C'MON FEEL THE NOIZE!
November 2004
Abstrass &
Vandals bring punk back to the future
Britain
may have been punk’s epicentre when the movement reared its head in the
70s, but it was certainly not the only place that it had an effect on at
that early stage. Locally, the DIY attitude that had became synonymous
with punk had already began to gain ground, and by 1979, at the dawn of
the Rokarja AST project in Tigne, Abstrass came into being. Fronted by
the colourfully spontaneous Eric - more commonly known as Il-Punk – the
band had an ever-changing line-up whose only constant over the years
was, and still is, Eric himself.
It was around 1986, when Abstrass reformed for a spate of gigs that
included the infamous yet sorely missed Rock-A-Buzz festival. Apart from
Eric, the line-up then also included Ray (il-Bahri) and Ray (Il-Hamiemu),
who had by that time also gained notoriety with their own band, Vandals.
Subsequent line-ups of Abstrass would always feature this trio at its
core, the bassist now being the only floating factor. Performances at
Manoel Island, Rock Café, The Edge and the Rebel Riders festival in 2002
maintained the Abstrass tradition of sporadic but keenly expected (not
to mention well-attended) live performances, partly also due to Eric’s
particular vocal style and spur-of-the-moment onstage antics.
After a relatively long break, Abstrass, with bassist James (in-Nemlu)
on board, are all set to mark their return, namely with a live gig that
will take place at Signals Bar in Tal-Qroqq on Saturday 11 December. The
concert, the first of several that will also serve to promote the band’s
forthcoming debut CD, will also feature live performances from Riotous
Future and a rare appearance from Vandals, now known as Il-Vandals for
contractual reasons. Il-Vandals, sporting the original line-up – Ray
(Il-Bahri), Ray (Il-Hamiemu) and Mark (Il-Crusher), will be celebrating
their 20th ‘anniversary’ or as they would probably rather have it, 20
years of glorious musical mayhem.
Abstrass will be performing several tracks off their forthcoming CD,
which is strangely enough a concept album. Titled Hard to Understand,
the album revolves around the world of an ordinary individual’s struggle
to get through the day while trying to cope with all sorts of worries,
ranging from social injustice, spiritual tension and other impending
global issues. The CD will feature 5 new songs and 5 from Abstrass’
vintage repertoire, including Pope and I Wish I Never (Be…Exist), which
have been rearranged specifically for the album.
Recommended weblink:
www.reciprocalrecords.com
