Teatru Unplugged ~ Manoel Theatre, Valletta 04/12/2010

{Published in The Times of Malta, 08/12/2010}

This year Teatru Unplugged has officially entered its teenage years, celebrating its 13th birthday. Having started off as a one-off experiment back in 1998, this event has become an annual fixture at the Manoel not to be missed, showcasing both upcoming and established artists in an intimate setting that strips down the music to its bare acoustic bones.

First act of the night, twelve-year-old Megan Balzan, walked out onto the beautifully twilight lit stage to encouraging cheers and applause. The young singer’s accumulated experience at a number of local concerts and recitals was instantly apparent through her calm and collected stage presence. Accompanied by pianist Rosetta de Battista, Miss Balzan started with a rendition of On My Own from the musical Les Misérables, which saw her boldly put as much emotion into the weighty subject matter as is possible for a young girl of her age.

Finishing off with a stunning version of Alicia Keys’ Empire State of Mind (Part II), Miss Balzan competently won over the audience with her endearing vocals and will surely be one to look out for in the local music scene in the coming years.

Beige’s performance started with vocalist Claire Galea making an entrance from the back of the room, walking and singing down the aisle, while the remainder of the band laid down the instrumental.

If the name Beige was meant to be some sort of ironic moniker, the band’s hotel-lounge jazz laden sound certainly did not help the audience get the joke. The band clearly possesses a group of talented musicians; however there was nothing particularly memorable about their music. Even the band seemed to feel the need to compensate for this through their performance by trying to force the crowd into enjoying it. From vocalist Claire Galea insisting all crowd members wave about their mobile phones to their original number Feels Good, to the injection of unnecessary life into their cover of Norah Jones’ playful Don’t Know Why, it was all slightly overkill. Sometimes less is more.

Third act of the night Chasing Pandora have established themselves as one of Malta’s most prolific musical outfits; having released two full-fledged studio albums as well as a further six EPs of material in a four year lifespan.

They started their set with People. Expressing her musings on the bedlam of life in swarming cities, Mel Portelli’s sussurating vocals bloomed and withered over the folky barn-thumping rhythm that maintained the core of the song. The band was as tight as clockwork and immediately captured the imagination of all present with their jamboree of tinkering organic sounds and impeccable harmonies.

By the time they reached the hushed ending of final song Time, Chasing Pandora had comfortably proven they made a perfect fit for the Manoel’s timeworn ambiance and many will be hoping that it has crossed the band’s collective mind to host their very own night at this hallowed local venue.

This year’s edition of Teatru Unplugged also saw the debut performances of percussionist, composer and producer extraordinaire Renzo Spiteri’s Terra Project. The ensemble’s first number was an experimental piece, which saw the musicians chime, clink, jingle, rattle, pick, pluck, strum and hum sounds inspired by the element of water; the theme of the band’s performance on the night. Spiteri’s mellifluous caissa drum juxtaposed against Liz Conrad’s deep Oriental influenced cello phrasings were achingly beautiful and arrestingly solemn. The Terra Project’s set came to a close with a cover of Coldplay’s Swallowed in the Sea and they took their bows to rapturous acclamation.

Few would have expected the following act Fraser to surpass the ethereal Terra Project’s performance, yet fewer still would have imagined they would be quite as shoddy as they were. The Anglo-Maltese musicians were out of tune and all over the place at times. Still this was perhaps more bearable compared to the awkward silences that ensued when the band was not playing.

In these moments, frontman Fraser Gregory stumbled over his words and sounded about as excited to be performing at the event, as the undead would be to wake up to yet, another, day. Apart from a cover of Pulp’s Common People, the vast majority in the audience were audibly not interested.

Last to take the stage were the Blast, a choir inspired by hit American TV show GLEE. The 27 brightly dressed teenyboppers forming the choir were all big smiles and fists in the air, which certainly made for quite a startling impact, especially after the dreary looking Fraser. While admittedly a gamble to feature in a show that is primarily known for stripped down intimate performances, the Blast dazzled the Manoel with bountiful pizzazz and charisma, delivering sprightly renditions of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing and Van Halen’s Jump. It would have perhaps been interesting to hear the choir sing strictly a-capella, particularly on one of the ballads performed.

All in all Teatru Unplugged 13 was a good all-rounder and managed to include something for the whole family. Featuring some spectacularly good performances, Teatru Unplugged has entered teenhood in style and will surely keep delighting music enthusiasts for many years to come.