BAMBOO, one of the hottest bands in the Philippines today, is to perform in Bahrain next week.
4 in 1, in co-operation with Klarks Concepts, is presenting the show - which is already anticipated to be a sell-out.
Bamboo Rocks Bahrain will be held on February 9 at the Marina Club, Manama, with doors opening at 5pm.
The band's members are leader and vocalist Bamboo Manalac, guitarist Ira Cruz, bassist Nathan Azarcon and drummer Vic Mercado.
Manalac is a star in his own right in the Philippines, having been the front man of the popular 90s band Rivermaya.
Azarcon, a childhood friend of Manalac, was also in the same band.
In 1998, after three successfully albums with Rivermaya, Manalac chose to leave the band and the Philippines to continue his studies in the US.
After the departure of Manalac, Azarcon also left Rivermaya and joined the band Kapatid.
It was there that Azarcon worked with Cruz, a veteran guitarist who had played with several local bands.
It was while Manalac was still in the US that he began to talk to Azarcon about forming a new band.
Nathan immediately discussed the plan with Cruz, who then then called Mercado, a drummer he had played with in the band Passage.
Manalac returned from the US and jammed with his new bandmates.
Manalac was initially hesitant to use his name as the moniker of the band, but the others prevailed eventually.
"We explained to him that Bamboo connoted strength and durability. Also, we wanted a name that had a Filipino feel to it," said Cruz.
Bamboo the band debuted in late 2002 during a magazine launch, and continued to perform in a steady stream of gigs.
The buzz around the band was the local music industry's worst kept secret, with insiders talking up the band's all-star, high-calibre line-up.
In October 2003, Bamboo signed with EMI Music Philippines.
Bamboo's debut album As the Music Plays was released in February 2004.
Led by the anthemic single Noypi (a slang term meaning "Filipino"), the album immediately soared to the top of local sales charts.
The album held its lofty position for all of 2004 as subsequent singles Mr Clay, Masaya and These Days all topped radio playlists around the country.
As the Music Plays was certified double platinum and became the biggest selling album by a group in the Philippines for 2004.
Not content with commercial success, Bamboo was also a critical favourite, topping many year-end reviews and surveys.
Among their 2004 accolades were: MTV Pilipinas 2004 Best New Artist, Best Group, Favourite Song, NU107 Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and 89.9TM and 93.1RX's local artist of the year.
The second album, Light Peace Love, was released in 2005 and immediately attained gold status.
Tickets for the band's Bahrain concert are BD10 VIP and BD5 regular.
Special guest performers are local bands Alamid and Sakrament.
The show's sponsors are Ramee International Hotel, Al Seef Car Rental, Qatar Airways, Chili's, Swan Lake and Fast Food Restaurant.
***antayin nyo vid nito hehehe
