Chvrches, Passion Pit to headline GoodVybes music fest in February

International indie darlings Chvrches, Oh Wonder and Passion Pit are headlining the inaugural GoodVybes Music Festival happening next year, February 20, 2016 at the Aseana Open Grounds in Parañaque City. While Chvrches are previous Manila visitors, it’s the first time the other two acts are performing in the Philippines.

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No strangers to the concert production and promotions business, the organizers behind GoodVybes have staged successful shows in recent years, including Disclosure, cut/copy, Justice, Charli XCX and Chvrches’ first Manila outing in 2014. Perhaps taking a page out of the folks behind Wanderland, the other big local indie music festival which will stage its fourth edition next year, GoodVybes is promising audiences a full-on festival experience reminiscent of household names like Laneway in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, Clockenflapp in Hong Kong, and Coachella in the US.

So while music is the main ingredient, expect other attractions at the festival grounds including a Food Market to fill starving tummies, dipping pools to cool off in case the heat becomes too much to bear, a gaming tent to while away the time in between band sets, and a host of other gimmicks. Organizers also promise festival-wide (and hopefully fast and reliable) Wi-Fi to guests so they can post and upload their selfies instantaneously.

Still, many of those shelling out good money to buy tickets will do so to catch the musical acts. Chvrches, in particular, have proven to be a solid draw if their first show at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura is anything to go by. Thanks in no small part to the waifish charms of lead singer Lauren Mayberry, the Scottish act are the current toast of the indie music world, especially having recently released their second album Every Open Eye. The band are making a detour to Manila after their second go-around at Laneway 2016.

Oh Wonder, meanwhile, are what Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West call their alt-pop act. The British duo first gained notices after posting tracks on Souncloud last year. Their songs have since have racked up an average of 2.1 million streams on Spotify and their videos have logged close to four million views on YouTube.

Finally, Passion Pit’s inclusion in the lineup comes as a relief to his fans as the Massachussetts-based band that is essentially singer-songwriter Michael Angelakos was supposed to come to Manila in August this year, but the show was canceled due to health reasons. Angelakos grabbed headlines last month when he came out as gay soon after he split up with his wife.

Local acts will also get to share the stage with the foreigners, including Kjwan, Brigada, Brisom, Moonwlk, Assembly Generals, Mulan, Samantha Nicole, Pelvis Resley and the Sex Offender, and BP Valenzuela.

Tickets for the show are already on sale via TicketWorld: P7,500 for VIP, P5,500 for Gold, and P2,800 for Silver. For more information, visit vybeproductions.com or facebook.com/VybeMNL

Paul John Caña is a magazine writer and live music geek. He is also co-founder of libreto.org, an online collective of writers and artists. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana.