MUSIC

The Darkness live in concert

The Darkness, a British rock band that formed in Lowestoft, England, in the early 2000s, is performing in Malta for the first time at the Aria Complex in Iklin on May 30. 

The band exploded to global success when they released their debut album Permission To Land in 2003. It topped the UK charts, selling over 1.5 million copies in the UK alone, while also becoming a huge, international success: from the US to Australia, from Germany to Japan.The album spawned a series of hit, award-winning singles including I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Growing On Me, Get Your Hands Off My Woman and Love Is Only a Feeling. 

Local band Upper Lip will be supporting the band’s Maltese gig.

Tickets from www.showshappening.com.

Journey Through Movie Time

The Barocco Foundation, in collaboration with Din l-Art Ħelwa, is holding the last lunchtime concert of the 2023/2024 programme, at Our Lady of Victory church, Valletta, on May 28 at 12.30pm.

The concert will see violinist Edwina Cini and pianist Lydia Buttigieg perform movie soundtracks and themes from some of the best-known films.Reservations against a donation of €10 can be made by booking on baroccobookings@gmail.com or directly at the entrance of the church.

A viewing of the 10-minute documentary Grand Master de Valette and his first church of Valletta in the underground cinema is free of charge to all patrons.

The Late Beethoven: Op. 132

The Cordia Quartet is performing Beethoven’s late quartets at the Jesuits’ church in Merchants Street, Valletta, on May 30 at 7.30pm.

These last quartets are among the composer’s most personal and emotional works as he wrote them while struggling with deafness and depression.

Entrance is free but donations are welcome.

Classic and Contemporary Colours

The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, in collaboration with the Manoel Theatre and its Modern Music Days series, is presenting a varied programme at the Manoel on May 31 at 8pm.

Under the direction of Christopher Muscat, the orchestra will play riveting works by Maltese composers Albert Garzia and Veronique Vella, and will be joined by prominent Greek pianist Kostantinos Destounis for Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G.

The programme also includes Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, the first of nine symphonies that revolutionised music at the turn of the 19th century.

Tickets from teatrumanoel.mt.

Aidan: The Show

Aidan, the singer behind Maltese hits such as Ritmu, Naħseb Fik, Juliette and Regina, is holding his first full concert at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali on May 31 at 8pm.

The event is produced by the singer himself and Greatt Co. Ltd. Tickets from showshappening.com.

Soundscapes by Kylo

Multi-instrumentalist Kyle Drakard is performing a fusion of jazz, rock, world music, funk and more at the Mae West bar in Valletta, on May 31 at 8pm.

Drakard, known as Kylo, will be accompanied by nine other local and foreign musicians and session artists.

Entrance is free. The event forms part of the Valletta Cultural Agency’s Strada Stretta Programme.

For more information about the event and artist, visit the Strada Stretta Facebook page.

Teatru Salesjan’s Reopening

The Salesian Theatre in Sliema is celebrating its reopening with a concert on May 31, featuring Red Electric, The New Victorians, Claire Tonna and upcoming band Auntie’s Yellow Sofa.

Doors open at 8pm and the concert starts at 8.30pm. Tickets from showshappening.com.

MPO Chamber Series 9

Pianists Caroline Calleja, Joanne Camilleri, Maria-Elena Farrugia and Gabi Sultana will present a variety of works for duos and trios at Robert Samut Hall in Floriana on June 2 at 11am.

They will play Romantic favourites by Brahms and Fauré, besides Ligeti’s 5 Pieces for 4 hands  and Boukouvalas’s Fantasy on a Theme by Steve Reich. 

The programme also includes a trio arrangement of Paganini’s La Campanella, Maarten Smit’s Petite Suite and Mike Cornick’s 3 Pieces for 6 Hands.

Tickets from showshappening.com.

Boomerang Festival

Orbital, The Skints, Queen Omega and the Royal Souls, Dub Pistols and Josh Wink are some of the international names performing at the Boomerang Festival, being held at the Ta’ Qali National Park between May 31 and June 2.

Performances will be spread over three stages: Electric Woods, Groove Temple and Rhythm Yard.

The festival, which celebrates ‘music, art and freedom’, also includes wellness workshops, a camping area, a sculpture garden, games and a children’s park.

For all the details, visit boomerangfestival.mt.

THEATRE

20

Dù Theatre is celebrating its 20th anniversary with excerpts from their best loved plays, such as Forget-Me-Not, Repubblika Immakulata, Kjaroskur and Lupu/Nagħġa.

Original cast members will be reprising their roles.The shows are being staged at the Valletta Campus Theatre from May 31 to June 2.

Tickets from ticketline.com.mt.

Echoes of Creation

Ignite Theatre Malta is staging a play based on Aesop’s Fables at San Ġorġ Preca College Middle School, Blata l-Bajda, between May 31 and June 2.

The plot follows a young, upcoming artist, who has been given her first commission to create artworks for a museum exhibition, an opportunity she has been working towards her entire life. However, she never imagined it would make her second-guess her life choices.

With the help of Aesop, the selfless janitor, she attempts to please the pretentious curator while also trying to finish her own work-in-progress piece.

The performance includes Maltese sign language.

Tickets from showshappening.com.

Naughty Malta 2 – The Maltese Sex Confessions

Comedian and scriptwriter Steve Hili has been collecting Malta’s naughtiest, funniest and most embarrassing sex confessions via an anonymous online survey. Now, these confessions are being turned into a real-live sketch show at Theatre Next Door in Magħtab until June 2.

The cast features Joseph Zammit, Francesca Scerri, Raphael Pace and Pia Zammit.

The show is suitable for an audience over the age of 18. Tickets from tnd.com.mt.

Baby Series: Seashells and Sunshine

TOI TOI, the Manoel’s Learning and Participating Programme, is running another show in its Baby Series on June 1 and 2.

Seashells and Sunshine is a multisensory performance that takes young audiences (ages 0 to 4) on a journey to the beach, where they learn about the wonders of the sea, sand, sun and the importance of taking care of our environment.

The 30-minute performances will be held at 9.30 and 11am on both days at the Manoel’s Studio.

Tickets from teatrumanoel.mt.

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MISCELLANEOUS

Childhood Under Siege

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar is hosting an evocative illustrated talk on the wartime memories of Maltese and English childhoods at the Chamber of Commerce in Valletta on May 30 at 6.30pm. 

Author Linda Peel will share stories from her book A Childhood Under Siege, which draws from family memories, historical accounts and her grandfather’s diary. The talk, focusing on the experiences of her mother’s family in Malta from 1939 to 1945, will be followed by a reception with wine and light refreshments.

Tickets can booked via ticketengine.faa.org.mt.

Valletta Concours 2024

The annual Valletta event presenting the finest historic and collector cars from the island and abroad will return to St George’s Square in Valletta on June 2 from 9am to 6pm.

The participants of the concours endeavour to meet the high standards and expectations of the international jury of experts, who also award the best vintage attire.

Among the judges are Michael Quinn, whose grandfather founded Jaguar Cars; Richard Charlesworth, who worked for Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars for 23 years; motor-racing book author Philip Porter; and legendary Porsche designer Harm Lagaaij. 

For all the details, visit www.vallettaconcours.com and the event’s Facebook page.

VISUAL ARTS

My Point of View

Fabio Borg is presenting his 11th solo exhibition at the Palm Court Lounge of The Phoenicia in Floriana.

Through his bold and evocative brushwork, Borg invites viewers to embark on a visual journey that transcends the boundaries of reality and imagination. While his paintings may appear to be landscapes - which, in fact, were the starting point for these paintings - they are not landscapes per se.

Captured rapidly, the compositions express a mood evoked through colour, thus a continuation of his last solo exhibition titled Moodscapes. This collection features experiences drawn from everyday life, hence its title.

My Point of View, curated by Charlene Vella, runs until the end of May. Read more about the exhibition here.

No Smoking During the Apocalypse

Artist Julian ‘Julinu’ Mallia is presenting a collection of oil paintings at Il-Kamra ta' Fuq in Mqabba.

The visual series features unlikely encounters that are imbued with an aura of poetic ambiguity and laced with a dash of absurdist deadpan humour.

Within this monochrome universe, impossible objects float over a celestial background, the real merges with the digital and Tony Montana dines with Jesus Christ. Beneath these highly imaginative juxtapositions, however, lies a more sobering concern about the search for meaning when confronted with what Albert Camus refers to as “the unreasonable silence of the world”.

No Smoking During the Apocalypse, curated by Melanie Erixon, is on until June 2. For more information, including opening hours, visit the gallery's Facebook page.

Tmermir/Decay

An exhibition of paintings by Matthew Joseph Casha, winner of the Arts Council Malta's Premju għall-Arti 2023, is currently on at Rudy Bulher Art gallery in Marsascala.

The artist delves into the intricate interplay between form and decay, seeking to unveil the profound beauty inherent in the gradual erosion of structure and the emergence of macro-perspectives. Through his work, he aims to capture the essence of impermanence.

Casha thus invites viewers to contemplate the ever-evolving nature of existence and find solace in the relationship between creation and dissolution.

Tmermir runs until June 16. Opening hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 1pm and 5 to 8pm

The gallery is located at Quayside Court, 58, Triq Is-Salini, Marsaskala. For more information, call 356 7977 1340, e-mail rudy@rudybuhler.art or visit www.rudybuhler.art.

fabricATE

Gabriel Buttigieg is debuting his first solo exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta, where he presents his own personal interpretation of Graeco-Roman myths which he uses as metaphors for the erotic and spiritual questions that have haunted humanity since time immemorial. These include taboo and transgression, the cruelty and capriciousness of the gods, love, lust, power and destruction.

These fabricated narratives are specifically being portrayed on exquisite fabrics, provided by project partner, camilleriparismode. The often intricate surfaces serving as a backdrop, as well as a springboard for the artist’s complex creations.

Known for his experimentation, and an ever-evolving expressive aesthetic idiom, through fabricATE, Buttigieg utilises a variety of media in this exhibition. He is also debuting a pair of larger-than lifesize sculptural works which have been realised at Funderija Artistika Chetcuti, which is also a partner in this project.

fabricATE, curated by Lisa Gwen, is open till June 23, from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 9pm; and on Saturday and Sunday from 10am till 9pm.

Read this Times of Malta interview with the artist.

Reminiscence

Acrylic paintings feature in an exhibition by Mariam De Giorgio at Marilù's, St Nicholas Square, Siġġiewi.

Reminiscence is a sample of De Giorgio’s fond memories represented in 12 vivid acrylics. Most of the works depict parenthood at some of its most adorable moments against the backdrop of a typical Maltese summer setting.

The exhibition is open at Marilù's in Siġġiewi until June 2024, where a mural by De Giorgio adorns one of its rooms.

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

Curious Beauty: An Alternative Costume Exhibition

Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti is organising the exhibition Curious Beauty: An Alternative Costume Exhibition at Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum in Mdina. 

Under the artistic direction of Caroline Tonna and Francesca Balzan, historic costume and accessories from the State, Church and important private collections will be displayed in contemporary art installations against the backdrop of the medieval palazzo. Micheal Lowell is the creative director.

The exhibition runs until June 16. For more information, visit www.patrimonju.org/exhibitions/curious-beauty.

whatson@timesofmalta.com