New concert series from Wanderland producers features Honne, Anderson .Paak, Tom Misch and more

When local concert promoter Karpos — best known for Wanderland — decided to launch a new live concert series, they turned to two of the brightest new talents in OPM today: Reese Lansangan and Tom’s Story.

Both have been around for years and have become fixtures in the local gig circuit, amassing a sizable number of fans, many of whom turned up one rainy night in early June at the Vertis Tent in Quezon City.

As it turns out, the two local indie acts are only the first blast in Karpos’ slate of live shows, which is known as — surprise surprise — Karpos Live. 

The events is hoping the monthly live music series will be an opportunity for fans to get up close and personal with their musical heroes, whether they’re from here or abroad.

“Karpos Live is about bringing both homegrown and international acts in one stage in a more intimate venue,” said Karpos chairperson and head honcho Steph Uy. “We also wanted to create a platform for homegrown talents to play full sets in the same quality stage as international artists. This is every artist’s own show—a performance solely for music plus the audience.”

Up next for Karpos Live is a pair of international acts, one a returning favorite—Honne—and the other a first-time visitor—Anderson .Paak—coming this July.

Honne is a familiar name for Filipino music fans as they were one of the standout acts during Wanderland 2017. The London-based duo comprised of James Hatcher and Andrew Clutterbuck produce buzzy, finger-snapping, toe-tapping electronic dance-pop. They just released new music off of their upcoming record, so fans are in for fresh material since their much-applauded Wanderland set.

Meanwhile, Anderson .Paak needs no introduction. The Korean-American’s star has been burning bright since his debut called Venice dropped in 2014. Mixing soul, rap and R&B, the artist is an intensely enthusiastic and charismatic live performer.

I saw him at Laneway in Singapore earlier this year and it was one my favorite sets of the whole show. It’d be interesting to experience his energy in a relatively smaller venue.

As if this show wasn’t enough, Karpos has also followed up with two more shows in the Karpos Live series in the coming months. Mix 2.1 happens in August, with British phenomenon Tom Misch making his Manila debut alongside Australian electronic indie act Vancouver Sleep Clinic.

And then, in October, Mix 2.2 features back-to-back long sets from local indie music heroes Clara Benin and Ben&Ben.

There’s no shortage of live music events—big or small, local or foreign—happening over the next few months, but this series definitely deserves serious attention. — LA, GMA News

Tickets for the Honne and Anderson .Paak show, which happen on July 24, 2018, are at Php3,850 exclusive of 7% ticket service charge. Tom Misch and Vancouver Sleep Clinic happen on August 23, while Clara Benin and Ben & Ben is on October 6. All shows are at Vertis Tent in Vertis North, Quezon City. For more information, visit www.karposlive.com

Paul John Caña is a writer and live music geek. Check out his blog manontheotherside.blogspot.com. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana