallef Grimaud (cello), Sammy Hayman (piano) and Dru Mayer (percussion).

They played perfect acoustic versions of songs from Ira’s first album Someone Else, Accident Prone and her more recent Unmasked. Also included in the set, were some very touching and interesting cover versions, which gave her audience a taste of her vocal versatility. Her velvety tones manifested themselves in her rendition of the Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time, her raunchiness in Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Were Made for Walking and strength in Cat Stevens Wild World.

During her tour, international music critics praised her vocal ability and last Saturday’s show keeps re confirming this singer’s maturing voice.

The visual show, which accompanied Ira’s music, added to the incredible concert experience. A 6 x 6 metre screen hung in the middle of the stage depicted images that were carefully chosen and created by Ira Losco’s visual/artistic team at Picture Box making it a memorable night for all those present.

Ira Losco’s career keeps going from strength to strength. Following the success of this concert, Ira Losco will be shortly be recording some new material we will be able to sample at her next live performance – her first electric concert this June.