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Bandang X brings back 1990s classic Pinoy rock bands for today’s audience

Article (news)

Rick Olivares

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The Youth perform at a recent Bandang X gig. Rick Olivares" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/08/16/bandang-x.jpg"/><figcaption>The Youth perform at a recent Bandang X gig. Rick Olivares</figcaption></figure></div>It is said that when the public’s fascination with the 1980s culture and music wanes, attention will turn to the 1990s. And you know what that means.It is the era when alternative music became mainstream with grunge, punk, trip hop, nu metal, and alternative rock became popular. However, here in the Philippines, why wait? Bandang X is here.This was the decade when local bands dominated not only the radio airwaves, but also noontime and talk-show TV. This was when the music scene exploded into the stratosphere with the bands and music crossing over into corporate Philippines.The veterans of the club circuit back in the 1980s — Club Dredd and Mayrics, in particular — who were staples of radio airplay on NU 107 and LA 105 have banded together in a concert series known as Bandang X.Today’s generation will get to see the popular acts of that decade and beyond in one show. There’s the Youth, P.O.T, Agaw Agimat, Snakebite Religion, Erectus, Shampoo ni Lola, Siakol, Warlak, Piranha, Mutiny, Philippine Violators, Datu’s Tribe, Yano, Luna, the Breed, and many others.The Youth is one of the more popular bands from that era to this day. They released a monster album in “Album Na Walang Pamagat” that spawned the massive hit single “Multo Sa Paningin.”P.O.T released only one album, a self-titled one at that, but it has since become an instant classic with its re-make of 1970s funk band, the Advisors’ “Yugyugan Na.” Datu’s Tribe also had a strong debut album in “Galit Kami Sa Baboy” that sold over 20,000 copies with the hit song “Sarsa Platoon.”Punk band Philippine Violators is an ageless punk rock band that has been in the scene since the mid-1980s and has put out seven albums. “I thought of the concept of gathering and strengthening the 1990s band community several years ago but was only able to solidify it around 2019,” said Bandang X founder and Agaw Agimat drummer Renmin Nadela. “Our first show was in September of 2021 on a Friday when there was a typhoon. Wendy Villanueva (Agaw Agimat’s vocalist and co-producer of Bandang X) and I were surprised that 70s Bistro was packed in spite of that bad weather conditions. I told me that we were onto something good.”As soon as live performances returned this year, the Bandang X promotion was the second ever gig slotted at the newly renovated 70s Bistro last April 2.This past Saturday, August 13, once more in spite of the inclement weather, many fans still trooped to Milenya in Marikina to watch their ninth production that included Snakebite Religion, the Youth, P.O.T, and Agaw Agimat.Snakebite Religion opened the evening with their grunge-influenced music. The Youth — no longer young in age but eternal in their stature and never wanting in their fire — followed and raced through their plethora of hits.P.O.T was third to get up on the stage with their funk and roll music that appealed not only to the heart but also the hips of those Gen Xers present. Agaw Agimat closed the evening with that punk energy and enthusiasm that kept the adrenaline and alcohol flowing.“This is so cool because it brings back pleasant memories from the old Club Dredd and Mayrics scenes of the 90s,” added P.O.T bassist Mally Paraguya.Chimed in the Youth’s bassist and vocalist Robert Javier: “It’s an exhilarating experience to be with these 90s bands once more. We not only re-live the vibe, but we also educate the new generation of music fans.”The next Bandang X production is this coming August 20 at the Katipuneros Food Park in Dasmariñas, Cavite with P.O.T, Agaw Agimat, Philippine Violators, Mutiny, and the Youth performing. Bandang X is supported by Mutilated Noise Records, Guerilla Wear, and Foodtrick.

The 1990s were the decade when local bands dominated not only the radio airwaves, but also noontime and talk-show TV. 