Words by Christian Melanie Lee
Photos by Mike Yap
Drenched into my punk chick attire while raining in SM North Edsa as Bazooka Rocks Day 2 kicked off with awesome sets from two Australian pop rock bands Cambridge and With Confidence and New York-based band State Champs.
I was ecstatic to watch these three bands and got curious about their fans here in the Philippines. Few days before the concert, I listened to their songs, it hit me hard. I was like: Get back my sanity right now.
When Cambridge entered the stage, Filo rockers went wild as Brad Smith started to perform their first single, “Catalina Wine Mixer.” They ended their set with “Glass Case of Emotion.” “Maybe it’s fake, maybe it’s love. Maybe it’s all just a bit of fun.” From what I’ve seen, they have a potential to make it big in the rock scene.
In case you didn’t know, Aussie pop punk quartet With Confidence composed of Joshua Brozzesi, Inigo Del Carmen, Jayden Seeley and Luke Rockets visited Manila for a series of mall shows last year. They performed once again with their legion of fans as part of their Better Weather tour. While they were on stage, I was startled when I found out that Inigo is a Filipino. From “Voldemort” to “Keeper,” their awesome set reminds me of Blink-182. I’m going to add their songs to my Spotify playlist.
Last but not the least, what can I say about State Champs? They completed the night with outrageous fans chanting while waiting for their set. State Champs fans went wild inside the Skydome as they sang their hearts out from the 21 songs that they prepared that night. Even some of the members of Cambridge joined the crowd as they were having fun mingling with their fans.
It’s one hell of a night! It brought me back to my roots, as a rocker. It was a pop punk night after all. Thank you Pulp Live World for the opportunity.
