Funk-pop band Lola Amour and speed grind outfit Tubero are two band names that don’t normally belong on the same lineup, let alone the same gig. But on July 19 at Mow’s Bar in Quezon City, the unexpected happened.
For one night, Lola Amour invited not only the grindcore outfit Tubero as an opener, but also brought in comedians and podcasters The Koolpals, made up of Ryan Rems, James Caraan, and GB Labrador. It wasn’t a gimmick or a one-off novelty show, it was an intentional mix of chaos, genre whiplash, and some much-needed rethinking of how bookings are done in a big music scene.
At surface level, the lineup feels like it was chosen from a roulette wheel. But pairing a polished funk-pop band like Lola Amour with a blastbeat-heavy group like Tubero actually forces a kind of reset. Audiences that might not care for extreme music or raw humor suddenly find themselves watching it — maybe even enjoying it — just by proximity. It builds interest, not the usual shock factor. More importantly, it nudges other mainstream bands and promoters to consider tapping into pockets of music that don’t fit the polished, export-ready mold.
Tubero, known for their crude and chaotic songs that barely hit the one-minute mark, bring an energy that stands apart from polished sets. They’re loud and unapologetic, but also tight as hell. Lola Amour, on the other hand, knows how to win a crowd with groove and showmanship. Seeing both bands share the same bill without killing the momentum of the night says a lot about the kind of risk-taking that actually works. Regardless of how unorthodox or “weird” the lineup looks to a majority of their own respective audiences, the fact that this show came to fruition makes a statement about building cross-scene visibility.
Too often, “quality control” means sticking with what’s familiar. That kind of thinking keeps scenes from growing. Booking Tubero wasn’t a safe or easy choice, but it was the smart one. If more bands and bookers took a page out of this playbook, the result wouldn’t be chaos for the sake of chaos; it would be more people showing up for bands they’ve never heard of, and walking out remembering them. This adds intrigue to the bills that any casual music listener would sift through on social media.
A great show always leaves you something more out of the ordinary. That’s how scenes start to breathe again.
