Since its debut in 2013, the Wanderland Music Festival has featured a vibrant array of local and international artists of varying genres, its line-up always bringing a mixture of anticipation and wonder among music enthusiasts. With that, the festival has always succeeded in drawing huge crowds from the younger generation – many of which are students and young professionals.

This year, festival attendees were treated to 2 days of music featuring a bustling lineup of 22 acts with The Kooks and Two Door Cinema Club as co-headliners for each day. Living up to its title “Wanderland Magic” proved to be an enthralling experience for everyone.

Now on its 7th run, Wanderland has evolved as one of the most anticipated and most organized annual musical festivals in the Philippines. Year in and year out, Karpos noticeably worked in implementing improvements in the logistical details – in the venue, queue management and security, making sure that everything went as smoothly as possible for all.

There were also some surprises around the concert grounds. There were live art shows and roving street magicians and interactive sponsor booths which gave away quite a number of freebies. The event’s environmental advocacy was also strictly in place as it encouraged the use of reusable tumblers and offered a free water refilling station, a win-win situation for everyone.

There were two stages – the compact Globe stage and the main Wanderland stage. The artists alternated in setting up and performing in each stage. Time was of the essence as the event followed the announced lineup schedule as much as possible. Because of that, there was a dull moment onstage. (Kudos to the organizers! That must have taken a lot of work.)

If you’ve ever been to Wanderland, you’d know immediately how different the crowd is from any other. They’re chill, trendy and young. There were varying genres spread throughout the day, but the crowd, whether or not they were familiar with the artists’, knew how to appreciate live music by instinct. They could have been hunched over their banig /picnic mats at the back part of the venue or they could have been standing in the front lines of the stage, but they were listening to the music as much as they could. They knew how to have fun with the music.

The artist lineup featured a mishmash of genres – there’s folk, acoustic, alternative rock, electronica and pop. There’s music you can dance to, music you can bob your head to, music you can sing along to and music you can mull over.

First on stage were Intertwined, the Wanderbattle champions from Cebu, who showcased their brand of jazz and soul. Local artists Reese Lansangan and Autotelic might have been scheduled early on the show, but they definitely drew the crowd in.

Singaporean singer/songwriter Charlie Lim, with his backing band The Mothership, wooed the audience with his brand of jazz-fused electronica and smooth falsettos.

joan, the duo with from Little Rock, Arkansas, also caught everyone’s ears with the fusion of 80s pop with a modern twist.

Gabrielle Aplin was a radiant presence onstage as she dazzled the crowd with her feisty yet soulful music.

The rising English producer SG Lewis turned the concert grounds into a dance floor.

From being in the Globe stage last year, HONNE leveled up to the main stage, undoubtedly becoming one of the festival’s favorite performers. The duo from London also performed in Manila on July last year and they have steadily garnered a lot of interest. This time, they also performed songs off their new album Love Me / Love Me Not.

Up next was Christian Berishaj, more commonly known by his moniker JMSN, a multi-instrumentalist R&B singer/songwriter from Michigan was a central figure at the Globe stage as he played through a tantalizing set.

Northern Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club definitely made a lasting impact to the crowd that was ecstatic to see them. “This Is The Life”, “Cigarettes in the Theater”, “Sleep Alone” and “Sun” soared like anthems of the evening.

On the 2nd day, Wanderbattle runner-ups Nathan & Mercury and worldbeat/jazz/rock ensemble Dayaw were the first performers onstage.

Filipina singer/songwriter Clara Benin gave the afternoon a dreamy yet piercing feel.

Korean ‘commercial indie’ band Adoy played some catchy psychedelic tunes which were equally matched with some cool colorful visual projections.

By sundown, it was time to take things easy as American alternative R&B singer Mac Ayres drew the crowd in with slow and romantic jams.

OPM powerhouse Sandwich upped the energy as they played through an electrifyingly fun set, winning the Wanderland crowd over.

After her DIY YouTube music video of her self-written song “Pretty Girl” went viral, Clairo became one of the most buzzed about artists. The twenty-year-old singer enchanted the crowd with her sweet yet resonant songs.

UK band PREP served the right amount of groovy and electronic mixed with some jazz while American singer Alina Baraz turned the tempo down with a seductive fusion of R&B and soul.

Masego was a stand-out act at Wanderland as he transformed the grounds into a massive dance floor with music he dubbed “trap house jazz”.

The highly anticipated set by English indie rockers The Kooks was the final flourish on top of a two-day spectacle. Just like their music, their stage was quirky, energetic and entertaining. The band members were just enjoying themselves onstage. It felt all sorts of amazing to hear classics like “Always Were I Need to Be”, “Junk of the Heart”, “Seaside” and of course, “Naïve”.

Wanderland Magic weaved a mesmerizing spell to everyone who was there. We’re already looking forward to the next one!

View Wanderland Festival 2019 Day 1 Photo Gallery
View Wanderland Festival 2019 Day 2 Photo Gallery

Special Thanks to Karpos Multimedia

by Sandra Mae Laureano