For the uninitiated, the Maltese band Brikkuni can sometimes be looked at as a pigeonholed band, known for their wit, satire and unique stage performances. On Saturday night, Brikkuni played to a jam-packed audience at the City theatre in Valletta. They had the place rocking, dancing, singing, laughing and shaking their heads in amusement. They were phenomenally good.
Their new album, ‘Trabokk’, has been in the pipeline for quite some time and has been eagerly awaited on the local scene. It was with that in mind that the group launched straight into their new material as soon as Saturday night’s performance began and those who have followed their progress over the years immediately noticed that there was something different. The lyrics were deeper, darker and took the audience into their own heads as they tried to figure out what was going on. Although the satire, wit and hidden messages are still there aplenty, Brikkuni’s music has changed. It has evolved with them, as they have gotten older.
Even the music itself – a massive fusion of sound – is a lot more mellow and perhaps even sexual in its composition. Local music critic Ramona Depares writes in her blog that the new material is “Heartfelt, with lyrics that are wonderfully evocative and that paint a bittersweet tableaux in the mind of the listener”. She hit the nail right on the head. This band is good, damn good. And the reason why they come up with such great material is that they refuse to be drawn into the commercial sphere. Their use of instruments is unique, and unconventional. They still write in Maltese and they pick the greatest of arguments to pieces with ease. One such bit of satire and “the hell with the lot of you”, was the rendition of the new song Irkotta. The irkotta – ricotta debate (yes we are that sad sometimes) raged on the blogs all summer and was even used to substantiate arguments of politics and class. In typical fashion, Brikkuni told us exactly what they thought of that, and in no uncertain terms either. The audience certainly responded.
When the band started to play tracks from the old album, ‘Kuntrabanda’, everyone was on their feet and bouncing, and although Brikkuni played their hearts out, you could see that they are beginning to, perhaps, grow out of their older style.
As we have said, their sharp wit and heaps of satire are still there, sometimes even going unnoticed in the mellower flow of the new songs. But it is still there. We can have as many Eurovision singers and plastic pop stars as we like. But this is true talent. True music that is contemporary, yet unique in drawing on the roots of folk singers who sang about daily life with a dose of wit and sarcasm. This is what makes Brikkuni so irresistibly Maltese and so appealing to locals and foreign audiences alike.
All music deserves support, but it is gems of bands like these that are the ones we really need to support, nurture and give exposure to. In the same genre, you have the Dropkick Murphy’s from Ireland, Mumford and Sons, the Snowdroppers and many more. Brikkuni are our very own local folk rockers – we should appreciate them. Just like the theatre, these guys have a unique way of influencing our society – and long may they keep going. ‘Trabokk’ - a truly great album.