MANILA, Philippines – A chorus of voices filled the room all throughout the night in the latest edition of Karpos Live, featuring a double billing of rising indie folk band Munimuni and British dream pop act The Japanese House. The Thursday (September 12) evening’s turnout at the Vertis Tent was strong, not just in numbers – as if you needed any more proof than the crowd singing the lyrics back to the bands in near-perfect harmony.

The two headliners come from oceans apart, yet when they shared the stage, it seemed almost serendipitous. It was an impeccable pairing.

Here is Munimuni, one of Filipino music’s most promising acts to emerge in the last several years. The 5-piece is already a local gem with their lush sound, punctuated by the birdsong-like flute of Owen Castro. 

But if you’ve managed to see a couple of their shows, you get the sense that’s not the only thing that made them endearing. Once again, in this show, they attracted a contingent of loyal fans chanting back their lyrics.

They’ve been calling their music “makata pop,” as they insist in writing their well-loved catalog in the vernacular – sometimes verbose and arcane, yet introspective, soulful, and resonant.

“Nababago ang panahon, pero ‘yung mensahe ng kanta hindi nagbabago (Times change, but the song’s message doesn’t),” said Adj Jiao, as he introduced “Marilag.” Perhaps this, too, describes their poetic style.

With evocative verses from the likes of “Kalachuchi” to “Solomon” (which they performed alongside Clara Benin herself), the crowd sings it back like they own and feel the words.

The same thing happened when Amber Bain, a.k.a. The Japanese House, took to the stage flanked by her live band.

She performed on a night just after her Dirty Hit label mates, The 1975, performed a stadium show in Manila. When she emerged on everyone’s radars, she was – for the most part – associated with the Matt Healy-fronted band; after all, she worked with them on her earlier EPs.

Back then, her heavily distorted voice in her earlier work gave her a veneer of mystery and even androgyny.

Her melancholy timbre has been repeatedly compared to Imogen Heap, and her distinct, layered sound and wrenching lyrics bring to mind and maybe even parallel her peers across the pond from the likes of Mitski to Phoebe Bridgers. Yet it’s hard to downplay this to a generational moment among songwriters like her.

There’s an intimate connection palpable in the closed eyes and the echoing voices coming from the fans who have packed themselves close to the stage.

Bain’s vocoder-inflected stylings and shimmering chords on her Stratocasters washed over the audience like gossamer – sounding all pensive and delicate – yet when it hit you, it was really more like a wave of emotions.

Unabashedly candid and queer with how she sings about her own relationships – both romances and friendships – that have come and gone, it’s easy to see how her audience has resonated with her music.

In “Saw You in a Dream,” for instance, its sun-drenched melody betrays the sadness of its backstory, plainly written in the words themselves.

The crowd would mouth the same words back, joining in the harmony. Bain occasionally turned her own microphone to the crowd, prompting them to do so more.

“This is a crazy gig for us. We’re halfway across the world,” she said, amazed by how warm they were received.

She also pointed to individuals in the crowd – a few raising their handwritten and phone-typed signs – as if saying, “I see you.”

In mentioning that it’s their last show with their tour manager, Caroline, then inviting her onstage for “You Seemed So Happy,” she shared a poignant moment with her fans that goes beyond her captivating set.

Amber Bain shared her music onstage, as if she was speaking in a way a friend would to you, forming connections unspoken elsewhere.

See more photos from Mix 7 here:

Karpos Live Mix 8, featuring Jeremy Zucker Kiana Valenciano, is set on September 24, Tuesday. – Rappler.com