Thailand band SCRUBB made quite a splash at 123 Block, Mandaluyong on February 10, 2024. The duo, accompanied by special guests Elijah Canlas and TONEEJAY, brought their infectious hooks and refreshing tunes for their first-ever concert in the Philippines.
The duo, most known for their works soundtracking one of Thailand’s most internationally successful boys’ love series “2gether: The Series”. The concert, made possible by GNN Productions was held at 123 Block, Mandaluyong, started just as the night started at 6pm as eager fans waited to get settled in the concert space, ranging from fans residing in Mandaluyong and neighboring cities such as Quezon City and Pasay to more distant places such as Batangas, Davao, and one attendee even coming all the way from California, all to see the Thai duo perform.
It was such a pleasant sight to see hundreds of LGBTQ+-friendly attendees support the band, some even bringing or wearing memorabilia tied to the show such as custom-made dolls, plushies, sashes, and shirts featuring the BrightWin pairing as seen on the TV series.
Starting the event was critically acclaimed actor/hip-hop up-and-comer Elijah Canlas, who performed with Cavill of KINDRED serving as his DJ as he ran through his to-be-released bangers. Elijah was also happy to talk about his experience as a 123 Block event attendee, relating with the audience as they enthusiastically watched their favorite artists perform on the stage. Concert-goers had a wonderful time vibing and singing along to Elijah’s tracks, including unreleased tracks like ‘oras mo na raw’ and his breakthrough single ‘kilala kita’, which the crowd sang along to.
The host, Rom, then allotted the time with a spoken poetry bit done by selected audience participants that they were to dedicate to the persons they had feelings for, in celebration of the upcoming Valentine’s Day. There were also several giveaways of Katinko products as they were a prime sponsor of the event. I was even fortunate to catch one of them.
The next performer, TONEEJAY, accompanied by a full band, came through with an ethereal and beautiful set. The singer-songwriter ran through a series of hit songs, including his version of ‘Bawat Piyesa’ that featured a hidden version he wrote and his lead single ‘711’. There was even a funny moment with the enthusiastic audience wherein they accidentally cheered when TONEEJAY mentioned it was going to be his last song, which he joked about how he often gets the opposite reaction.
Before the main stars of the show came out to perform to their fans, there was a short matchmaking session done with the audience in spirit of the shipping culture bloomed from the duo’s discography wherein a lucky attendee from Batangas, who is fond of SCRUBB much like Win, was able to choose between three good-looking fellows. There was laughter and cheer all round, building up to anticipation as the Thai group then went up to the stage and got ready to play for their loving fans.
The duo went on to perform a wonderfully upbeat and cheerful set, full of amazing instrumentation and energy as they ran through some of their songs such as ‘Khu Kan (Together)’, ‘Tho Mun Rop Chan, Chan Mun Rop Thoe (You Revolve Around Me, I Revolve Around You)’ and ‘Khon Ni (This Person)’ After a setlist that ran for almost an hour, the duo then ended set with a “See you next time!”
However, the host and the audience were hungry for more from the band and cheered for SCRUBB to come back, to which the band was kind enough to then return and play an encore set, which caused the audience to roar even louder in excitement.
After their five-song encore, Rom then asked the lead singer, Thawatpon Wongboonsiri, if they were going to come back to the Philippines soon. His response, in excitement and happiness, after SCRUBB played their hearts out for the hundreds of attendees and thanked GNN Productions and all the help that made the concert possible: “We want to be back here!” A heartfelt sentiment that signified the end of the night, if not for it being capped by the host shouting a loud “Mabuhay ang kabaklaan!” followed by a loud repeat of it from the audience despite it being almost midnight. Truly, the hearts of these fans were wild and unmeasurable, and thanks to such a community being brought together by SCRUBB, it was truly a night to remember. Even if the concert has ended, in one’s heart… “Pleng Nun Yung Yoo (That Song is Still Here.)”
Photos & Art by: Jayson Villafuerte
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