Blake, the pop-classical all-male group from the UK (composed of Stephen Bowman, Jules Knight, Humphrey Berney and Ollie Baines), came, saw and conquered Manila and Cebu. I was happy to be with these down-to-earth, funny and talented men for about a week—from their presscon for Ayala Malls to their departure day.
Few people know how they came to Manila, so here’s a shortened version. I have always been a music aficionado and, one day, I chanced upon Blake singing on YouTube. I instantly fell in love with their rendition of “Up Where We Belong,” so I recommended them to Ayala’s Cathy Bengzon and Maricris Bernandino, who are always on the lookout for concert talents. They immediately told me to contact them. This was in April. After months of e-mail exchanges, Blake finally came to the Philippines. And here’s an insider’s view of what transpired thereafter.
At their packed concert at Greenbelt 5 Gallery, I heard them sing live for the first time. I must say they are even better singing live, and they truly blew my socks off. They were given an intimate dinner by Ayala management at Kai, with special guests Ben Chan and Virgilio and Nenita Lim.
The next night I feted them to dinner and drinks at Establishment and invited statuesque beauty Alex Escat, the ever-gorgeous KC Concepcion and my best friend Pops Fernandez. After this, we took an early flight to Cebu for a performance at the Ayala Mall and an after-party at the Marriott.
Instant hit
Before Manila, Blake was virtually unheard of here. But because of the Filipinos’ love for music, they could easily appreciate great voices like Blake’s, making the band an instant hit. Most of the people who watched them, from Cebu’s Amparito Lhuillier to Manila’s Sharmila Hiranand and Karen Santos, all fell in love with Blake. Of course, it helped that the men were great to look at as well.
They were supposed to stay on in Cebu after their concert for some R&R, but they were offered to become Bench endorsers and this was one opportunity they found difficult to pass up. So we spent just one day wakeboarding, eating and tanning at Mactan Shangri-La. We came home to watch the David Foster concert and a late dinner at The Peninsula.
The next day was their shoot for Bench, with legendary photographer Jun de Leon. In the evening was a party at Ben Chan’s home, where they also gave an impromptu performance. The next day they wanted to see some parts of Manila, so I took them to Intramuros and San Agustin Church.
To say I was exhausted being with them is an understatement. I had great conversations with each one of them, and I must say they are all well-mannered and down-to-earth with a wicked sense of humor. Blake is launching its fourth album next year, so hopefully we will see more of these guys soon.
Downtime
I needed some downtime after spending a week with Blake, so last week I went to Hong Kong for my personal R&R. Hong Kong is a city that’s always nice to visit because it’s constantly evolving. And as any traveler worth his salt would know, the only way to see a great place like HK and cut through all the distractions is to have a friend who lives there.
One of my good friends is one of HK’s most stylish and creative ladies, Bonnie Gokson. She showed me around the new developments in the city, but my visit wouldn’t be complete without going to my favorite spot, Sevva, owned by Bonnie. That evening, playing were some of Quincy Jones’ protégées! Now, that was a treat!
Bonnie also showed me the new developments in the Noho and Soho area, which is now the hippest area in the city. Check out all the quaint and unique shops and bars there. If you have time to go to Kowloon, the Ritz Carlton is worth checking out, as well as the massive all-accessories store of Lane Crawford. If you need more professional advice, get a copy of Time Out Hong Kong, for better vantage points.
On my own, I went to the new Harvey Nichols store in Pacific Place. Great window display, but I was not impressed with the store, though; it had a dated look. I was also able to catch up with pretty ladies Audrey Puckett Chiu, Marilu Toda Batchelor and Mary Anne Aboitiz Arculli for lunch.
Grand wedding
Mary Anne was invited to probably the grandest wedding of the century in Hong Kong. Bruce Rockowitz (CEO of Li and Fung) and Coco Lee (Canto-pop diva) got married to the tune of a two-day celebration costing an unbelievable US$10 million. During the wedding ceremony, none other than Bruno Mars serenaded the bride with his hit song “Just the Way You Are,” while at the evening reception, Alicia Keys and Ne-Yo performed.
The next day, the Black Eyed Peas performed as well, and Bruno Mars made a repeat performance. Renowned florist Preston Bailey helped organize the event. Some of the heavyweight guests at the wedding were Tommy Hilfiger and Steve Wynn.
On my last night, I popped into a British Council event where I saw more friends like Sharie Ross Tse, Shirley Hiranand and Reyna Harilela. We had dinner at the home of our friends James and Su Chen, who had as guests David and Lucy Tang.
David is the founder of Shanghai Tang and has numerous restaurants in Hong Kong and London. He writes as well for the Financial Times, and has been awarded the Knight of the Order of the British Empire.
Through it all, believe it or not, I still managed to spend some time relaxing and resting. And since it was Shanghainese hairy crab season, I was able to have my fill of that delicacy, too!