Music review: Everything indie at Fête de la Musique

Rain and a big crowd in an open-air space do not make a very pleasant combination, and they are things to anticipate during every Fête de la Musique in Manila. While this music festival is held at the start of summer in most cities that celebrate it, our side of the world joins in right at the start of the rainy season. But people brave the expected rain and crowd because it remains one of the best festivals we have in the country today.

I do not go every year, but I’ve been to a number of memorable ones: in El Pueblo 10 years ago (significant, because it was my first Fête ever), and the one in Eastwood City, when one of the stages collapsed due to the rain.

This year, I’d wanted to go to two stages—first was the World Stage in Café Curieux in Makati for a chill night (as well as a roof, in case it rains, because every year it almost always does), or the main stage in Intramuros for the art installations and street performances, but decided to go to a the genre closest to my heart—the indie stage.

Fête 2014 indie stage

By the time I got to the 12 Monkeys bar in the newly-built Century Mall in Makati City, it was already packed. The crowd was getting thicker for instrumental band Earthmover—that local band I cannot seem to shut up about—followed by Pitik and Identikit.  

The first thing that came into mind when Electro pop/synth pop band Autotelic started playing was: clean; the band’s skilled instrumentation is exciting and refreshing. Vocalist/guitarist Josh Villena’s voice reassures without being overbearing, and the fact that all the songs are in Filipino makes them a lot more powerful. They performed their hit “Misteryoso” to the excitement of old and new fans alike, but the one I enjoyed the most was new track “Dahilan.”

I introduced myself to Villena after the event, and I found out that they’re releasing their second EP with new member Kai Honasan sometime in August or September. They will also be releasing a lyric video (similar to that of “Misteryso”) for “Balik,” their latest single. I also asked him if he is related to the great composer/musical director Mel Villena, and he proudly replied, “Tatay ko!” Talent does run in the blood.

There were also number of bands I wanted to catch but didn’t—one of them is tide/edit, which reminded me of Japanese band Toe. Aside from really excellent posters and creative album releases (their digital album “Foreign Languages” is a USB cassette), they’re also one of the best post-rock groups in the country today. Some of the most notable songs form “Foreign Languages” in include “HAIYAN,” “Nicholas,” “Technicolor,” and “I’m Angry Too.”

Pocket stages

I didn’t get the idea of having separate locations at first, but looking at this year’s event, I understood why organizers opted for spreading the events in different areas. Having the event in a place like Eastwood or El Pueblo won’t work anymore. The indie stage alone was already packed—getting one beer was no small feat.  

The pocket stages in Makati were easy to navigate. I know some people who were able to easily drop by most of the stages—from B-Side in Malugay Street (rock stage) to H&J in Felipe Street (blues, soul, funk stage) to Bel Air (world stage), to La Fuerza (house party stage), and so on. I reckon taking a tricycle, walking, or driving to these stages are way better than walking through a sea of sweaty people in a dense, single location.

The event was organized by NDFY, a website that showcases new independent Filipino music. I learned about this website last year, during the Sync: Music + Tech event, where local start-ups were given the chance to introduce their companies. To those like me who was not able to see all the bands at the festival, or to those who want more, this is the site to visit.

Fête de la Musique showed me that there are a lot of new acts to look watch out for. It did rain that day, but as in previous years, it did not disrupt all the incredible music that echoed from Intramuros to Makati, from afternoon till dawn. While watching at the 12 Monkeys stage, I looked at the people I was with and realized that these were most of the friends I went to my first Fête with 10 years ago. Hopefully we’d still be around for 10 more—by which time I hope the bands that played this year would be enjoying a larger following and much of the success they deserve. — BM, GMA News