South Korean indie band wave to earth rippled through the hearts of their Filipino fans with more than just a straight-out-of-a-Spotify playlist experience during their “The First Era” world tour on March 11 at the New Frontier Theater.
The jam-packed venue was brimming with excitement to welcome the genius musicians behind the viral background songs on social media, especially on TikTok.
As soon as the clock struck 8 p.m., the three-piece band consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Daniel Kim, drummer Shin Donggyu, and bassist John Cha made a dreamy entrance along with their session members Jo Jung-geun (keyboard) and Jeon-min (saxophone).
The solid intro of their lo-fi sound to kick off the set with their standout song bad left the audience screaming their hearts out, as they sang in unison its first and popular line “How could my day be bad when I’m with you?” and belted it out until the end.
The indie pop in its vibrant tunes entered the scene when the band performed peach eyes and sunny days, followed by their rock songs nouvelle vague and sunburn to liven up the show.
After a jazzy stage of so real, they made sure that there was no deafening dead air as Donggyu and Daniel showcased their flawless, heart-stopping drum and guitar solos before heading to their feel-good daisy performance.
John Cha also wowed the concertgoers when he serenaded them under the sparkling disco ball and played evening glow, a song he composed for their first full-length album 0.1 flaws and all. in 2023.
The bassist took the opportunity to share that it was also a special day for the band, saying it was Jeon-min’s birthday, while Daniel will mark his on March 18. Describing the concert as a “double celebration,” John Cha and Daniel led the fans in gleefully singing Happy Birthday as the staff brought a cake on stage for the saxophone player.
The ultimate eargasm continued with Daniel hitting those delightful vocal curls and runs in ride, transitioning to the soulful lineup of their Korean hits pink and love.
“Thank you for making it a great night,” the frontman uttered all smiles.
The sold-out show became a perfect harmony between the band and the audience, even more so when John Cha instructed the fans to chant some words from surf, the song where they got the inspiration behind the band’s official fandom name, Plankton.
“We actually said, ‘We will come back,’ right, guys? And well, this is such a big love so thank you,” the bass guitarist remarked with sincerity. “You guys are amazing! Thank you!”
This marked the trio’s first solo concert in the Philippines, but their second time to perform in the country after headlining the ON Festival OFF: Manila last Nov. 3, 2023.
Initially announced as a one-day concert, show organizer Wilbros Live decided to add a second show set on March 13 at the same venue due to demand.
With over six million monthly listeners on the streaming platform Spotify, wave to earth proved what it takes to be a rising ripple in the vast sea of greatly admired musicians in today’s time.
After debuting in 2019, the “all self-made” indie rock band went all-out with their efforts to make a mark in the global music scene with releases mostly written in English.
The power of social media paved the way for their growing popularity. Through TikTok, their song seasons went viral and garnered millions of views, causing a ripple effect in their success.
That’s why when it was the time for their show’s encore, their fans, a.k.a. Planktons, kept on chanting “Seasons!” and it was such a full-circle moment when the indie rock act began to play their most-streamed composition.
The perfect finale of their show resonated deeply with the fans as they sang light like a comforting end to their Manila concert.