I originally thought about going to the Myx event at Mag:net Bonifacio High Street (to watch pogi rock bands Hale, Hilera, and 6CycleMind) and sure enough, no one wanted to watch with me, even for just the heck of it (erm, ridiculing the bands while they’re playing on stage is one thing, and being swarmed by teen fans screaming, “I Love You Chump!” is another; misspelling intentional). Then I heard about the Sugarfree gig at Route 196 which had the same entrance fee and way better music, and the decision was easy: Route 196 it is.

I also wanted to practice shooting in low-light gig venues, and Route 196 gave me exactly that. I found it a real challenge to shoot in such a small space (which got even more cramped as people started to fill the venue) and without much light to work with. Most of the shots I got were in black and white, with an intentionally very high ISO setting for that grainy effect; I tried taking videos but they sucked big time, with very dark visuals and bad audio. (I wasn’t pleased at all with the photos I came up with; it doesn’t matter if it’s my first time, they suck, I’m a bad photographer.)

Now Playing.

Julianne played her songs and a cover of Sugarfree’s Tulog Na. It was my first time listening to her play live, and I think she’s good. Better than many female singers (armed with a guitar) I’ve heard, actually.

Julianne.

The Ronnies covered Burnout and Mariposa, along with their usual set of tunes from the eighties. I think I’ve heard them before, but I can’t remember when. Sizzling hot!

The Ronnies.

Unang Araw was covered by the Itchyworms, who also performed their staple songs, including Freak Out, Baby and Beer. One of the funnier moments last night was when they played a short cover of the San Miguel Oktoberfest jingle. If I had to can their whole set in a couple of words, it’d be funny-electric.

Jugs and Kelvin of Itchyworms.

Finally, Sugarfree had their turn, playing Prom, Telepono (with another San Miguel Oktoberfest intro), Unang Araw, Kwarto, a couple of new songs, Burnout/Bilanggo (Rizal Underground cover), another new song, and Mariposa. I think the last new song Ebe sang (alone) was great, it’s just too bad I didn’t catch the title. Another night of great music. (Too bad Jal wasn’t there.)

Ebe.

Now imagine how my night would have turned out should we have gone to the Myx Mag cover launch instead? Po-po-po pogi rock.