Viral Aussie cover band HSCC talks Hagibis, Lea Salonga and Filipino fans
When asked if he knew any Filipino artist, Jordan Lennon, one of the vocalists of the viral Australian cover band Hindley Street Country Club (HSCC), promptly broke into song. And it wasn’t at all what we were expecting.
“Katawan, katawan, katawan, katawan, oh … katawan!” he belted out the iconic Hagibis hit with his booming tenor.
Apparently, Jordan was tapped to play the drums for the 1980s Filipino disco group when it held a show in Adelaide, Australia, six years ago. They also played “Manila,” which in turn, introduced Jordan to the 1970s band Hotdog.
“I did a gig and was in the backing band for Hagibis. So that was how I met Sonny Parsons (one of the original members who died in 2020). God rest his soul. I’m a big fan,” he told the Inquirer shortly before HSCC went onstage for a recent press conference and mini showcase.
In the DNA
Jordan grew quite fond of Hagibis’ and Hotdog’s songs, because the sound wasn’t too different from what he sings with HSCC.
“Hagibis was like the Philippines’ version of the Village People. We play a lot of ’70s and ’80s music, so I like that sort of groove and style. So I think it was very much in my DNA to like that kind of music,” said Jordan, who claimed that he already loved the Philippines before he could even step foot in it.
His bandmate and fellow vocalist Kat Jade, on the other hand, is a Lea Salonga fan. “I idolized her growing up because of her vocal ability. She’s a massive influence to me,” she said.
Founded in Adelaide by arranger-producer Constantine Delo in 2017, HSCC is a group of 11 musicians that rose to prominence online with its spot-on versions of mostly well-loved ‘70s and ‘80s tunes on YouTube.
At the press conference, HSCC brought the house down with resounding renditions of “Careless Whisper” (George Michael) and “Too Much Heaven” (Bee Gees).
The vocals soar, the harmonies are seamless, and the instrumentation, delightfully crisp. It wasn’t too much of a surprise that the band has ended up attracting 1.1 million subscribers on YouTube alone, and amassing more than a billion streams across different platforms.
Among the group’s most viewed covers include “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship, “Just the Two of Us” (Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr.) and “I Want to Know What Love Is” (Foreigner).
Arms wide open
Many of the ensemble’s other viral videos are karaoke staples in the Philippines, too, which likely explains HSCC’s strong streaming performance in the country. In fact, Constantine said, the Philippines is the group’s second biggest market, based on its social media analytics.
Playing a show here should be a no-brainer. Presented by Main Events (an Ovation Productions subunit), the HSCC will have a one-night show at the New Frontier Theater on Sept. 29. Visit www.ticketnet.com.ph
“We have been very fortunate that the genre of music we play has been embraced globally. But the Philippines has basically thrown its arms wide open and embraced us. And it has done so for many years,” Constantine said. “This country has been so good to us. You can see it in the analytics—the Philippines always comes up.”
“No one loves music more than the Filipino people,” he added. “All of you can sing!”
For its upcoming concert, HSCC has prepared a set full of fan favorites and songs it has yet to perform live elsewhere.
“Sometimes, we do the songs as they’re written because we don’t want to mess with the formula. You have to stick to that. But of course, there are times we try Constantine’s arrangements, which change things up a little—just to make things new, interesting. We just give it a little twist,” vocalist Danny Lopresto said of the band’s approach to doing covers.
The band’s goal is simple: to spread the joy that fills them when they play music. “We always have such a good time onstage. We all get along well. And I think people see that we’re having fun, so they feed off that,” Danny said.
“We’re not trying to be rock stars—we just love music,” Constantine added. “We want people to forget about their worries even for just a few hours, so they can sing, dance and laugh a bit … We never thought our music would have the reach it did, that we would be sitting here now. It’s just a blessing from God.”
