MANILA, Philippines - The stage was set last Saturday afternoon. Even the schizophrenic weather — three parts rainy, one part cloudy, and one part sunny — couldn’t stop the ebb and flow of well-wishers and supporters as they weaved their way to the roof deck of Aracama at The Fort Strip, past 2 p.m. for an afternoon of cocktails, light listening, and good conversation over some well-paced, chill-out music.
The event, hosted by Young STAR’s Toff de Venecia and Ralph Mendoza, kicked off with beats by rising DJ SuperMikki, followed by live acoustic sets by up-and-coming acts She’s Only Sixteen, Eyedress, Don’t Bogart the Can… Man (the musical alter-ego of indie band The Strangeness) and Miki Hahn whose collaboration with singer Idris Vicuña of Eyedress and soulful stylings prompted guests to demand encores from the former.
After Miki’s renditions of Alicia Keys’ Fallin’ and Etta James’ At Last, which she sang victoriously a cappella, the festivities segued well into nightfall which culminated with SuperMikki’s mashup of ‘90s throwback and high-octane hip-hop. The stereophonic shot Scene & Herd into full throttle as guests found themselves singing along and dancing their hearts out to toast the event’s overwhelming success and what’s in store for Young STAR in 2013.
To add to the festivities, photographer Gabby Cantero brought back her famed Daylight Portraits, which has of Gabby’s personal project a cult following over the years. Setting up shop by Aracama’s ledge overlooking The Fort’s skyline, it was a sight for sore eyes to see the young photographer and her flair for daylight portraiture back in full swing.
Seen at “Scene†were the likes of top model and “It†girl Georgina Wilson, Young STAR columnist Raymond Gutierrez as well as publishing professionals from across the board — with editors from Esquire (Jonty Cruz and Ramon De Veyra), Preview (Anna Canlas and Karen Bolilia), Mega (Patrick Galang), Candy (Sam Potenciano), Status (Dan Buenaventura, Gio Dionisio) and so on, joining in on the festivities. Also present were designers Martin Bautista and Stacy Rodriguez, YStyle’s Cai Subijano and Supreme’s David Milan.
As the smorgasbord of scenesters, culture vultures, fashionistas, models, indie lovers and industry savants transformed the afternoon into something beyond your typical kind of HOHOL, it became clear that “Scene & Herd†was a celebration of the youth and their passions minus the bull — an homage to 17 years of Young STAR.