Almost Crimes is a Metro Manila music production operated by a couple of friends who love to take the indie scene forward by organizing DIY events and bring together people from different communities. They’ve produced many many SEA shows showcasing the vibrant counterculture of music in different countries. We can compare something that many prods can achieve in this day and age but nothing can compare to the dedication of Almost Crimes. It was about time that they’re producing shows again, and their announcement of a double headliner heightened my levels of excitement. This show, that I have attended in particular, is without a doubt one of their strongest offerings to date, bringing one of Japan’s rising shoegaze five-piece For Tracy Hyde and Singapore’ dream pop outfit Cosmic Child. Imagine bringing two powerhouse Asian shoegaze acts of the 2010’s and put them together at a very intimate setting. Plus, you get to see three local acts open for them too such as Outerhope, Megumi Acorda, and BP Valenzuela, so that’s an offer every gazer couldn’t refuse.
The TFL team arrived promptly around 7pm at 123Block at Pioneer St. Mandaluyong City. There were sounds of thumping melodies and it turns out Cosmic Child was sound checking through the curtains of what was a crossfit gym now turned into a venue for a grand eyeball for shoegaze devotees. After 30 minutes of waiting, the curtains opened and Outerhope jumpstarted the night with a solid 40 mins worth of breezy synth-heavy material. The dynamic duo of the Benedicto siblings shined bright like an iridescent pool of syrupy harmonies. Not a single dull moment was ever composed throughout and I definitely wanted this set last an eternity, for good reasons that is.
Metro Manila indie-pop darling BP Valenzuela followed by setting up a heavy load of gear. The typical keys and guitar setup wasn’t enough for BP, instead, she packed her set of bleep-bloops, autotune, and tracks of blissful infatuation for half an hour. The best way I could describe the set was it is very The Japanese House-esque in form but the actual execution led to a more left-field territory with tender downtempo soundscapes and ambient influences. BP’s set comprised of her hit singles from the Neon Hour and newer singles in her upcoming sophomore album, crydancer.
Middle Class Cigar’s Cosmic Child came up next with a rather more laid back set compared their previous performance in Manila almost a year ago. Bumps and take twos aside, the band met their expectations and gave what they could to satisfy the audience’s palette who have an affinity for listening to dense, beautiful noise.
Up next was dream-pop act Megumi Acorda. Their set knocked it out of the ball park by showcasing one of Megumi’s best sets ever. The room reverb was enough to compliment the wall of sound coming from the three rhythm guitars and the fuzz heavy bass that doesn’t risk the unprotected ear have tinnitus. Megumi’s set comprising her deep cuts, which you could spot on her soundcloud account, and the entirety of her debut EP Unexpectedly. Witnessing half an hour’s worth of Megumi Acorda material was like living in a professionally mixed studio recording. It was that good.
The last and definitely not the least of all, Tokyo, Japan’s For Tracy Hyde graced the stage with heavy amounts of radiantly coloured j-pop mixed with heavy doses of classic tremolo-thrashing 90s inspired shoegaze. The set lasted for over 45 minutes, and i had one of those rare instances where I just don’t want the set to end. They’ve played many cuts from their sophomore LP and a couple of new ones from their newly released LP. For Tracy Hyde juggle around the sensibilities of j-pop and 4AD styled dream pop. The set then culminated into a mini-moshpit of shoegaze kids bouncing to the breakdown of FTH’s tail end of the set.
We were able to catch some of the members of both visiting bands, all they could say when it comes to describing the night was it was both “sonically” and “emotionally” beautiful. Like the subgenre, the night was loud but we couldn’t resist floating along with it. Almost Crimes’ one time, big time altering of genres was an opportunity for indieheads to unite, and could live up to the hype of many to those who attended. The night surely was for the scene that celebrated itself.
Congratulations to the Almost Crimes team, For Tracy Hyde, and Cosmic Child. Big thanks for Riza and Morris helping us out take clips and pics!
TFL 