Held last night for the fifth year running, the Isle of MTV Malta Special concert definitely lived up to people’s expectations, and the performers made sure it was a night to remember for the 50,000 or so people who attended the “world’s most explosive musical showcase”.

The opening act was of five piece British girl group Parade, whose single Louder made it to the top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. They are relatively new to the music scene and they told this newspaper in an interview yesterday that they’re overwhelmed by the way they were received by the public.

“We were pleasantly surprised to meet a Maltese boy who said he’s a fan; he said he had ‘tweeted’ us – Twitter and other social networking sites have made the world so much smaller.”

Talking about their music, the four girls (they were missing one member, Lauren Deegan, who was recently injured in an accident) said their tastes are completely different, but their style is influenced by Beyonce, Rihanna and the Spice Girls, among others.

“We’re in for good pop and good fun.”

Apart from working on their debut album, which will be out later this year, they will be participating in a number of festivals back in the UK, and their dream is to have their own tour.

Yesterday’s concert also featured Snoop Dogg, ‘Tha Doggfather’ of hip-hop’, LMFAO, whose unstoppable Party Rock Anthem has topped iTunes charts in 10 countries, and Far East Movement, who have bridged the gap between party records and mainstream hip-hop and pop.

The show also featured a laser artist who has worked on a number of major events the world over, and is just back from a David Guetta concert.

About 10 versions of the show will be produced, in high-definition, in both 2D and 3D, and will be available in just one week.

A 60-minute feature of the Isle of MTV Malta Special will also be available in 3D for the first time.

Since the Isle of MTV concert started being held in 2007, the number of young people up till the age of 24 who visited Malta increased by 117,500.