“Cheap beer! Cheap cigarettes!” barked Nit, keyboardist and ambient noise-maker of Bangkok-based band The Standards, when asked about their visit to Manila. “[You’ve got] some really cool venues, similar to England,” added guitarist Paul, who finds his musical roots in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. “One point about venues [here]: they’re small, but loud. It sounds fucking great.” This was at the Café saGuijo leg of A*Fest2, the independent Asian music festival organized by Joffy Cruz of Kindassault Records.

Through his MySpace machinations and the help of like-minded individuals, Joffy invited four different bands from four different places to play a four-night festival spread across four venues—Club Dredd, Route 196, Café saGuijo, and Mag:Net High Street—all in the fourth month of the year. Perhaps there are astrological underpinnings to the incidence of the number “4.” Some numerological systems do attribute “4” to creation. Something may be taking form because of this festival. But regardless of what that is exactly, every factor in the equation was in harmony: good venues, warm conversations (though not necessarily conducted in the same language), copious amounts of alcohol, and a shared love for music that can best be described as “global.”

The saGuijo leg opened with Indonesian electronica duo Bottlesmoker, who described their dream-world brand of IDM as “bedroom music.” Quite the bedroom really, as they are equipped with old Casio keyboards, melodicas, xylophones, bells, laptops, MIDI controllers, mixers, and custom-made Theremins (and that’s just half of their usual rig). The joy in seeing their live act is that, despite being regaled with the seeming playground maze that is their gear, one would be totally stumped about the origin of all the sounds being produced.

Malaysian singer-songwriter Mohd Jayzuan came next. Mohd, who’s never without a big smile, already performed in the first A*Fest alongside Free Love, pretty much making him the first official A*Fest “regular.” Mohd took an acoustic guitar and sang his song-stories about love, the dreariness of losing it and the desire to win it back. His performance was probably the most personal, and also the most revealing. (Incidentally, he also cites Lou Barlow of Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr. as a major influence.)

Afterwards, Sleepwalk Circus—a band never to botch a gig at saGuijo—took the stage. The new Terno act, along with other bands in the tour roster (Up Dharma Down, Musical O, Encounters with a Yeti, Turbo Goth, and Ang Bandang Shirley), form the proud Filipino contingent of A*Fest2. In a way, A*Fest2 was an opportunity not only to showcase Filipino talent, but also to validate just how promising Southeast Asian rock has become.

Once the lights and sounds of Sleepwalk Circus ended, The Standards dance-punked the bar into a charged frenzy. The band (who’s three parts Thai and two parts English) played songs reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian (read: loud and gritty), although “These are Our Lives” veers closer to industrial, Stabbing Westward territory. Mid-set vocalist Matty Boy yelled into his microphone, “Manila, it seems like you need to rock out!” (an invitation which saGuijo promptly accommodated). Against a backdrop of noise and sweat, a fellow observer pointed out, “Parang nasa Wembley [Stadium] lang tayo, ‘no?”

Ending the night was sonic craftsman and multi-instrumentalist Amberhaze (who sometimes answers to “Giuliano”). His ambient, instrumental, multi-layered, and introspective music spoke of Singapore (where he’s based) but carried with it undertones of everywhere else he’s been: the U.K., France, the U.S., and, of course, his hometown Sicily. “Journeying” appears to be the overarching theme to his music, its consistent rhythm found in almost jetlag-like displacement, and its melodic structures moving through a sea of sometimes dissonant harmonies. Crediting movies as a constant source of inspiration, it made perfect sense for him to do a rendition of Aphex Twin’s “Film.”

Absent that night was barely-out-of-high-school J-pop rockers Brian the Sun, who by then had just made their way back to Osaka, Japan. The group performed during the first two nights (at Club Dredd and Route 196), and showcased a technical proficiency that some bands can only aspire to. Theirs are songs that remind one of a carefree adolescence: something that is evident in their onstage writhing, their open-mouthed gestures, and their general sense of reckless abandon.

And as for the music? Sloppiness has never sounded this tight.

And so a diverse set of indie acts congregated in a metropolis which some might say isn’t a foremost destination in world-touring circuits. Of course, the recent influx of global acts coming over might just disprove that sentiment and prove that, maybe, a few things are changing. But, still, an observer here and there could contend that Manila is often passed over and left in the fringes of the so-called “global music scene.” Nevertheless, A*Fest2 isn’t the first time Joffy and Kindassault Records brought in indie acts from around the region. Chochukmo, Poubelle International, I am David Sparkle, Lunar Node, Panda No Panda, and Q, after all, have all performed here.

Interestingly enough, once invited, the bands were offered nothing more than the promise of a good time, some guidance in finding lodging and Filipino treats, and a warm, receptive audience. In any case, the hope of any indie band of “making it big” lies in maximizing one’s exposure, and, yeah, being part of A*Fest may just be another way of getting one’s name out. So why, indeed, have these bands come here? “Because I want to discover new environments, new bands, new people, new culture, new rock ‘n’ roll experience[s],” shared Mohd when asked before the Route 196 leg. The night after, Standards guitarist Paul added, “I’m sitting here, we’re hanging out together, playing in sweaty venues you’d want to play in: it’s fucking awesome. Of course, I’d do this for free.” “I’ve always played music. It’s something I’ve always liked to do. I really enjoy it when I get the chance to play live, and I love travelling. So, if I have the chance to play in another country, I will take it,” shared Amberhaze outside of saGuijo.

If songwriting and music-making are deeply personal things, maybe venturing to other countries to perform is an act of sharing oneself, or, in Bottlesmoker parlance, “making [our] bedrooms bigger.” Joffy points out, “[A*Fest] was indeed about the cultural exchange. I think it’s good that we get to know our Asian neighbors. It’s also about making connections.” It has certainly brought people together despite cultural differences and language barriers. Struggling a bit with his English, Angkuy of Bottlesmoker explains it quite eloquently, “Maybe when we are writing music without vocals, we want to create [a] theater of [the] mind. The audience [will] feel free to imagine. Music is [our] language, and our minds [are our] equipment.”

Sure, some music is borne out of a specific source, quartered out under a specific genre, and intended for a specific audience. But perhaps music that is beyond culture and beyond countless differences exists as well, the possibility of which, Amberhaze says, is true “to a certain extent, because music is not any other language but its own.”

Again, if one believes in numerological systems, the incidence of “4” in this festival may denote a creation of sorts. Though nobody knows what will come out of future A*Fests, something is definitely taking shape as we speak. Thankfully, Joffy wants to make the next one “even bigger than the last two combined.” If anything, A*Fest2 stressed whatever it is that makes us similar rather than what makes us different. When asked about what’s consistent across the many places he’s performed in, Mohd said, “[T]he people in the indie music scene, they serve you well. I mean, you’ll go anywhere, anyplace. I don’t know, maybe because we all listen to good music, everywhere we go, they will serve you well. In a way, in all these ‘scenes’—Manila, Jakarta, Bandung, Bangkok—we can feel appreciated.” (Mikey “Billy B.” Abola)

Thanks to Keith for the pictures, to Errol of KittyWu Records for the Amberhaze CD, to Yulius for the “I am Indonesian and Proud” sticker (even though I’m not). This article has links to the MySpace sites of the various bands. Do check them out.