It may have been a while since Oh Wonder played a show in Manila but their energy has never changed — they are still as magnetic as ever!
Starting out the show was opening act, rising singer-songwriter Paolo Sandejas. The indie-pop artist definitely won the crowd with his performance! He opened the show with a jazzy version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Rock With You’ and proceeded with his songs ‘Sorry’, ‘Sway’ and his latest release, which he played exclusively for the first time, ‘Liquid Courage’. Paolo set the vibe and mood right!
The opening notes of ‘Better Now’ filled the intimate venue along with hyped screams from the crowd as Anthony and Josephine began their set. It captured the perfect essence of what live music is supposed to be like. The show continued on with high energy and the charms of the duo. It can truly be seen that these two were having the time of their lives performing for the Manila crowd. Josephine was even rocking it out and dancing on stage!
Not even halfway through the show, Josephine wowed everyone with her impressive Tagalog skills as she introduced themselves and their band in Tagalog. “Sinusubukan kong mag aral ng Filipino.” Josephine shared in our language, and we praise her efforts for it! The duo has always mentioned how the Philippines is a special place for them – from playing several shows in the country to even getting engaged in Boracay!
Before they performed their next track ‘Rollercoaster’, Josephine shared a story on what inspired them to create this powerful song: It was when the duo, who are also real-life partners, almost broke up during the pandemic. A wave of sadness hit the crowd but instantly perked up when Josephine reassured everyone that she and Anthony are doing better than ever. We’ve all struggled with difficulties during the pandemic, and Oh Wonder are no strangers to that as well. Josephine and Anthony are true relationship goals and we’re happy to hear and see their love grow not just in music, but towards each other.
Oh Wonder picked up the pace with their beloved tracks ‘Happy’, ‘Magnificent’ and a medley of ‘Body Gold’, ‘White Blood’ and ‘Plans’. Fan favorites ‘Livewire’ and ‘Technicolor Beat’ followed. The vibe went up high once again when Josephine and Anthony got to involve the crowd during ‘F*** It, I Love You’ until ‘Ultralife’ and kept on creating an energetic buzz throughout the intimate atmosphere.
Another fan favorite song was ‘Landslide’, which had the crowd singing along to every word. They also sang hits from their latest album ‘22 Break’ and ‘Dinner’ while ending their set with ‘Lose It’.
After the final song which signaled what was supposed to be the end of the show, the crowd wanted more! “We want more!” was chanted when the duo left the stage. Of course, Josephine and Anthony would not just leave abruptly! They came back on stage shortly after for their encore set. ‘All We Do’, ‘Drive’ and ‘Hallelujah’ ended Oh Wonder’s magical night with a bang!
Spotted:
Indieground Artist Keanna Mag
Gayle & SJs Yam and Jelena of UPD
