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Rock band No Snow No Alps
The 22nd of January 2008 saw the local band nosnow/noalps head off to Copenhagen, Denmark to play two live shows. Travelling to Copenhagen was quite a mission, and we couldn’t have done it without the help of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA). We first caught a plane to Bremen, Germany then ventured onwards to Copenhagen by train, which lasted for 6 hours - a trip over land and sea (yes, the train actually got on a ferry). By 11pm we arrived at our destination, where we were greeted by Louise, Jesper and Lars Peter (promoters and members of Johnny Luger). Although we were all tired from the long day travelling we couldn’t resist not going round the beautiful city of Copenhagen that same night.
Our first show was on the 24th January with Johnny Luger at the Christianshavns Beboerhus, a pub which was literally 30 seconds away from where we were staying, which made it easier for us to get to, and of course, to take carry our equipment over for sound check. The gig kicked off with Johnny Luger playing a really tight set with really great sing along tunes. Next we were on. Nosnow/noalps gave a great performance making our ‘rehearsal, everyday for 3 weeks’ before we left for Denmark, worthwhile. The gig itself was great, the vibe was a relaxed one and everyone, especially the band, enjoyed it.
Although the performance was a good one, the next morning we all woke up discussing what could have gone better, because although our show was probably one of best ones yet, there’s always room for improvement. We only had a couple of hours till our next live gig and once 6pm hit, we left for Hatten Bar, a bar right next to a school dormitory. This time we were performing alone, so once our equipment was set up and soundcheck was done, we had an hour or so to relax backstage…this is were we met Martin! Martin randomly knocked on the backstage door asking if he could hang out with us for a while as he was early for the show. We didn’t mind at all, especially once we realised he was wearing a Maltese football jersey!!! He spent most of his night with us, explaining how he loves Malta and invited us over to his room in the dormitory to see how much of a Maltese fanatic he was. We couldn’t miss out on something like this. For the band, all of this was all abit surreal. So off we went to his room, which was just as he had said, full of Maltese flags and ornaments. All in all, he was a really nice guy, and meeting someone who was so interested in Malta and our culture just made this experience for nosnow/noalps, all the more enjoyable. The gig itself went great. The crowd really got into the music, the dancefloor was packed with students, a couple of which turned up in monkey costumes which really livened up the show. Nosnow/noalps tried to interact with the crowd as much as possible, passing on the microphones so they could sing along to our songs, and having a chat with them once everything was over.
The feedback from the Danish people was great, and this has pushed the band all the more to return to our second home - the garage - to start writing new material and making sure our current set list is as tight as ever. Nosnow/noalps, couldn’t have done all this without the help and support from the MTA. Not only have we learned abit more abut the Danish culture and their way of living but we have managed to promote Malta, very favourably, through our music. And thanks to the MTA we managed to get our music out there, and for this we are forever grateful.
