Having watched Wikalele (especially the epic set of BennyBunnyBand) at Sev’s Cafe last August 1, I now have two major realizations: (1) I want to buy a ukulele and (2) there are things that are better said in Filipino.

It is no surprise at all if you are going to think about it. Spoken word in Filipino and awesome music (especially the live performance of BennyBunnyBand) make a great combination.

The night started with performances by spoken word artists from While Wall Poetry. Artists from the group recited poems that talked about a wide variety of subjects, including Manila traffic, trash, and moving on. As expected, each poem was bursting with hugot lines. Since they were in Filipino, people could relate to them more.

The second half of the show was packed with live musical performances. Justin Grace Mariano, Leo Valdez, Pao Gumba, Kalabopis, and Ukulele Philippines Ensemble serenated the crowd with some of the most memorable songs in the history of OPM while using the ukulele.

The crowd enthusiastically sang along with OPM hits like Muli, Torpe, Tikman, and a lot more. Indeed, these songs were able to set people’s emotions on fire, which were brought to life by the spoken poems they heard and cherished earlier.

And, since people just couldn’t get enough of the hugot lines, more spoken word artists were invited to share their powerful works. Everyone was easily affected by their poems that explored subjects concerning romantic love and politics.

Finally, BennyBunnyBand went on stage to put an end to the long wait. Composed of Benny Giron (vocals and ukulele), Ess Bodilla (bass), and Jhenico dela Cruz (drums), the band performed catchy originals like Ikaw Na, I’m Coming, Kamandag (Pogi Problems), and Dear Laarni.

Wikalele, indeed, was a great show. And since the entire Wikalele event celebrated the beauty and the depth of Filipino through music and spoken word, it was really a good way to jumpstart Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa.

BennyBunnyBand

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