PASSIONS I LIFE THE UNDISCOVERED PARTY ISLANDS THE BEST DJS THE GREATEST CLUBS ALT.MALTA B LEEDING-EDGE ART & GRAVEYARD GIGS; THESPIAN HERITAGE & DELAP-CHIC HOT FASHION ME DITERRANEAN DRAMA WITH A FIERCE HIPSTER SPIN CULTURE CLUBBING C ARAVAGGIO & COURTESANS; 7000 YEARS IN THIRTY MINUTES ISLE OF MTV THE EPIC FREE PARTY THIS YEAR HEADLINED BY KELIS, KID ROCK & SCISSOR SISTERS! CONTENTS 04/ INTRODUCTION 06/ THE ISLANDS 08/ TICKET TO RIDE 11/ THE UNDISCOVERED PARTY ISLAND 12/ MALTA MUSIC WEEK 14/ NIGHT LIVES 16/ VENUES 20/ CULTURE CLUBBING 28/ 10 MINUTE HISTORY LESSON 30/ ALT.MALTA 36/ GOZO/COMINO 38/ CUISINE 42/ PEOPLE ALEXANDRA PACE CHARLES & RON CHASING PANDORA KRIS MICALLEF IRA LOSCO 50/ FASHION STORY:LAZY DAZE 66/ RESOURCES MASTHEAD/ PUBLISHED BY M USIC HQ MEDIA AGENCY [email protected] IN ASSOCIATION WITH TEMLH A TA TOURISM AUTHORITY WWW M .VISIT ALTA.COM ALL CREATIVE WORK BY & © THE MHQMA CREATIVE TEAM EDITED BY MICHAEL C LEWIN ART DIRECTION / HIDDEN AGENCY DESIGN / THOMASIN ARNOLD-BAKER THANKS / HEIDI DRUMMOND / CARINA DIMECH / ALEXIA MAGGI /ALEX INCORVAJA / CLIVE CORTIS / SEB LAW / BILL H / ED BREAKENRIDGE / AIR MALTA All rights reserved throughout the world. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Music HQ Ltd. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this publication at time of print; however, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors it may contain nor those contained on external third party resources. The views expressed are those of the editorial team and are not necessarily those of the publishers. I NSPIRED BY AND IN LOVE WITH THE BEAUTIFUL ARCHIPELAGO IN THE HEART OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, MALTA LIVE isB A RAND NEW PRINT AND DIGITAL MUSIC, FASHION AND CULTURE MAGAZINE LED BY THE DRIVING PRINCIPLE LIVE THAT TODAY WE WANT TO alta is a young and bubbly country with 7000 COMBINE THE E UPHORIA OF M years of history; it’s home to the beautiful, PARTYING A WBROAD ITH THE the crazy creatives and the leading lights of a new generation eager for change, but also to the perfect SOUL-TICKLING GOODNESS OF stillness of aeons of history and the calm of stunning CU ULT RAL ENDEAVOURS. architecture. Best of all, it’s home to one of the WeWN A T TO ENJOY THE HEADY, most euphoric club scenes in the world, three tiny FULSOME, EXCITED LIVES WE islands rammed with up-for-it locals, amazing open LEAD IN CITIES AND ON CITY air venues and host to the best and biggest DJs and BREAKS; BUT WE WANT A artists around. For anyone who loathes the wasted GORGEOUS CLIMATE AND A days of other Med party holidays where you sit and KINDER PACE. recover and wait for the next adventure, Malta will seem like salvation. Malta Live shows you what to dream of doing; we’ll also show you how to get there this summer. 04 CULTURE CLUBBING / THE UNDISCOVERED PARTY ISLAND ALT.MALTA MALTA LIVE ONLINE I t’s the blissful and on the beach and then There’s no better cure MLIVEA TA L can be read perfect combination getting ready to hit a for what ails you after a online at of sun, sea and and a fresh town for a few long night’s party than WWW.MALTALIVE.CO.UK, smattering of tunes drinks and a late night to be out and doing. We where you’ll find a that make for the of banging tunes in the can’t enthuse enough cutting edge digital perfect party island. fresh air. Malta and her about the variety on offer version of this magazine, There’s nothing quite sister islands, Gozo in this compact little along with scores of like coming back from and Camino, have all place: 7,000EARS Y amazing benefits, such a sun-drenched day’s of this in spades. And OF HISTORY can be as: exploration, gentle it’s not just a few tiny taken in ten minutes; a grazing on some fresh basements and some 30 minute drive can see DOWNLOADABLE MIXES seafood, or just lazing bottles of cheap beer; you go from bustling Malta’s clubbing scene cosmopolitan Valletta, EVENT REACTION – VIDEOS & PHOTOS features top-rate venues with its TRIVINGH INTERACTIVE HOLIDAY PLANNING and stellar artist line- ARTS SCENE and ups to rival the biggest ASNISHINGTO REGULARLY UPDATED LIVE LISTINGS cities in the world. MALTA ARCHITECTURE, to FOR THE SUMMER SEASON MUSIC WEEK is the the other end of the INTERACTIVE FLASH ARTWORKS Mediterranean island’s island, where you might showcase event, with enjoy fantasies of REGULAR NEW INTERVIEWS AND input from big players Mediterranean noble FEATURES like MINISTRY OF SOUND, living in the PALAZ Z O Get live with CREAMFIELDS and ISLE PARISIO, the mini- WWW.MALTALIVE.CO.UK OF MTV, but there’s Versailles. It’s the life FOLLOWS U HERE: plenty of events across you love to lead in your the season to keep your cities or on city breaks, WWWTI . W T ER.COM/MaltaLive summer as blissed out but with clubs and sun as possible. Turn to thrown in. Oh yeah, and WWW.MALTALIVE.TUMBLR.COM out Nightlife section to some ANGMAZI FOOD, discover more. too. But what will you wear? Our gorgeous shoot shows you how to enjoy a LAD ZY AZE. A QUICK INTRODUCTION TO THE ISLANDS GOZO Wi TH ALL THE ISLANDS’ JOYS AVAILABLE WITHIN A SHORT DISTANCE OF EACH OTHER, YOU’LL GET TO KNOW AND LOVE IT QUICKLY. HERE ARE SOME VICTORIA QUICK POINTERS ABOUT WHERE TO GO. MGARR 1 2 VALLETTA THREE CITIES Malta’s capital is its cultural hub and a Across the Grand Harbour from Valletta are Renaissance city as beautiful as any in the the Three Cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Mediterranean, built by the Knights after their Cospicua. Their streets are settled with the victory over the Ottoman Turks. From derelict quiet peace of history, narrow cobbled streets chic backstreets to grand palaces, the city contained within the fortified walls indicative has it all, as well as art centre St James of their status as first line of defence Cavalier. Designed as a grid, on main drag against the Ottomans. They have a pleasantly Republic Street you’ll see shopkeepers stopping mature wine bar culture in the evenings and to chat with locals as the world meanders by, are perfect for strolls to enjoy traditional shopping. At night, it is appealingly calm, Maltese character. with vibrant theatre and wine bar culture. 3 4 ST JULIAN’S & PACEVILLE SLIEMA If Valletta is Malta’s heart, St Julian’s is Sliema is Malta’s modern face, a bustling its party-hard soul. Nightlife centre Paceville seaside town crammed with cafes, restaurants bounces every night to 4am with bars for and shops, including the just-opened hyper- someone of every taste, the streets rippling modern Tigne Point shopping complex. From its with happy pretty people. Gorgeous restaurants rocky beaches and cafes you can look out to the cover the peninsula’s coastline, which itself Mediterranean or across the bay to see Valletta offers beautiful views of quaint boathouses church domes in dramatic silhouette. The main and blue waters. Most important of all is the reason for visiting Sliema, though, is for that atmosphere, a fresh, young, modern vibe which taste of modern living and all its attendant happily compliments the gorgeous antiquity commercial pleasures: great food and good elsewhere. clothes shopping. 5 6 MDINA & RABAT GOZO & COMINO ‘Silent City’ Mdina is an ancient town enclosed Gozo and Comino are Malta’s tranquil sister by bastions, today protecting the historical islands. Gozo’s landscape is beautiful, and architectural treasures it contains in its dotted with churches and villages clustered narrow, winding streets. Blink and you’ll miss around them. It’s capital, Victoria, has the the delightful restaurants tucked away in its Cittadella, an astonishing medieval fortified alleys. Rabat sits next to it, with fantastic town, sitting up the hill above it and offering wine bars and cafes, both on top of a hill views of the entire island’s expanse of rolling near the island’s centre, offering unparalleled hills. Comino’s deep azure lagoon is one of the views of the whole Maltese countryside in every most breathtaking in the Med. Both islands are direction. filled with the pleasures of a Mediterranean lifestyle seemingly lost in the distant past; a rural, slow, passive life, soaked with sun and 06 stillness. GOZO 6 VICTORIA MALTA 6 MGARR COMINO 9 8 10 MELLIEHA MALTA 3 4 5 1 RABAT ValLetta 2 LUQA MARSAXLOKK 7 OTHER NOTABLES 7 BLUERO G TTO An amazing cave to the south of the island with dazzling deep blue waters. 8 POPEYE VILLAGE The full village set built for the 80s Hollywood Popeye film stands here in all its glory. Hilarious, and an amazing location for a party. 9 PARADISE BAY The best place to see a sunset on the island, looking out east across the Mediterranean and with Gozo and Comino up to the north. 10 BUGGIBA The largest resort area in the island is rammed with bars, hotels and apartment complexes. Lively in season. Nearby St Paul’s Bay is beautiful and has great wine bars. TICKET TO RIDE andwiched between the southern tip of Europe S and the northern tip of Africa, the three islands that comprise the Maltese archipelago (Malta, Gozo and Comino) are a hop, skip and a jump away – or just a 3-hour flight if you prefer.