Party down the block
Heima, ‘Ang Nawawala’, Strike Back Attack, and your friendly neighborhood youth section Young Star came together for one block rockin’ event.
MANILA, Philippines - It could have been a total disaster. We were having problems with the sound — that is to say, there was no sound coming out from the speakers outside, so the hipsters who couldn’t fit themselves inside Heima’s store, where Toti Dalmacion was spinning an epic all-vinyl set, sat outside bored and idly drinking the free beer. Then the beer ran out. And then for the first time in the history of gigs, we were actually running 30 minutes early, which meant that we had to find a way to entertain the crowd while waiting for Ebe Dancel to arrive from another show. Towards the end of the night, Daydream Cycle’s long-awaited reunion looked like it wasn’t going to happen because they couldn’t seem to hear each other properly during their sound check.
But we stopped worrying for a second and took a moment to acknowledge the 300-plus attendees that had spilled out onto the street. We did it. It was a real block party and everyone was there.
Eventually the speakers started working and everyone who was too young to experience the glory of Groove Nation got schooled by Toti. After, Pulso opened the rock show with a pulsing set.
Boboy Garrovillo hijacked Jazz Nicolas and Kelvin Yu’s set and performed APO’s Ano Ang Ibig Mong Sabihin and the moment was so magical, we almost forgot that we had an empty 30 minutes to fill. But miraculously, Ebe Dancel arrived much earlier than expected and performed Sugarfree’s heart-wrenching, unreleased track Cuida before inviting Boboy again onstage, this to perform APO’s Batang-Bata Ka Pa and Sugarfree’s Hari Ng Sablay. Boboy would later admit that he never even rehearsed with anyone before the show. Before anybody could wipe the tears out of their eyes, Pedicab took the stage and played the only set that had audiences moshing. The hushed crowd that patiently waited for Daydream to finish their soundcheck stood beside themselves as they listened to songs that they hadn’t heard performed live in nearly a decade. On top of that, Hannah+Gabi laid down a soft but stirring set with Outerhope, and Tarsius shut it down as they laid down the tracks that had people dancing until the end of the night.
Eventually the booze quandary was solved by Toff De Venecia and Ralph Mendoza who left to go on a booze run, funded by some contingency money and Marie Jamora’s generosity. Marie stayed behind, grinning from ear to ear as she and Cynthia Bauzon-Arre, the artist who designed the jacket of the Ang Nawawalang Soundtrack, signed peoples’ records, along award-winning scorers Mikey Amistoso, Jazz Nicolas and Diego Mapa. Even members from the cast of Ang Nawawala, like Annicka Dolonius, Dominic Roco, Alchris Galura and Bogs Jugo signed records and took photos with fans. In the end, the event that we had been planning for months worked itself out. It was a celebration of music and vinyl and everybody went home drunk and happy.
The Brixton Block Party was brought to you by Heima, YoungStar and Strike Back Attack. Special thanks to Marshall Headphones, Powerbeat Light & Sounds, MexiKombi, Terno Recording, and San Miguel Beer. The Ang Nawawalang Soundtrack would not be possible without the following RockEd, Blanc Galleries, The Grey Market, Roughcutblender.com and Heima.
