THREE THOMASIAN bands dominated the annual Tunog Tomasino’s battle of the bands and are set to perform live in the coming Paskuhan concert on Dec. 19.
Illumina, LUCY, and Sean Archer obtained the highest scores among the six contenders for Tunog Tomasino 2022: Stellaris Bound, which was held last Monday, Dec. 5.
Illumina said that they were already eyeing to perform in the Paskuhan concert since 2019 but the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the concert to be held online.
“One of our main goals as student-musicians is to set foot on the grandstand and perform in the biggest event of our beloved UST. But we lost hope for such a dream when the pandemic hit and everything shifted to the online setting,” Illumina said in Filipino.
This year’s Tunog Tomasino returned live at Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. building, but limited the audience online due to the University’s imposed safety protocols.
LUCY said that being one of the three musicians to play for the Thomasian community is “overwhelming,” adding that all six bands deserve a spot on stage.
“When we entered the University, playing in Paskuhan was but a dream, and now that it’s within arm’s reach, it’s very thrilling,” LUCY said.
Sean Abarales, the frontman of Sean Archer, said it is “an honor” for them to perform before the Thomasian community.
“This is my first time performing with a band in UST since my freshman year was abruptly ended by the pandemic. I cannot wait to share what I, a fellow Thomasian, [have been] experiencing these past two years through my music,” Abarales said.
“We are also excited because university gigs have one of the most energetic crowds that we can play to,” the band’s drummer Adrian Lupisan said.
Each band prepared one original song and one original Pinoy music for Tunog Tomasino. Illumina performed their song Mais and Mayonnaise’s Jopay; LUCY played Mayonnaise’s Tayo Na Lang Dalawa and their song Too Red; while Sean Archer presented their own rendition of 6Cyclemind’s Prinsesa and their song Puyat.
The winners were selected based on the quality of their performance (40%), originality (30%), audience impact (20%), and technicalities (10%).
The event was live-streamed via TOMCAT-UST’s official Facebook page. F
