THREE THOMASIAN bands, including one with two Artlets artists, are set to perform in the grand Paskuhan concert on Dec. 21 after emerging triumphant in this year’s Tunog Tomasino.
The Tunog Tomasino 2023: Re-vibe featured Thomasian artists through a battle of the bands segment, wherein three winning groups were selected to perform in the upcoming grand Paskuhan concert.
Of the six groups that competed in the battle of the bands, kler. secured the top spot, followed by Benchfly and MIMOSA.
In an interview with The Flame, kler. shared that it was the band’s first time to join a competition as a group.
“We really couldn’t believe that we were hailed as the champions, but since we know that we did all our best, we believe that we deserved every inch of it. It still feels surreal to [us] until now,” kler. said.
The view was shared by other artists, including Benchfly guitarist and English language studies sophomore Kevin Reyes, who described the opportunity to play at the grand Paskuhan concert as a “dream come true” and a chance for his band to “connect on a deeper level” with Thomasians.
“Being able to showcase our music to a live, active Thomasian audience after being stuck performing in Zoom meetings during the pandemic is enough of a reason for the band to keep making music,” Reyes told The Flame.
This year’s Tunog Tomasino was held at the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati building last Dec. 4, the first installment that allowed artists to perform before a live audience since the pandemic.
“We’ve performed in front of crowds all over the metro, but nothing beats the roar of the Thomasian crowd,” legal management senior Nathaniel Hernandez, also a guitarist and vocalist of Benchfly, said.
MIMOSA, which participated in Tunog Tomasino 2022, said the opportunity to perform in the much-anticipated Paskuhan concert is a “shared pride” between the band members and the UST community.
Each band played an original song and a rendition from any artist: kler. performed its song, “NASA” and Paramore’s “Ain’t It Fun.” Benchfly played its song “Sushi” and “Fix You” by Coldplay, while MIMOSA showcased its song “Paano Na Kaya” and Sponge Cola’s “Tambay.”
The bands were judged based on the quality of their performance (35%), originality (30%), technicalities (20%) and audience impact (15%).
The event was organized by UST TOMCAT, the premier events management and media production organization of the University.F – Mei Lin Weng
