Attack on memory

This June 16 and 17, prepare yourselves for blonde redhead, cat power, cloud nothings, and more

MANILA, Philippines - There are some gigs that you never forget. Something about the live, sweaty immediacy of being there — standing in the same space as a new favorite or old beloved band — seals itself in your brain, rewires you somehow with its seesaw between lull and frenzy, makes you appreciate music, and maybe even life, just a little more.

Let’s be honest, very few gigs do that. But on June 16 and 17, there are a couple of shows that just might. Hostess Asia, with Vybe Productions, Random Minds, and
Ynos Inc., is bringing in six foreign acts, to play over two nights for Hostess Club Manila: Blonde Redhead headlining the first night, wth Sohn and Toy, and Cat Power headlining the second night, with Perfume Genius and Cloud Nothings.

“Hostess is a touring series that’s been going around Southeast Asia,” says producer Quark Henares of Vybe Productions. “If you noticed, last Feb’s The National/Youth Lagoon and Warpaint/Mogwai concert was also by the same group. I think it’s great in the sense that acts who would normally never come here for one gig are willing to come over for a bunch of shows around the region.” “So many of us have adored both Cat Power and Blonde Redhead for years. I didn’t even think it was possible for them to set foot on Philippine soil. I’d gotten into Perfume Genius and Cloud Nothings in the past two years, too, and I think the lineup is pretty well-rounded.”

“We want every Hostess Club show to have a little of everything indie,” says Nico Bacani of Random Minds. “The rationale for the lineup is really to bring an eclectic mix that could educate the market: from indietronica to psychedelic to rock to ballads.”

When the poster for the event started circulating, the social media messaging flew fast and furious. These bands — particularly the two headliners — are the kind that inspire, perhaps even demand, a deep and abiding devotion.

“Blonde Redhead is one of those bands I’ve always wanted to keep to myself,” says renowned writer Sarge Lacuesta. “At the same time, I’ve always wished more music lovers knew about them. Though I’m quite sure many of them share my feelings and have preferred to keep the secret as well. But really, any band who sings about Pier Paolo Pasolini and Luv Missiles while turning out some of the most musical melodic lines and inventive arrangements I’ve heard should be experienced by more people. It’s music the human ear deserves to hear, and the human heart deserves to know.”

“Why should you go see Cat Power? Admittedly, it’s a risk,” says magazine editor and Philippine Star columnist Audrey Carpio. “Chan Marshall has been known to give either amazingly gorgeous performances, or to not perform at all, attributing her bizarre, truncated or simply failed concerts to stage fright and alcoholism. I believe I first read about her in one of those lengthy New York magazine profiles before I discovered The Greatest (2006). Soulful and slow, incredibly slow, with a voice that rasped of cigarette smoke, honey and heartache, her music carried me through the good and bad times of my late 20s. Two years ago she released her latest album Sun, and it is electronic, epiphanic and startlingly upbeat, as if the Cat had reached her ninth life. I guess you can’t hide from the sun all the time.”

“Nineties alterna-rock lovers who’ve been hankering for a darker Dinosaur Jr. should definitely give Cloud Nothings a good listen,” says homegrown rock star Mong Alcaraz. “The band is the odd man out between emo and ‘Pitchfork indie.’ They’re droning, clever, and they fit comfortably like an old T-shirt. If you like your Yuck but want something on the more abrasive side of things, Cloud Nothings is it.”

So there you have it. Don’t forget to get passes for June 16 and 17, for two nights you just might always remember.

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Tickets available through Ticketworld and SM Tickets. For more info visit www.facebook.com/vybeMNL.