It’s been more than a week since Wonggoys held their “Organic” Grand Album Launch concert, and most of us are still on a concert high playing their new songs on repeat.
Was it the fact that we were finally listening to songs outside Spotify? Or the fact that after two years, we were finally amongst a crowd singing and dancing along to the music with a cup of alcohol (the type we drink) in hand? Or was it the chill vibes that we haven’t felt from an actual concert for years?
Minutes before the gates opened, everyone already felt the all too familiar vibe we felt pre-pandemic when gigs—big and small emanated this fuzzy excitement of waiting for the concert to begin. Drinks, merchandise, and snacks were sold outside the venue, enough to gather the crowd with little talks of who was there and how they were doing (because it’s really been too long since we actually mingled with people).
The night slowly escalated as local acts shared their good music one by one. Our eyes and ears were blessed with different kinds of tunes from Relden, The Sundown, Jericho Streegan, & Julia Q, while our bodies moved to the beats of DJ Short who hyped up the crowd with music from the present and the past. Eventually, the room slowly filled with some of us sitting on the floor, enjoying our drinks while casually talking about life with music humming in the background. This concert, directed by Wonggoys producer and 22 Tango Music Group founder Cattski Espina, was reminiscent of all the pre-pandemic chill concerts we had no idea we were craving.
And finally, it was time to welcome the main act. Wonggoys started the evening with a short documentary to tell their story—their beginnings, their journey, and the learnings from their twelve years of sharing their music with Cebu (has time really flown that fast?) Watching their introduction felt like traveling with Wonggoys in the past with the multiple throwback videos of their old performances playing and their sentiments candidly shared in front of the audience. We couldn’t help but appreciate the trio as they shared how their music and band became essential parts of their lives.
Right off the bat, Wonggoys cleared up the misconception on their release of a “final album”. Gabe, Kyle, and William vehemently denied people’s fears of their disbandment, to our great relief. Instead, they comforted the crowd with their plans of releasing singles over albums because their busy schedules no longer gave them the luxury to get together to create a long list of songs, especially now that Gabe has stepped out of the Wong house to take care of his own family. This was enough to air out fears of their disbandment, especially with their assurance that Wonggoys will continue making music for a long time. With this cleared early on, the night continued with light hearts and eager ears.
Similar to their gigs in the past, the whole night felt like catching up with close friends you haven’t seen in ages, but sprinkle it with lots of good music and a good dose of humor. It was a special night as Wonggoys introduced their latest masterpiece, “Organic”, which they explained was deeply inspired by all the events, feelings, and changes they faced during this pandemic. While we all coped with Covid in our own ways, Wonggoys coped with their music. This final album also has a special meaning because as they mentioned, it served as the culmination of the twelve years they had in this industry. As to why the title “Organic”? Kyle had one way to describe it,
“This album kay free-flowing. Wala gipugos. Organic jud siya.”
Kyle Wong
If we were to describe the whole concert, it was carefully planned to add more depth to the album. From how Wonggoys’ 12-year journey was shared at the beginning, to the sequence of how the songs were introduced, down to the little chats in between songs, the two-hour experience with Wonggoys was quite an experience. Each song did not only satisfy our ears, but the accompanying visuals flashed on the screens as well as the lighting perfectly matched the story they were trying to portray.
Good Boy played during the early parts was one of our personal favorites. With family photos flashing on the screen, the song dedicated to their mom who gave their name “Wonggoys” made a few people sing along to the familiar melody. My Love was also memorable—a song they coined as unique and their sweetest to date which was written to express the intense and deep longing they felt when they couldn’t be with their loved ones during the early parts of the pandemic. Hayahay also had an interesting backstory, being a song dedicated to a friend’s prior drug addiction as it tried to mimic the feeling of being “high” through its psychedelic music and electric visuals. Of course, the concert ended with a surprise as we heard the familiar lyrics “Game, game, game, game, game!” and the crowd went wild while each word to Way Blema was collectively sung from start to end.
This night was definitely a celebration of many things—Wonggoy’s “Organic”, their 12-year career, the mini-reunions, and the much-awaited return of Cebu’s concert scene. It was also a night where we were reminded of why Wonggoys has slowly become a favorite of some Cebuanos, because not only were their songs relatable, but their concerts always feel like a casual jamming session with old friends from the past.