Alternative music lovers in Malta have a new weekly show full of professionally-filmed performances to look forward to… and it’s already got some of the island’s biggest acts lined up.

Il-Medda tal-Ħoss has been a long time coming, but now that the new show – which is airing every Tuesday at 9pm on both Smash TV and YouTube – has landed, it’s promising weekly recorded performances the likes of which the island desperately needs.

Presented by Michael Bugeja (who himself has been a staple in the scene for a couple of decades), the 30-minute music show showcases live sets by Malta’s alternative and indie bands.

Last week saw the show kick things off in style with The Areola Treat, one of the scene’s most popular bands of the last decade. Tomorrow, it’s all set to continue with the similarly iconic Beangrowers.

Il-Medda tal-Ħoss is quickly turning out to be a perfect love letter to a small and often overlooked scene in Malta… and there was no better person to head the project than someone who knows the struggle all too well.

“Those were some of the best days of my life, musically,” musician, sound engineer and show producer Emerson Vella told Lovin Malta of the show. “I used to engineer a lot of shows at Coach & Horses back in the day, and my life had a soundtrack I could listen to and see unfolding in real time. It was a blessing to work with those bands in the scene.”

“Unfortunately, venues closed down and the scene grew smaller and smaller, except for some big events throughout the year,” Emerson continued, telling the story many Maltese musicians know all too well. “Now, there aren’t any weekly gigs and a homebase devoted to the scene.”

“This is my ‘thank you’ to the scene and the music that made my life so rich, and my way to give a little bit back. The scene deserves so much more and we have so much to offer.”

“Hopefully, being on YouTube, it won’t help just locally, but also abroad too,” Emerson continued, ahead of another hyped episode tomorrow featuring the late 90s local legends Beangrowers.

“I am very lucky to be working with Neville Attard, who is the director and editor of the show, and without him I could not have come up with such a solid-looking production,” Emerson continued. “I really believe in these bands, and I think in 2020 it’s about time we start looking at these artists who have shaped the local landscape, as locally they get overlooked quite often and have so much to offer to the international scene. Presentation is really important, especially when competing with similar shows online, and I think Neville really nailed it.”

“This is a project I’ve been dreaming of for the last few years, and after so much work, an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (perfect timing) and all the arts at pretty much a standstill, it’s time for release,” Emerson had told his friends and followers ahead of the show’s first episode last week. “I don’t ever remember being this excited about anything, I kid you not.”

The second episode of Il-Medda tal-Ħoss airs tomorrow, Tuesday 14th July.

It’s all set to go live on Smash TV and YouTube at 9pm.

And while future bands will only be unveiled days ahead of their episodes airing, Emerson has teased a solid line-up of 13 of the biggest names in the scene.

If you’re still tempted to know which bands made the cut, though, the initial teaser announcing the arrival of Il-Medda tal-Ħoss has some recognisable faces for anyone familiar with the scene.

Il-Medda tal-Ħoss is an Illumina Media Services production, executively produced by Smash Communications. This project is supported by the KulturaTV Funding Programme – Arts Council Malta.

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