"Mixtape Live" Gig Review

Traveling has been a pain lately. Whether it's the high cost of booking or the lack of drivers, getting around to watch a gig on a weekday hasn't been friendly. My girlfriend an I were supposed to watch another gig on this evening but decided that a show that had Ang Bandang Shirley in the line up and in a walkable distance in Makati would be a better choice than waiting for hours to book a Grab.

The Apartment was a new venue for me. You needed to buy an RFID card to get in and buy food and drinks and the 4 story climb up stairs would deter most people. But inside, it was very pleasant. Mostly because of the air conditioning. Fashioned out of an old apartment, it couldn't hold a lot of people which is good considering we're still in a pandemic. Drink and food pricing is on par with what a bar would serve so we didn't order much except for the cheese sticks. The performance area had a charming feel - the broken down wall made for interesting framing and the unused piano gave the venue more character.

First up was the Manic Mundane in the midst of her Manila tour and I'm glad I got to watch her perform her entire EP live. Ang Bandang Shirley played a long set next and it was their penultimate set before they took a break since some of their members were going to back to Cebu and Baguio. Still a great set and it was nostalgic watching them play again. The second half of the evening felt more in line with the venue and audience - more lively and party music. While Manic Mundane and Ang Bandang Shirley required the listener to look for the lyrics and absorb the music, the next 2 performers wanted the audience to the dance. Uncle Bob's Funky Seven Club played a lot of funk and dance covers and got the audience singing with them. Brass Pas Pas Pas Pas followed up with more dance-y tunes but backed up by brass instruments.

The event was fun and I also got to meet Debb and Ean of Ang Bandang Shirley - internet friends meeting IRL. I also got to feel what Friday gigs are in this opened-pandemic-economy era - a lot of difficulty but enjoyment in ingenuity.

Check out the performances below!