ABOUT THE BAND

Bitterside, founded in 2000, is an alternative, indie, pop band composed of four members, all coming from Malta. Daniel Genius is the vocalist/bass, J.J. Galea on lead guitars, Alexei Sammut on rhythm guitars and Kenneth Vella on the drums. Since releasing their debut album Somehow Different in 2004, Bitterside have carved out quite a profile for themselves in Europe from winning awards in the Mediterranean and topping the radio charts to playing the Planet venue in Vienna. 
Then, in true Rock’n’Roll style things took a turn for the worse and tension ripped through the band as their future musical direction caused an epic fallout. It spelled the end for Bitterside, who had begun to take their band name literally, but remarkably all was saved by a song penned by frontman Daniel. The track was called "Shutters" and displayed a much matured emotional side to Daniel's songwriting that inspired the band to once again pull together and concentrate on producing the music the best they could. This marked a new era for Bitterside, and the emotional drive behind Shutters became the basis of their new sound. Described as anthemic by a growing fan base, it wasn't uncommon at this stage in the band's career for them to play the song up to three times in one show to satisfy the crowd's demands which included playing major events like the P1 Power Boat Grand Prix, the XFM Music festival and the Fete de la Musique Festival.
By 2009, Bitterside sound has evolved into something altogether more polished. The band signed a contract with the label Hyperphonica in 2009. The debut UK release of single ‘Start Again’ in January 2010 still clearly displays the guitar based backbone of the band whilst the production and arrangement gives it all the studio sheen it needs to sit comfortably in today's charts. In the words of Daniel, ‘Start Again’ is a lament about not getting what you deserve, being close to losing the person you love, difficult situations - all part of a melancholic, sad mood. The album is like a journey in different aspects of a particular mood and ‘Start Again’ contains these bitter words that are sweetened by a sing-along melody. If their track record is anything to go by the slick vocal melodies and instant hooks of Start Again will soon be taking the UK by storm, and this is just the beginning.
Unfortunately, by late 2010, things were not going very well in the Bitterside camp. Partly, the label had failed to reach the goals it had in mind even though the band was putting a lot of demos on the table. This time it was really tension. The band went into a hiatus in December 2010.
Fast forward to 2020, as soon as the pandemic hit, the band gets in touch and decides to regroup. This time with the addition of a new member, Alexei Sammut on Rhythm Guitars. The band's intention is to publish the previous works and release material which remained on the shelve for the past years. Bitterside's comeback release is planned for January 2022 while future releases will continue thereafter.