MANILA, Philippines – Lola Amour gives fans a chance to look back at their recent album concert held last April 13 at Circuit Makati, with the film Lola Amour The Album: Concert Film, which premiered last December 1 on YouTube and Spotify.
Directed by Jed Regala, the film showcases the band’s performances and the hard work and camaraderie it took to bring the event to life. It also highlights the evolving journey of the band, and treats fans to behind-the-scenes moments — from the preparation to the concert day — that put a spotlight on their bond as a group, as well as their dedication to their craft.
Any Name’s Okay, Cup of Joe opened the show, while hip-hop group PLAYERTWO headlined the afterparty, which also saw FELIP join in a surprise performance. Viral internet personality Dante Gulapa was a surprise guest at the concert to the crowd’s enjoyment.
Favorite moments from the film
The band members each shared their favorite moments from the concert and the film at a media event.
For lead vocalist Pio Dumayas, the highlight was the intro to “Saan Kakapit,” a portion of the concert that he described as a collaborative triumph as it was one of the arrangements they made together in advance — even before working on the concert production.
Zoe Gonzales, on lead guitar, shared that his favorite part was seeing the crowd’s reaction. He also mentioned how he was amazed how the crowd knew the lines of their songs even though it was released three days before the concert day.
It was the same for Manu Dumayas, on bass and trumpet, who said that it was hard to ignore the crowd. “It was pretty wild, you know. Seeing all of that, we just never knew we’d be able to pull off that sort of thing,” Manu shared.
“They’re a big part of the progressions of the band. They’re a huge part of why this was possible so seeing them [the crowd] happy dancing, having fun, really means a lot,” session trumpeter Tim Cruz added.
David Yuhico, the keyboardist, said that Martin Kim’s appearance — the former keys player — was his favorite part of the show and film, as he pretended to act surprised when he showed up. He knew all along that Martin was coming as a surprise for bassist Raymond King, who was leaving and was officially performing with the band for the last time at the concert.
Along with Kim, former member Joxx Perez (saxophone) also shared the stage with the band.
Angelo Mesina, trumpeter, shared that his top film highlight was how it was put together. He explained that as performers, they cannot pay much attention to how the crowd was reacting at that time. He said that sometimes the lighting makes the crowd look like shadows, making it difficult for the band to gauge the crowd’s reactions when they’re on stage. “Seeing the film from this kind of point of view is refreshing,” Angelo said.
Jeff Abueg, on sax and clarinet, shared that seeing behind the scenes how it happened was his favorite part of the film because it gives people a closer look at their preparation process — something that not everyone gets to see behind the scenes, especially a show as big as the album concert. “Seeing how many days we spent and all the hard work that we do is such a nice feeling. [It’s] like [it’s] showing, ‘Hey, we work hard for this,” Jeff stated.
“My favorite part was the interviews with the fans because….just seeing the fans react to how they feel about the band even until now, it’s still very heartwarming for us that our work reaches these people,” Raffy Perez, drummer, shared. He added that he has watched the film about five times already and it was still a nice feeling each time.
Life after Raymond’s departure
With former bassist Raymond leaving the band after the concert, the members shared how they’ve adapted to his absence.
“We miss him as a friend. But when he left, we were all prepared for it. Hindi naman siya biglaang nawala so maayos naman yung turnover and transition,” Pio said. (It wasn’t abrupt thus, the runover and transition were smooth).
Even then, the band opened up about the initial challenges they encountered when Raymond left the band.
“I think what was hard is because he was a big part of the operations of the band, not just the bassist. He did the finance. He did some merch. A lot of us had to step up,” Zoe Gonzales, the guitarist, mentioned.
Zoe and Pio also shared that it was like losing a boss. Despite these challenges, the group continues to evolve, banking on their unique strengths to fill the gaps Raymond left behind in terms of music and operations.
However, Pio mentioned that they still hang out with Raymond sometimes. He even played with them recently for a Wish Bus performance when Manu Dumayas — now the band’s bassist — wasn’t available.
The band released the album — on April 10, which was 3 days before the concert — while Raymond was still a member because they wanted him to be a part of its release.
New ambitions and new music
Fresh from participating in a songwriting camp in Malaysia, the band teased a new album set for release in 2024. They also collaborated with Australian artists, including producer Oliver Cronin, for a track called “Maria,” slated for release on January 31.
On the possibility of a world tour, Pio said that if there were opportunities, they wouldn’t say no.
“So far, nakapag-Singapore na kami and nakapag-Macau na kami. We’re looking for opportunities that come our way to send us internationally kasi di naman kami nagasawaa dito, we love playing here, it’s just that we wanna [want to] know what’s out there as a band. Let’s go as big as we can,” Pio shared.
(So far, we have played in Singapore and we have played in Macau. We’re looking for opportunities that come our way to send us internationally because we are not tired of performing here, we love playing here, it’s just that we wanna [want to] know what’s out there as a band. Let’s go as big as we can.)
After nearly a decade together, Lola Amour is grateful for their fans’ unwavering support. “Thank you to the fans who have been there through all the steps that we’re taking in life,” Zoe shared. Angelo also said Lola Amour now would not be here without the support of their fans — from listening to them from bar shows up to the present.
As they continue to grow, the band is optimistic about the future. “It’s not easy being with the same six people every day for eight years, nababaliw na rin kami (we feel like we’re going crazy) but it’s also what we want,” Pio shared as the group decided that “Saan Kakapit” was the song they want to dedicate for their fans.
Lola Amour The Album: Concert Film offers fans a heartfelt glimpse into the band’s journey of creating their album and doing their album concert, underscoring their passion for music, and their commitment to furthering their artistry. With new projects on the horizon, Lola Amour promises more music, more memories, and reaching even greater heights. – Rappler.com
Rowz Fajardo is a Rappler intern studying Doctor of Dental Medicine at the University of the Philippines Manila.