From Worth to South: Your next-door indie scene

It wasn’t the typical Saturday night in The Backyard Food Truck Community. For once, some familiar faces from the Philippine indie scene graced the humble makeshift stage and sang their hearts out for the Dasmariñas indie fans. The crowd was packed with DLSU-D students who were out for a solid night out away from the stress of the weekdays. We had the opportunity to have a quick chat with two of the four main acts, Reese Lansangan and Ben&Ben, on their take on performing for the South scene.

 

Gig grounds

With a ticket worth P250 for four bands and seven opening acts, The Backyard Food Truck Community had a surprisingly low-key atmosphere from the moment one entered the venue. Surrounded by three different food trucks serving almost everything from burgers to ramen, you definitely didn’t find yourself getting hungry, although getting slightly tipsy from the free drink that came with the ticket.

Welcoming the crowd, the opening acts, John Marcelo, Jose Mojica (our very own BGM professor from DLSU-D), Gene Herrera, Laiza Costelo, Denice Griarte, and Salve Dalmacio (a third year DLSU-D student of AB COM) started to get the audience in the mood. Soon enough, the main acts got down to fire up the night. At one point, Lions & Acrobats even had a short duet with Reese Lansangan to the crowd’s delight. Reese Lansangan sang favorites such as A Song About Space, Home, and even some tunes from her latest EP, Of Sound Mind and Memory such as For the Fickle and Wildwood. She closed off her set with the classic favorite, St. Petersburg. For the last performance of the night, Ben&Ben opened with the always stunning Ride Home, followed by Leaves, Branches, and even some of their newly-released songs.

RK Productions representative Laiza Costela shared that it was a completely spontaneous event, starting with the simple hashtag “#TheSunManagerGoesToCavite” until it all fell together to make the event possible. She also shared that it was a welcome surprise that the South crowd is a whole lot tamer compared to the North crowd who are the regular goers of the city gigs. However, she still stands firm with how many “superfans” there are in the local indie scene, from North to South.

 

Reese and the Bens

It’s not a surprise to know that most local indie gigs are held up North, making From Worth to South a new achievement for budding indie fans and curious listeners alike. After their respective sets, Reese Lansangan and Ben&Ben took the time to tell us what it was like with the change in location.

Reese Lansangan shared that her Lasallian fan were one of the factors for choosing the South location, because a lot of fans study in the University, “I think in any event naman na nandyan yung mga super fans ng indie, super astig parin ng reception.” She also shared that she personally liked The Backyard Food Truck Community because of her friends running the venue and reception of the crowd. Aside from the cooler weather, the biggest difference for her is the distance and the travel time, “but it’s super worth it naman.”

With Ben&Ben, as it was their first time performing in The Backyard Food Truck Community and specifically in Dasmariñas, mentioned that the South has a certain “special energy” because of the fans being truly familiar with their songs and even going out of their way to watch the gig. “Sobrang tuwang-tuwa kami kasi they know the songs and sumasakay talaga [yung crowd] sa energy ng performance.”

Finally when asked if Reese and Ben&Ben would have more performances around the Cavite area, both didn’t hesitate to say yes to the offer, with Reese saying “wherever I get invited, I always make sure I go” and Ben&Ben saying “Of course, just keep inviting us. Super game naman kami.”