The stars are aligning for indie pop fans this April as Lilystars Records celebrates its 17th anniversary with Popshoppe Indiefest. The event is a free, all-day showcase at Eastwood Open Park in Quezon City on Saturday, April 26. In true DIY spirit, the event opens its gates to everyone, offering a rare chance to experience the label’s storied legacy through three generations of artists who’ve defined the country’s alternative pop sound.
At the forefront are jangle-pop icons Orange & Lemons, whose reunion has become one of local music’s most heartwarming comeback stories. They’ll be joined by Scottish troubadour Ally Kerr, whose melancholic folk-pop has earned cult status among Lilystars devotees, alongside retro rockers The Bloomfields and power-pop firecrackers Violent Playground.
But the real magic lies in the lineup’s deeper cuts. Cebu’s Kubra Commander promises trippy psychedelic detours, while The Geeks deliver their signature slacker-rock fuzz. Pamphleteer will transform the park into a haven for abstract folk poets, and Bulacan’s best-kept secret The Gentle Isolation, finally brings their wistful It Started in an April Shower anthems to the big stage — a moment longtime fans have awaited for years.
For label founder and Orange & Lemons’ frontman Clem Castro, this festival is the culmination of a vision ever since the label was born back in 2008. When major labels weren’t betting on guitar-pop’s future, Castro built Lilystars as both refuge and rallying point; first for Orange & Lemons’ post-hiatus projects, then for kindred spirits across the archipelago. 17 years later, that community includes everyone from 1980s twee-pop disciples to Gen Z artists rediscovering analog warmth in the digital age.
