Aca-ganapan, Aca-ntahan, Aca-nthoughts, Acan’t Forget, Blabbermouth

Acantahan: FINCH!!!!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

Sorry, super happy lang. okay, ikekwento ko ng maayos. But, as usual, just for background.

I was in high school when I first heard of the band – Finch. Kumbaga, tapos nako sa pop/ hip hop and RNB era so I was starting to dabble into rock, metal, hardcore, screamo, punk music na purely influenced by people around and close to me. Since medyo rebel girl din ang peg ko during that time, parang akma sa theme ko yung mga rockers ang tugutugan so kinareer ko naman.

So ayun nga, when I heard Finch, natuwa ako. Kasi may growls and all pero teka, may kanta padin. May tune, melody ek ek and, may laman ang lyrics. Weird ba na tandang tanda ko kung pano yung gigil na pindot sa volume ng grey na stereo pag plinay na sila. Tapos, sa mga battle of the bands, suki din yung mga kanta nila. Plus, yung mga bet ko talaga before yung mga rockers/skater/banda na siga look so benta sakin si Nate.

Years later, I still listen to their old songs. Pag nasa sigawan mood din ako, top 2 ko na yang what it is to burn at three simple words. May mood din na gusto ko lang pakinggan yung letters to you in acoustic tapos tatry alalahanin yung kaisa-isang alam kong kantang tugtugin sa gitara – na actually, diko nadin maalala ngayon so waley.

Fast forward to 2023 – my cousin sent me a link to their concert and they’re touring pala to celebrate 20 years of the What it is to burn album. I checked the venues and sakto may LDN. Of course, naexcite ako but, didn’t book right away kasi adulting. So I just made a mental note na I need to revisit my decision by November. And then Nov came, and kahit papano, nakaluwag luwag naman charing so I asked the hubs if I can go – emphasis in ‘I’ kasi he didn’t know the band and ayoko naman i-drag siya sa mga trip ko and also worried nadin na baka di niya maenjoy. But being the gentleman that he is, he offered to go with me.

Wednesday – looong day at work and sa pagod ko nakaidlip din ako sa train OTW to Kentish Town. Good thing the weather was tolerable and it wasn’t raining so wala namang hassle. We got there half an hour before the doors opened and the queue wasn’t that bad too. It was also comforting having to attend a concert and seeing people na alam mong ka-age bracket mo. Nakakatuwa lang na yung crowd will probably be like me, reminiscent of our younger selves.

It was my first time sa O2 Kentish town and I think it was the perfect venue for this. It’s a bit smaller in size compared to the other o2’s but gusto ko yung intimate performance feels. I also got the balcony tickets and seated siya so super sakto for my aching body parts. Di ko na kaya sa mosh pit and mga slamman.

I still knew every song guys. As in the whole setlist super kanta ang lola niyo. It was also surreal to see and hear them live kasi part sila ng kabataan ko, ng core memories. Habang pinapakinggan ko sila, parang I felt a sense of comfort cause it reminded me of home. Haaaaay ❤️

Anyway, here’s their setlist!

And of course, the memory hoarder in me took some videos kasi gusto kong balik balikan tong experience na to AND gusto ko din maanoy sa boses ko lol.

Aca-ntahan

Aca-ntahan: Ed Sheeran! (Dalingay!)

2013. I was on a Victory Liner bus for a 10-12 hour trip from Tuguegarao to Manila. I can’t really recall what my trip was for but I came prepared and downloaded a whole album to listen to. At the time, I was still in my Brian Puspos fangirl stage so everything he recommends, I explore. Somehow, he led me to listen to Ed Sheeran.

Lol, look at my 2013 instagram post with my jailbroken phone. My memory is still quite crisp and the time stamp on the photo is proof! Anyway, yeah I got to know Ed’s music -my favourites were Lego House and The A team but I fell in love with Little Things which he wrote for One Direction. Since then, his career really escalated and my nostalgic self feels the need to see him perform live at least once in my lifetime.

After touring for almost 2 years, he finally decided to conclude it at his hometown in Suffolk which is only an hour drive from Essex. I was ecstatic when I secured the tickets especially when we found out Lewis Capaldi (my husband’s newest favourite) was playing as well. Awesome voice, awesome lad!

I guess all this time, I never really paid attention to how he performs live. I always thought he had a band or something but that whole concert he is THE band, doing his own back up vocals and lead vocals all made possible by the continuous loop gadget thingy. I was blown away, seriously. Pure talent that man is!

Since it was the last tour day, I kind of hoped he would bring out suprise guests like Stormzy or Justin Bieber (hahah wishful thinking much?) but none of them showed up. He didn’t really need them though, and he really went all out on his performance I just sang and jumped the whole set. You can really see the fire in his eyes and the passion for what he is doing. So inspiring and infectious!

Aca-ntahan

Aca-ntahan: Florence and the Machine @ BST Hyde Park

If you’ve been a frequent visitor/reader of my blogs, you might notice by now how much I try to channel my feelings through music. Whoever I end up listening to or whichever artist I follow/admire will always have a story of how it all began. So now, here’s another story.

I have always been a Lola’s girl and when we lost her in 2008, I had a difficult time. I understood it was time for her to go but the sudden void seemed like hell on earth. It was such a struggle to move on and let go. During one of my random outbursts years later, I accidentally came across a new and fresh tune which immediately caught my attention and calmed me enough to actually listen. The words seemed to fit my current state: grief, loss and darkness. I’ve heard songs that I could relate to before but somehow, this one hits on a deeper level. And the voice behind it was so captivating. Very ethereal. So naturally, I researched and found a new musical gem for my playlist: Florence and the Machine. And the song that is now one of my favourite songs ever- Cosmic Love. I know this is more like a love song but the brokenness sort of reached out to what I was feeling at the time. I also instantly became a fan. Then, fast forward to 2011, when I heard Florence’s cover of Drake and Rihanna’s song Take Care I swore from then on it has become my official birthday anthem. I guess it’s safe to say that from the time I found her music, I clung to it and kept it with me wherever I go.

January 2019, days after my birthday, I received an email saying I’ve got 2 tickets to attend the annual British Summertime Time where Florence & the Machine were headlining. I thought it was just spam. I know I wanted to go but it was too good to be true and I didn’t want to get my hopes up over something so unsure. Months passed, I kept receiving update emails but I mostly ignored it because all it kept saying was tickets will be sent to me. If it was indeed legit, then I will just have to be excited once I physically have the tickets until one day, I checked our mailbox – OMFG it was really true! I was crying! Eventually, hubby told me that it was a birthday gift from one of my best friends and I just had to cry a little bit more because obviously, it was a dream come true! Thank you Demeye! <3

To guarantee a spectacular view, we were already at Hyde Park as early as 1pm so we had a lot of spare time hence, the pictures!

It was a really long day but I would say the wait was worth it. We were also lucky cause it was cloudy that day so we didn’t burn under the sun whilst waiting. Among the front acts, I would say Lykke Li was my favourite – what a total performer and she sounded awesome live! I even saw Florence dancing to her backstage. Oh, and in case any of you are also looking for new tunes that have a Frank Ocean-ish feel to it, I would recommend listening to Blood Orange.

And finally, after what felt like a whole shift waiting, here she is!

Her voice was just so incredible. And although I watched videos of her performing on youtube, I never expected her to be so energetic and carefree on stage!

I was literally in tears. For some, it may not be a big deal but these are some of the moments I only ever dreamed of and now, it’s happening right in front of my eyes – all made possible by a very dear friend of mine and I am just so thankful and feel so loved. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! <3<3<3 Makakabawi din ako. :)

Lastly, here’s their setlist!

Screenshot 2019-07-17 at 22.15.23

See you on my next music quest next month! Ta!