Earth Garden Festival in Malta

[RoyDHacksaw]

I just managed to blag my way into the Earth Garden Festival in Malta this weekend. Never came across it before, but it looks like it might be a little smasher. The only acts I'd previously heard of on the bill are our old pal Neville Staple, German DJ Boom Shankar and the local ska band The Rifffs - but there seems like a nice mix of the dancey and the etherial, and it all appears to be nicely shaded in the woods up by the national stadium. It looks like a cross between a mini Womad, the bottom fields of Glastonbury and the old and sadly missed Bracknell Folk Festival. I'm hoping it's a hoot!

Anyone been before? How was it for you? And anyone going this year? I'll have to keep an eye out for you!

I'll keep you posted as to whether it was any good or not as we go along. But if you fancy a gander at the bill, do the clicks here…

http://www.earthgarden.com.mt

[RoyDHacksaw]

Dagnabbit, I've somehow managed to double post, and I'm too dumb to delete the other one!

Sorry about that!

 

[RoyDHacksaw]

Sell what an absolutely smashing little do this is. It's being held in a national park just on the outskirts of the main connurbation, but you feel like you're on the other side of the world.

The stages and campsite are all nestling inside a sense conifer forest, so there's plenty of shade from the baking hot sun, and yout tent won't get so hot that it'll melt your spare shoes if you leave it alone for the day.

It's only a small, manageable site, but everywhere you wander you stumble across a nifty little stage full of flouro teenagers wigging out, a DJ banging out Diana Ross songs in a glade in the woods, or cool bars built out of logs and pine needles.

The bands have been pretty decent up to now too. Neville Staple from The Specials was the only act I initially knew on the bill, and he absolutely stomped it in front of a decent crowd who'd mostly never heard any of his back catalogue.

Local world musicky act Tribali were pretty decent, too. They were one of those bands with a million things going on all at once, and the whirling dervish of a lead singer was both incredibly aluring and absolutely terrifying at the same time.

There's a much fuller programme on today, so I'll report back on the highlights tomorrow. But to be honest, the festival itself is the star here. It's got a lovely, laidback, friendly vibe, nobody's caning it too hard, the shopping village is spectacularly rambling, and every band and act has got an excelent, warm welcome. On top of that, it was only 15€ For a ticket for the weekend! If anyone's on the island over the next couple of days and at a loose end for something to do, you could do far worse than heading up to Ta'qali for a look!

 

[RoyDHacksaw]

Day two at Earth Garden was a mixed bag of delights, packed with either unabashed joy or slightly proggy remnants.

The best bits included: the tiny teenage singer songwriter Hannah Brown, who looped her own vocals around some painfully longing self-penned songs; the explosive international hip hop crew Pon Di Corner who were a wise-cracking, smile-making mobile party as they seemed yo step in on evy stage we passed by at some point over the day; the stunning Iranian folk drummer Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, whose historic folk pounding transmuted into some kind of primative techno and got the whole joint jumping; and the glorious local ska heroes The Rifffs, who kept the party skanking until nudging midnight.

It was a bit busier last night, but still the queues to the food and the toilets were never more than a couple of minutes, and the happy, honest, optimistic atmosphere really is the biggest star of the show. No big egos or w*nky attitudes here.

Just heading off for the final day's entertainment, and again there some worldly confections from around the globe on offer. I'll fill you in on what was good tomorrow...

[RoyDHacksaw]

A couple of days late with the last day's action - but I've been off enjoying the delights of Malta. This really is a smashing time of year to visit the island too. The weather's just hotting up, but the tourist season hasn't quite got going yet.

So what did the Sunday at Earth Garden offer us? Possibly the best line up of the weekend...

We had a proper variety today, from roots reggae at the Enchanted Forest stage to a whole day of funky house up the top of the hill at the Electronic Sphere. But all the real goodness was at the main Roots stage. My best bits included: the unexpectedly entertaining cello and violin stompdowns of BartolomeyBittmann; the bonkers ska/kletzmer/Balkan/Russian/everywhere-else mash ups of Każinska; the fabulously gloomy Maltese drinking songs of Brikkuni - who encouraged a massive slow-motion mosh pit that kicked the dust up a good 60 feet into the air; and the high octane excitement of Airtist - an Austrian mob who play only Jaw harp and didgeridoo, with a bit of human beatboxing too. Yeah, I know that sounds a bit shit, but it was waaaaay more fun than I'd ever imagined! Keep an eye out for them on the festival trail.

The biggest draw of the nigh was Nicky Bomba and the Maltese Ska Orchestra. Nicky's an Aussie with what seems like a massive James Brown complex, and he was conducting his locally-based backing band like he was the biggest star on the planet. But even though Nicky himself wasn't entirely likeable, they put on an incredible show that seemed to go on for a Springsteen-esque age. Apparently half the island was talking about this set the following day.

Brikkuni won the weekend for me though. Track some of his stuff down, as it's awesome in its grumbliness!

All in all though I have to say that this was one of the nicest little festies I've been to in a long time. The only better foreign one I've been to in the last few years was Midi in Shanghai - and that was more for the insanity of the crowd than the acts.

I'd wholeheartedly advise that you give this a look next year if you like a range of interesting and unlikely acts from around the globe. It's well worth bookending it with a few days proper holiday to the dusty isle. First weekend in June, this time next year. Put it in your diaries!

[TheNewUnion]

This does sound pretty good. Been looking at Malta for a future travel destination too. I will have to keep an eye on this, thanks fro the daily trip reports.