A night of celebration, nostalgia with Urbandub and Typecast

All smiles to celebrate a quarter- century milestone and a landmark collaboration of Urbandub and Typecast. —PHOTOS BY KRIS ROCHA

The “emo” kids of the early aughts have come a long way since their angst-ridden era.

They are all grownups now. They are thriving millennials mired in work or domestic life, always in a hustle and in the thick of responsibilities.

It takes a special occasion for them to take a night out, and on April 6 they did just that for the 25th anniversary of Urbandub and Typecast, two of the most significant rock bands in the local music scene in the 2000s.

It was a reunion of sorts as a generation flocked to the New Frontier Theater to celebrate, take a breather and reminisce about the good ol’ times.

Typecast’s signature posthardcore sound was delivered by Steve Badiola’s powerful vocals with Pakoy Fletchero (guitars), Chi Resurreccion (bass), and Sep Roño (drums).

There was a lot of catching up to do in the 25 years that had passed. During their opening spiel, Urbandub’s frontman and guitarist Gabby Alipe greeted the crowd like old friends, “Kumusta kayo?” (How are you?)

A number of times throughout the show, Typecast’s lead singer and guitarist Steve Badiola asked the audience how they were feeling, perhaps worried that the hours of standing were taking a toll on their knees.

Not so long ago, this same crowd frequented their gigs and had a blast jumping and slamming bodies in mosh pits.

At some point Badiola quipped, “Mga emo noon, panot na ngayon,” (Those emo kids are now balding), a definite sign of aging, which drew laughs from the crowd when somebody shouted, “Aray!” (Ouch!)

Gabby Alipe’s synergy with bandmates Lalay Lim (back-up vocals and bass), John Dinopol and Russell Manaloto (guitars), and Sam Saludsong (drums) transported the fans back in time with Urbandub’s anthemic and contagious rock rhythms.

It was a sentimental night for Urbandub and Typecast as they watched their audience grow from being wild-eyed teens clad in black with side-swept bangs to a cool bunch of folks nearing middle age still passionate about love and music.

This was made evident when the bands played the soundtrack of their youth and they could not help but sing along.

A trip down memory lane

Urbandub and Typecast displayed their unique sounds and personalities when they played alternately in one-hour sets.

Urbandub opened the show with “Face In the Woods,” and later on played crowd favorites such as “Evidence,” “Frailty” and “The Fight Is Over.” It was difficult not to jump to the beat when they closed their set with “First of Summer.”

Arms raised to “First Of Summer,” one of Urbandub’s earliest hits

Nostalgia was palpable in the air when Typecast took the stage with “Reverend’s Daughter” and delighted the audience with other smash hits such as “The Boston Drama,” “The Infatuation is Always There” and “Will You Ever Learn.”

On such a special night, they played their first ever song, “Forget,” and one of Ragnarok Online’s soundtracks from the mid-2000s, “Phoenix.”

For their encore, Urbandub and Typecast shared the stage and treated the fans with their cover of Taking Back Sunday’s “MakeDamnSure” and Deftones’ “Be Quiet and Drive.”

For their encore, Urbandub and Typecast delighted the audience with a cover of Taking Back Sunday’s “MakeDamnSure” and Deftones’ “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away).”

It was an unforgettable four-hour show with impressive visuals, a blinding play of lights and direction from Paolo Valenciano.

Presented by Numinous Philippines and Udub Presents in partnership with TTP Events, Variant Productions and Daybreak Entertainment, the show was the first leg of their 25th anniversary tour. They’re hitting the road and will be performing in Baguio today.

With a fantastic discography and hundreds of gigs under their belt, Urbandub and Typecast have established themselves as legends and household names of OPM rock, but it sure was a long road to get there, quite literally.

Both bands hailed from the provinces—Urbandub was already active in Cebu’s music scene while Typecast was among the pioneer emo acts in Laguna—when a major force in the person of Raymund Marasigan saw and believed in their talents, propelling them out of their hometowns and into national recognition.

The crowd turned brooding and nostalgic as Typecast graced the stage.

During the show, Alipe acknowledged Marasigan’s tremendous help in their early days in Manila. The Sandwich frontman was also among the producers of Typecast’s first full-length studio album, “The Infatuation is Always There.”

Alipe and Badiola looked back on their journey and expressed their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who stayed by their side and to their supporters who remained devoted and excited through the years.

Longevity in the music industry is no small feat. Though with nothing more to prove, it is almost certain that they will not stop creating music anytime soon.

Thank you, Urbandub and Typecast, for the gift that keeps on giving, even after 25 years.