Post Wanderland 2013 High

Wanderland 2013 - It was the first ever indie music and arts festival in the Philippines. Held last May 18, 2013 at Globe Circuit Grounds in Makati City.  

This was the closest thing to Coachella so imagine the excitement and enthusiasm me and my friends felt at that time. It was also the first music festival that I have ever been to.  

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We arrived at the venue round 1 pm and the place was already jam packed with people. I enjoyed watching the assortment of individuals who dressed their part during the event. The popular accessory that time was definitely the flower head dress. There were these hippie chicks, bohemian styles, rock star get ups, dainty ensembles, dreamy wardrobes and some bizarre-looking-but-they-actually-nailed-it looks. 

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The next good thing I appreciate about the festival is that the venue was grand. The place was perfect because it was spacious and everyone had the chance to lay their mats/ sarongs without invading each other's personal spaces. 
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We were not allowed to bring food and drinks from outside because they had available food stalls in the area. 
One thing I had to comment on though is that the food stalls were not enough. I think the huge number of festival goers was underestimated because some of the food stalls run out of their supplies/ ingredients. For someone who has fast metabolism and easily gets hungry like me, I would not desire to have to wait on que that long. To make this more convenient, they could have at least brought in some vending machines to supply food/drinks which was really important to keep the people from being dehydrated especially the crowd was mostly exposed under the heat of the sun. 

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Another matter that caught my attention was the sanitation facilities. It was a good thing though that there were plenty of portalets available around. Although you could not expect that the cubicles could remain pleasant looking, at least it did not stink that much but nonetheless it was still disgusting.
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 More to that, there were inflatables and velcro wall available around to unleash the inner child in you and some live painting, some rad stalls like Ray Ban , Roxy, Quicksilver, etc.

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The best part of the outdoor festivity was the music. Of course, it was the main reason why we actually flew from Cebu to Manila just to see our favorites perform live. The line up was awesome that showcased a variety of artists from different parts of the world. 

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First few to perform were the homegrown artists, Taken By Cars (my personal preference).

 I was stoked to see them on the flesh since I became an avid fan of their electro, new wave music back in my college days. It was a nostalgic moment to hear them live. 

 Then came in Pulso with overwhelming instruments that reminded me of Explosions in the Sky. She's Only Sixteen was surprising as well. I have never heard of them but when they did their thing on the stage, I fell in love. Then there was Yolanda Moon with a jazzy feel that calmed the atmosphere.

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Next in line were the international artists. Colour Coding performed first but unfortunately I did not get to witness them as me and some of my friends had to attend to something emergent. However my friend who apparently stayed there told us they were pretty awesome. :)

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Avalanche City entered the stage and brought in folk music feel. The cheerful vocals of their front man  plus the soothing violin and the country-ish rhythm of their songs got us up in our dancing feet.

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The late afternoon was preparing for the sunset however the festivity just got better and better. Tully on Tully killed it on stage. Their female lead vocals was a delight to our sight as she was one hell of a performer with striking tangerine dress and long blonde hair, she executed their songs well with her powerful vocals and charming accompaniment. 

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Along with the international artists, the crowd went ballistic as our very own Up Dharma Down graced the stage. It was my second time to witness them live and they were also one of my reasons why I went to Manila to see them again.

As usual, UDD never fails to amaze me. They played my top two favorites, Indak and Tadhana and it felt like I was in heaven. :D

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For an old skool and nostalgic feel, Nada Surf nailed it on stage. 

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The dynamic American alternative rock band, Neon Trees came in next. I was awed by their performance. They were really crazy and the crowd seemed to mimic their entertaining energy. 

By far they were one of my few favorites during the night. 

Tyler, their kick ass lead singer quoted, “My final word to you is very simple. .. never ever, ever, ever, ever let any asshole tell you that you’re not good enough." And the crowd went wild with agreement. :)                                                                                                                                                            ***

After what seemed like an eternity, the festival was down to their final act. The most anticipated Temper Trap finally came up to the stage. I was like, this is it. My dream come true. They have been one of my top favorite artists around the world. Dougy Mandagi, the bands' lead singer has this killer falsetto vocals that makes me fall in love with their music even more. 

I appreciate the fact that they were so particular with their music. There was this moment when the bass screwed up and Dougy stopped singing and said 'Fuck it, we want to give you the best' or something like that.        

The best part was when their track Fader was on and me and my friends just went crazy and emotional and sung the lyrics perfectly with them. 

FYI: Fader was actually our official travel song when we did a 10 day expedition in Northern Luzon. 

The band wrapped up the night with their famous track Sweet Disposition with a shower of confetti around us.

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Overall, Wanderland 2013 was not bad for a first time. For music lovers like me, this was something special. I am greatly looking forward to next year and hopefully it will be bigger and better. Wishful thinking though, I hope one of the organizers would come across my blog and invite The Xx, Phoenix, Kasabian, Daft Punk for the coming years pretty please *bats lashes* .