B.N.I. : ON AND ON...
February 2007
“You won’t see me wasting time” is the opening line from Second
Thoughts, the third track off BNI’s most recent album, On And On. The
line could easily pass off as a motto of sorts for this energetic
three-piece; an underlying slogan that has accompanied them ever since
the band’s core members – Mammal and Kinnie – decided to have a bash at
punk music by way of Sham 69’s The Kids Are United almost 15 years ago!
On 1999’s Ilsien Pajjizi, a pummelling album of brash punk with a local
flavour, they did away with the old Punk’s Not Dead cliché but the band
really came of age with Force Majeur, a project that reflected a broader
musical vision and technique underneath the power and the energy.
Their latest – released last December – pretty much picks up where Force
Majeur left off – flaunting BNI’s punk roots from the get-go as opener
Before The Flame Dies and Sine Qua Non display only too well. There is
however enough space for their engaging musical outlook to flourish and
evolve, and the more recent reggae inflections manifest themselves as
much in the ska-injected Shadows, undeniably a moshpit favourite, as
they do on the dub-heavy Play Dead. Second Thoughts, on the other hand
blends the genres; a sure sign of BNI’s ability to translate their
influences into original, vibrant tunes that have made them, not only
one of Malta’s top punk acts but also one of its liveliest and most
invigorating! Make sure not to miss their much-loved cover of Johnny
Cash’s Ring of Fire, included here a s a hidden track!
Recommended weblink:
www.myspace.com/bnimalta
