Was originally planning to let this band go, as I wasn’t really a big fan to begin with, but on the morning of their concert, Nicole and Steph decided to treat me to The Pains for my birthday (and who am I to say no to a chance of seeing Alex Naidus live!).
Was there early to get me my ticket, and we saw that the band was already there practicing. A week ago, there were news that Connor Hanwick of The Drums will be going with The Pains to Manila, but because The Drums themselves were on tour, we didn’t bet on it. But there he was – Connor Hanwick in the flesh, on stage, doing a sound check. Steph was in tears! She suddenly didn’t care about the Pains and was focused entirely on getting a photo op with Connor.
We peeked and lingered ‘til we creeped the hell out of the guys at Hard Rock. Haha! We left and returned a little later, but still early enough to ensure us a spot nearest to the stage.
Bee Eyes, a garage-pop band from Manila opened for the Pains. I’ve heard of Bee Eyes earlier last year but didn’t hear them play until that night. I enjoy their sound and am planning to download their songs (free on their website!) in time for summer!
Julius Valledor (vocals/guitar) doing a “not bad” face – exactly my thoughts when he started playing.
The Camera Walls played next. I’m a big fan of The Camera Walls’ front man Clementine Castro who was the vocalist/guitarist/songwriter for the now-defunct Orange and Lemons. Good to know he still writes and plays good music. But I find his performance a bit distracting, and it’s not because he’s quite a dead ringer for Yoko Ono, but because of his antics on stage – he headbanged the mic, lied down on the platform and gyrated off beat throughout the entire stint.
Clem is so adorable. When I lined up to have my shirt signed by The Pains, I talked to him and told him how much I liked the songs from Moonlane Gardens. After thanking me, he gushed, "papapirma ka rin ba kay Peggy? Ako rin Eh!" Such a fan boy!
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart began with “This Love is Fucking Right” – not one of my favorites but one that I love to dance to. From here onwards, all I did was smile, scream, sing and dance like a true fan girl (although prior to this, I would never admit it). Halfway through the setlist though, I started skipping the lyrics and humming through the songs in pain. Alex Naidus is too damn beautiful, it hurts.
One thing I love about The Pains is how levelheaded they were. We learned that the night before, they hung out at Cubao X with Bee Eyes, had a few drinks and made friends. When the concert ended, Kip even invited everyone to hang out with them. He was also all-smiles throughout the entire concert, and promised to take a picture with everyone after. I love him! Peggy's so adorable and nice too. Kurt, who was sitting behind us watching videos while we waited for the concert to start was also really friendly. I love it that they're all so nice and approachable. I remember that I stopped listening to Kings of Convenience for a while when they visited Manila and Erlend Oye turned out to be a snob. Kindness to fans matters. And now, I’m a bigger fan than I were before I watched The Pains live.
Been three days since, and I still can’t stop blushing. Although, I have to turn this off by tomorrow so I can turn the tears on for Death Cab for Cutie! But before that, check out my wallpaper:
After Death Cab for Cutie: Dashboard Confessional/The Used, Taking Back Sunday and The Cranberries.
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