Ateneo Musicians’ Pool’s Rites of Passage: Lakwatsa took place at 123Block on Nov. 15 and 22, 2024

Rites of Passage, the two-day initiation concerts for the members of the Ateneo Musicians’ Pool (AMP), returned to 123Block on Nov. 15 and 22, 2024. The year’s theme, Lakwatsa, highlighted the freedom in music that brings the AMP community together—people with diverse talents and skills finding solace in their journey to be bigger than the sound.

Rites of Passage may have taken place months ago but the energy and excitement of the event continues to be relived and reminisced by AMP members today. 

READ: Behind the sound of rites of passage: Lakwatsa

Pencils for Armor

Pencils for Armor was the first band to take the stage. Their set was composed of popular hits (from Green Day’s “American Idiot” to The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside”) and original songs (“Hell Week” and “No Time to Aim”) highlighting the intensity of teen angst and rebellion through alternative rock. The band was formed in its members’ high school years, with the Rites stage being their first time playing their original songs live.

RB&J

Cooling the atmosphere was RB&J. Starting their set with “Weak” by SWV, the audience immediately swooned with every song played. Following an introduction of the band members was “We Might Even Be Falling in Love” by Victoria Monét then “ICU” by Coco Jones. Shifting into a vibrant atmosphere, they proceeded to “Forget You” by CeeLo Green and ended with “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake. 

Every band member poured out their emotions to deliver a performance that showcased what makes R&B so captivating—its capacity to energize or soothe through sound and lyricism that express the dichotomies of love.

Hanky Punky

As Hanky Punky performed, they were “talking [to the crowd] through the music.” This self-expression is part and parcel of the pop punk philosophy. The art of baring your soul is exemplified by the genre and the band expertly carried this ideal to the audience.

Expressing a spectrum of emotions like the spiteful anger of Paramore’s “Ignorance” and the infatuated cheeky mood of Bini’s “Pantropiko” in one set is a daunting task—not to mention vocally unnerving—but trust that the skills of Hanky Punky were more than up to the challenge. Their passion shone through with their performance, defying the odds stacked against them and delivering a truly memorable performance despite having too little time to rehearse.

Take 2

Take 2 took the stage with a setlist that was consistently upbeat, invoked nostalgic summer feelings, and loaded with OPM tracks—“Dying to Meet You” by SOS, “MRT” by One Click Straight, and “Tayo Na Lang Dalawa” by Mayonnaise, as well as an original song, “Paalam.” Their original track is both a goodbye to their high school years and a love song. 

Banda Rito

Keeping the sound of rock going, Banda Rito started strong with Origami Angel’s “Title Track”  as the audience headbanged and bounced along. They followed it up with an original song from keyboardist Nathan Ong Ante’s band Paresthesia, called “Pangakong Sinulat sa Agua.” Paired with an introduction that featured “Adventure Time” as a hint for the next song, the group performed Mitski’s “Francis Forever” while receiving screams of excitement from the audience before seamlessly transitioning to their finale of “Isang Anghel” by Zild. 

AMP House Mafia

AMP House Mafia arrived on the scene in all-black formalwear and ready to close out the night with a bang. Determined to set the standard for all succeeding electronic music sets in Rites of Passage, they delivered hits handpicked from a wide span of eras and countries—”Awitin Mo,” “Never Gonna Give You Up,” “Water,” and “BBL Drizzy.”

Funk You

A band as cheeky and funky as its moniker, Funk You started Day 2 off strong with a rendition of Brass Pas Pas Pas Pas’ “Tayo’y Na’t Mag-Funk.” With spine-tingling riffs, the group worked the stage with their invigorating chemistry and soul, with fans hooting and hollering from the crowd. 

What The Folk

The members of this year’s folk chapter, What The Folk, set their sights on one goal: “reinventing folk.” As such, their set consisted of mesmerizing, whimsical, and almost siren-like performances of “Not Strong Enough’” by Boygenius, “Linger” by The Cranberries, and “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. Hints of rock peeked through their set as the guitarists pushed their performance past the expectations of their fellow members. 

MHC

A band rooted in rock, MHC brought fierce and familiar songs that sent the audience into a frenzy. They started the night with the Reach version of Weezer’s “I Just Threw Out the Love of my Dreams.” After hyping the audience for more, they proceeded to play a hot-blooded rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” Halestorm version. Keeping the momentum, they wasted no time in strumming the iconic “Misery Business” intro Their final song, “Kingslayer” by Bring Me the Horizon, sent the audience into a frenzy with fierce and electrifying instrumentation, and the seamless blend of metal screams and melodic vocal runs. 

The Virgins

Four smartly-dressed individuals who look straight out of “Revenge of the Nerds” took center stage as they hiked up their shorts and introduced themselves as “The Virgins”. A set as comedic, awkward, and unrestrained as adolescence itself, the indie quartet showed an equilibrium of musical mastery and fun. Featuring an overtly saccharine cover of Daniel Caesar’s “Best Part” that quickly divulged into slurred riffs and giggled lyrics, The Virgins quickly established that this was not going to be your run-of-the-mill performance. 

Bubble Wrap

As this year’s pop chapter, Bubble Wrap owned the stage with unique renditions of some iconic tracks—”Hot to Go!” by Chappell Roan, “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera, “Pasilyo” by Sunkissed Lola, and “Die With a Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga. 

Blue Bricked Road

A band whose groovy tunes brought everyone to a world of musical magic, Blue Bricked Road welcomed the audience to the world of blues with H3F’s “Ain’t Coming Home,” John Mayer’s “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” Dianne Reeves’ “Better Days,” and Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You.” 

Analogous

Indie alt-pop outfit Analogous brought out all the stops in a live electronic set to cap off the final night of Rites of Passage 2024. As the musicians got to work, the crowd could barely be contained, shouting along to new age anthems like “Fein” and “Runaway.” Harnessing the power of live performances, the group dedicated their songs to the lost ones and the loved ones, and concluded Rites with an epic mosh that even they themselves got in on.

Story originally from AMP Radar