The Anglo-Maltese band ĠENN are continuing to make their mark on the UK and European music scenes, with the band currently undertaking their longest tour to date.
The band, who relocated from Malta to the UK, have been steadily building an audience since establishing themselves on the British music scene. Their latest tour comprises 24 shows across Europe and the UK. It kicked off in Paris on 2 October and has taken them through Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy and England.
The tour will conclude on 26 November at The Joiners in Southampton.
For bassist Leanne Zammit, the decision to leave Malta was partly a practical one.
“It unfortunately wasn’t proving geographically practical to try to perform regularly across Europe and the UK from Malta,” Zammit explains. “We considered a few different countries and cities, and decided that being by the UK seaside would help us cope with the homesickness.”
Since relocating, ĠENN have worked to establish themselves within an unfamiliar music industry while maintaining the identity they developed in Malta.
“I’d like to think that we’ve done all right building connections with audiences and the industry alike within the UK,” Zammit says, while acknowledging that “every country’s music scene has its challenges.”
When asked about the band’s bond and dynamic, Zammit says:
“I’ve always considered us a well-oiled machine, both creatively and logistically. We’re all very engaged with ĠENN, and we know how to play to our strengths. I like to think that this allows all our individual characters to shine through while still keeping us cohesive as a single unit.”
On the band’s songwriting process, she explains:
“Everyone writes their own parts, but song structures and sections are sometimes workshopped in the room, or sent in advance by whoever comes up with the part that everyone else writes around.”
The band’s latest single, Jaguar Sun, was another example of that creative commitment.
Zammit describes the track as “a labour of love”, revealing that she stayed up all night recording parts for its demo before embarking on a 13-hour flight.
“It was the sort of writing process where you become completely drawn into analysing every instrumental detail,” she says.
The song explores themes of free will and features an unexpected collaboration with Aidan Moffat of Scottish indie rock duo Arab Strap.
“When the lyrical themes around the concept of free will were established, Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap felt like such a perfect fit. We’re still pinching ourselves that he agreed to get involved!”
Asked how ĠENN have evolved over the years, Zammit reflects on the relationship between their earlier work and more recent material.
“It’s been really interesting to observe the shift in tone over the years, actually. When you’ve been writing persistently since your teen years, it feels like you can see how certain emotions presented in such a raw fashion in earlier works. The part I find fascinating is that I still recognise those emotions in more recent work too — they’ve just gone through years of processing and introspection. I love that ĠENN has always been a means to define where our lives are at at that time.”
On the challenges of establishing themselves, Zammit says: “A lot of the challenges blend into each other, to be honest. When trying to get your foot in the door in a totally unfamiliar space as any type of minority, be it ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and so on, it feels like extra effort has to be made to prove yourself.”
Despite these challenges, Zammit says: “I will always say that the biggest reward is that being in ĠENN continues to be such a joy. It’s not an easy industry to navigate, so being able to continue to exist within it is a testament to our passion and dedication to each other, alongside the incredible support from our audience and the people we’ve worked with over the years.”
Asked what has been different about this tour compared with previous ones, Zammit says: “It’s been the longest one yet! It’s gone mostly smoothly thanks to our great team, but it’s definitely a test of stamina to keep the energy up.”
As for what’s next for ĠENN, Zammit leaves fans with a hint of what’s to come in the new year.
“All I can say is keep an eye out for us in 2027”
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