Wallows open Asia tour with electrifying Manila show — gig report

Wednesdays are no fun. It’s the middle of the week; you’re exhausted, possibly (but mostly likely) irritated, and just aching for the weekend. It’s usually on this day you pull everything together to find the motivation and energy to make it through, and fortunately for us on this fated week, it was Wallows’ highly anticipated Manila debut. 

Immediately getting us out of our midweek slump, the Los Angeles-based indie-rock outfit took over the city’s New Frontier Theatre on 15 February. This was their first time ever performing in the Philippines—nay, Asia, and what better way than to a packed house ready to jump, scream, and sing all their worries away. 

Right from the moment they walked onto their colourful, lamp-adorned stage, the cheers were blaring, welcoming Wallows to the region in the best way possible. The trio, comprising Dylan Minette (vocals, guitar), Braeden Lemasters (vocals, guitar), and Cole Preston (drums), opened the show with their harmonica-infused hit ‘I Don’t Want To Talk’. It’s not every day you see a crowd go wild for a harmonica solo but that they did.

With it being the first time the band got to meet their Filipino fans, and vice versa, Wallows interspersed their setlist with old gems and favourites, performing ‘Pleaser’, ‘1980s Horror Film II’, ‘Uncomfortable’, ‘Pictures Of Girls’, and ‘Sun Tan’.

Feeding off the crowd’s incredible energy, Dylan, Braeden, and Cole (who all took turns sharing the mic) jumping and rocked out all over the stage, sauntering and then running to each side, building excitement over and over again. As the night went on and as they performed songs like ‘Hurts Me’, ‘OK’, ‘WISH ME LUCK’, and ‘Scrawny’, it was so easy to fall into the pure adrenaline and fun of the present, the rest of the work week be damned. 

Throughout the entire night, Wallows profusely thanked the crowd for showing up, sharing that they were nervous playing in the region for the first time but how that all went away the moment they played their first song. “I know we’re all still here, but I already can’t wait to go back, said Dylan. 

After unified chants of “one more”, the night ended with an encore performance of ‘Are You Bored Yet?’, closing out their first Asia show on a high.

The night went by fast but not enough that you completely miss the magic of Wallows. The band has a way of eliciting so much excitement even during their slower tracks, prompting everyone to jump and sing along and own the heartache and melancholy that came with it. Their energy never faltered and gave everyone a night to remember. Maybe, Wednesdays aren’t that bad after all. 

Wallows Tell Me That It’s Over Manila Setlist:

• I Don’t Want To Talk
• Especially You
• Pleaser
• Dig What You Dug
• These Days
• It’s Only Right
• Hurts Me
• Missing Out
• Sun Tan 
• Quarterback
• OK
• WISH ME LUCK
• Pictures Of Girls
• Uncomfortable
• 1980s Horror Film II
• At The End Of The Day
• Just Like A Day
• Scrawny
• Remember When
• Are You Bored Yet?