By Naomi Edge
On a day reminiscent of the Philippines climate, the on and off rain and humidity didn’t stop the chill vibes and stunning talent on show at the 1MX festival. Set against the industrial backdrop of London’s Silverworks Island, formerly known as the Dockyards, this effortlessly cool Asian festival brought together talent artists to showcase the best of their musical culture.
DJs and Divas
Clara Rosa, a DJ, originally from the Philippines but raised in the UK, started out the festival lineup as the crowd poured in. Spinning remixes of modern dance and 90/00s classics, she began the party and came back for several sets in-between acts to keep up the good mood. Returning just before the final act, with an outfit change and a late night underground final set as the night fell.
Leeds-based dream indie pop singer, Tiny Umbrellas, rounded out the morning with their quirky songs, including one from the perspective of a bug and new song Zombies. Her music wouldn’t sound out of place in Juno, but the crowd resonated with the down-to-earth, stripped back relatability of her style.
The first of the festival’s Filipino pop divas was MayMay, an actress and singer, who sparkled onto the stage bringing with her a troupe of backup dancers and songs of female empowerment from heartbreak.
“I’m most excited to see MayMay, as she’s my friend and I’ve been following her since she was in Pinoy Big Brother,” said May, a concert attendee.
With a mostly Tagalog and Bisaya repertoire, MayMay debuted her new Bisayan song, Chada Mahigugma (“Good to feel love and be loved”). She finished out her set with an impressive cover of Paramore’s Still into You, which was a great hit with the westernised crowd.
An original PamPinay-designed jacket, popped out of the crowd, worn by Lotus Vega, admin for the multilingual Filipino society, Alamat. She said, “I love to listen to OPM (original Pilipino music) and I’m so excited to be here to support the Filipino music community and also see Ben&Ben live.” She was watching with her son and sister-in-law.
Janine Berdin bounded onto the stage next, but don’t let her cute, 21-year-old appearance fool you: she’s a rock/indie dynamo. Born and raised in Cebu, her Tagalog/ English songs were packed with heartfelt emotions and a gritty pop sound, including She was only 16 and The Side Character.
Janine’s range and talent were shown with covers of 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up? and Evanescence’s goth classic Bring Me to Life, both of which got the crowd screaming the lyrics back.
“I loved seeing Bisaya/Cebuano representation on stage with Janine Berdin and Maymay. One of my favourite songs was Maymay’s cover of Puede Ba by Viktoria, a pinoy pop song from the late 90s. I also loved tinyumbrella’s song from the POV of a bug,” said Nadia, a teaching assistant and Miss Philippines candidate.
Canadian Johnny Orlando ended the first half of the festival lineup. His music, which sounds like a mix between Justin Beiber and Shawn Mendes, entertained the younger female members of the crowd with his sweet boy charm and his energetic energy with the crowd. He performed his new song Wait for You.
Show grounds and special prizes
As well as the main festival acts, 1MX showed off Filipino culture through food trucks, including Pinoy Grill and Skrambol Co. There were also stands from Filipino-focused businesses like World Remit and SMDC.
In the break, popular Filipino host Kalad Karen, entertained on the Showcase stage, by giving away prizes for ‘Bring me’ games and the stamp raffle.
After a presentation from MX3, the timeless diva, Dulce, dressed in an amazing purple pantsuit, performed a song about finding happiness with Jesus.
Big names and big crowds
Sam Galang, a friend of Moira’s make up artist, and Nozi, joined the big crowd that gathered for Moira. Her emotional set was full of power ballads and long high notes, which had the crowd screaming for more. This was her first time having a solo set in the UK and she sung her Tagalog and English songs with pride, even debuting a brand new song for everyone fighting silent battles, called I’ve been Thinking.
Tearing up, she said “I am so grateful and happy to be here performing for you all.”
As the evening wound on, Yuna came out with her ethereal, spacey visuals and sounds, which helped to relax the crowd.
Originally from Kuala Lumpur, she sang hits in both English and her native Malay, including debuting her brand new song Still Lonely. She had the crowd up on their feet choreographing them into funky dance moves.
Finally it was time for the headline act, Ben&Ben. Looking like they just walked out of a 70s variety show, their folksy music was a great way to close out the show. They performed a number of their famous hits, including Kathang Isip, Araw-Araw and their newest song Could be Something.
From their impressive jumpers to the even more impressive talent of every member of their supporting band, and of course Ben&Ben themselves, they showed what an excellent headline choice they were. By the end of the set, the crowd were chanting for “Isa pa” (One more), which they gladly performed.
Surprisingly, this was their first show in Europe, but I’m sure it won’t be the last.
With a relaxed and cool atmosphere throughout, 1MX festival exhibited both well-known and up-and-coming Asian artists, some of them to their first European stage, giving the European Filipino audience a great feeling that will see them through to next year.
About the author:
Working as Marketing Executive for New Scientist Live, Naomi is a Filipino-British who is passionate about design and writing. She has previously worked with the British Council, Birmingham Arts Council and Wilderness Festival on a variety of fundraising and awareness events, including the “Birmingham Weekender” and “The Janus Project.” You can follow her on Twitter @nomderland
Marketing Executive for New Scientist Live
