Guze' Stagno interviews Dripht for "Manic! Magazine" 3rd October 2004
www.guzestagno.com

"The Gang of Four"

Guze' Stagno

It has been a hectic year so far for Dripht - changes in personnel, the recording of their debut EP and release of first single, Mark Barnsley, possibly the most exciting Maltese song since the Rifff’s Dance Music For the 80’ Depression. Guze Stagno goes to see what the fuss is all about.

Dripht, as far as individual members go, is one of the most memorable local bands in a long time. There is Mike Briguglio on drums, a well-known political activist and probably the greatest drummer this country has produced in the last 20 years. Then there is Fre, the one with the pimp’s fedora; a cool bassist in the Paul Simonon mould. Lanky guitarist El Flambo (not his real name, we hope), is the new arrival. And on vocals, looking like an Alabhama trucker and sounding like Sting during The Police’s cod-reggae hey-day, is Nicky Morales.

I caught up with Dripht some days after their Farsons Beer Festival appearance. It was one of the first outings featuring El Flambo, who has recently replaced founder-member Patrick Galea. The guy looks a bit like a young John Taylor (though thankfully we have been spared the mullet haircut…) and promises to become the punk scene’s pin-up boy of choice. The set list included all the songs from the EP and a couple of Clash cover versions which went down a treat with the punks who were moshing beneath the stage. The highlights were undoubtedly their dubby take on Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, and of course this summer’s tormentone, Mark Barnsley.

The latter, whose lyrics relate the real story of a Sheffield man jailed unjustly for trying to defend himself during a brawl, has been getting massive (and by Maltese standards, I mean massive) airplay on local stations since its release some months ago.

Bearing in mind that Patrick Galea was the band’s main songwriter, penning most of the songs on the EP, I ask the guys whether songwriting will dip now that he is gone.

The band, while agreeing that Patrick was one of Dripht’s greatest assets, certainly don’t think so. Mike says: ‘Since the release of the EP we have already written a new track - 'Guy On TV' - with new guitarist El Flambo, and more are in the pipeline.

Obviously, there will be some stylistic differences. El Flambo tends to be influenced by the alternative and funk genres, while Patrick had more of a punky-reggae ambient feel. But then again, the other 3 band members - Nick, Fre and I, have remained the same, and the 3 of us exert our influence in the songwriting process.’

Rumour has it, I say, that Patrick was actually kicked out of the band due to his receding hairline. I am assured that this is not the case. The official version is that the split happened due to differences in opinion as regards the band's present and future strategy’, yet Dripht stress that it was an amicable parting and some members will collaborate with their old comrade on a new project.

Speaking of comrades, Dripht are one of the most politically vocal bands around. All band members are, or have been, active in various pressure groups. Briguglio in particular has had his fair share of hunger strikes and anti-globalisation protests. A mainstay of Moviment Graffiti for years, he was also involved with AD, eventually being elected as councillor for Sliema. I comment on ‘Malta not For Sale’, a song written by him in the late nineties for his old band, Norm Rejection. The track is now featuring in Dripht’s set. Isn’t it sad, I suggest, that half a decade later the lyrics about corporate ‘hallelin bil-glekk’ are still so depressingly valid?

Mike agrees: ‘Beyond the EU issue, Malta is still being sold to multinational corporations, land speculators and big business in general. Tax evaders keep doing as they please and power is structurally concentrated in a few hands.... Hence, 'Inqumu mir-raqda, Malta Not For Sale' remains a valid slogan and the banner is now being raised by Dripht.’

But does the average Dripht fan give a toss about political issues, or do they go to gigs just to get pissed and pogo a bit?

Morales has this to say: ‘I think a lot of them do. Most of our fans are involved in NGO’s such as Moviment Graffiti, Move etc anyway, but at the end of the day people attend concerts to pogo, get pissed and have fun with the music. And although we write about a lot of issues which are political and serious, we still try to give a happy vibe through the music. Hopefully, the fans can think about the issues properly when they buy the CD and read the lyrics. It might even make them want to do their own research and thus they can find out what we’re talking about.’

As regards future plans, Dripht are about to take a well-deserved break. After that, it’s back to work: writing new material, getting tighter as a band, and gigging as frequently as possible. Expect new material sometime next year. In the meantime, check out their website, www.dripht.com , and that of their label, www.reciprocalrecords.com for updated information.

The last question I ask is directed to Morales. His father, Teleshopping legend Mario, is a regular fixture at Dripht gigs. What does the housewives’ favourite TV salesman think of his son’s music?

‘My dad always gave me 100% support, especially in music. We are both big music lovers and he likes our music. At least that’s what he tells me. So I guess he does enjoy it and respect it. My mum supports me a lot too, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank my parents for the great support they always gave me.’