#kwatro

The following narration you are about to read is purely a fangirl’s perspective. Please allow me to share my own account of these great artists both in spoken word poetry and indie music.

Counting Down the Days Before #kWAtro…

I am a writer by heart with a special fondness for poetry, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and short stories. Words Anonymous, the group of Filipino spoken word poetry artists, rises in the performing arts industry these past years. They are invited to different towns, cities, provinces, schools, bars, theaters, etc to perform their masterpieces. Their group is a household name for other writers, artists, and performers who want to share their pieces through spoken word poetry.

No wonder when they announced their Fourth Anniversary Show in PETA Theater Center last April 29, 2018 at 4pm, fans like me became excited and thrilled! It has been their annual tradition to perform with a full line-up of their artists to celebrate their anniversary. My excitement doubled when I found out Ben and Ben is their special guest! I recently listened to Ben and Ben due to the suggestion of my dear friend Kei. It was easy for me to invite Kei for the event. We reserved our tickets through a PETA employee and deposited our payment in their account. The ticket is priced P500 each, free seating. It is a value for money indeed because we saw the entire performers of Words Anonymous together with Ben and Ben. We both counted down the days until April 29, 2018 for their #kWAtro. #kWAtro is their twitter hashtag showing the wordplay of Words Anonymous’ initial (WA) inside this Spanish word. True enough, we can’t wait for the event!

4.29.2018: The Day We Waited For!

It was a Sunday so Kei and I went first to a Christian church to attend a Sunday Service. Afterwards, we had our lunch in UPTC. We went straight to PETA and arrived there around 2:30pm. I thought we were one of the firsts to queue in line since we arrived one and half early ahead of the event proper but maybe around 30 people came earlier than us. We claimed our tickets into which the PETA employee handed it out to me with my printed name on it. They are very organized. Merchandises were available at the lobby of PETA. They set up an area too for fans to purchase the books “Tuwing Ikatlong Sabado” and “Habang Wala Pa Sila” by Words Anonymous and Juan Miguel Severo. I check my watch how many minutes left before the show as the line gets longer.

15 minutes before 4pm, PETA staffs guided us inside the PETA theater. The venue is cozy and comfortable. We got to choose the seats we want. The stage design has a drum set and two microphones placed on a mic stand. The low lighting accentuated the mood for the event. At around 4:00, one of the Words Anonymous artists went to the stage and said the show will start in a minute.

I saw them performed before in their second anniversary show but I told myself to expect the unexpected. Words Anonymous, after all, loves creating pieces out of topics I may not even think of and performing them always at their A-game. They can turn any inanimate and neglected objects as powerful and lovely metaphors. I guarantee you, you will never look and think of the same things again after you witnessed them perform.

They all stood in front to open the show and had a little chitchat with us. I love how outgoing and carefree they are. It was if they were about to perform for friends, not fans. They exited the stage and their first artist stepped in front of the mic. What added to the character of the show is artists have his or her own entrance song before performing, which I heard, are their personal choices. Similar to a boxing or wrestling match, those songs excited the audience.

At that moment, I lost track of time. For every Words Anonymous artist, my eyes were glued to the stage. They don’t just stand there, immobile, in front of the mic. They gave their best in their theatrical-like performances. Their eyes connected to my core. Their facial expressions are precise in delivering the emotions of their respective pieces. Their stance and gestures added flair to their performance. I saw more physical manifestations of their emotions associated to the poems, from tears of pain and anger to smiles of gratitude and excitement. My ears were stuck to how strongly their voices convey their pieces. The volume, rate, inflection, and other factors important for public speakers were clearly heard in those lines of their poems. Whether they technically know these factors or not, it doesn’t matter because all their performances were so naturally done! My heart had a roller-coaster ride in that event. I felt disturbed, grateful, happy, sympathy, anger, joy, doubt, sadness to name some of those emotions. I laughed, became teary-eyed, gnashed my teeth, clenched my fist, clapped, threw my hand in mid-air, and so many impulsive and immediate reflexes in respond to what I felt in their poems. How can I not feel these things? One of the distinct character of Words Anonymous and their respective pieces is its diversity of topics and themes. Family problems, self-worth, feminism, stereotyping and prejudice against marginal sector, injustice against laborers like farmers, elation and heartaches brought by love, storytelling of a personal milestone, self-acceptance existential crisis, etc---these are some of the topics and themes I remember. I love how they use different figures of speech to make the pieces more poetic. I was blown away with every performance. They also performed in pairs which showed coordination and teamwork as there were no dead air and hesitations in their exchanges or unison. They performed in two sets as they gave way for Ben and Ben in the middle of their show.

Ben and Ben! Where do I even start narrating about them? After the first set, it was their turn for the show. I like their songs because they infused metaphors, images, and symbolisms in their lyrics. Their songs have that melody and arrangements I immediately was hooked on. I got excited when they went to the stage and tested their instruments. I was thrilled because it was my first live band experience. They had a short introduction for their songs as to give clues for us. Ben and Ben started their set with “Bibingka” and everyone screamed at the top of our voice. I cannot even compare how great it was watching and hearing them live to any online videos I watch them. I immersed myself in the moment! The harmony of the instruments and their voices (both main vocalist and back-up vocals) tickled and warmed my heart. They performed their iconic song “Kathang-Isip” and it needed no introduction anymore. If I remember correctly, they performed 10 songs, or maybe less, but around 10 for sure. They ended with “Ride Home” and I just let go of myself that moment. The playful sounds from the keyboard, bass, drums, and their voices created a magnificent impression in my heart and ears. I even shouted “Encore! Encore!” because I want more.

Words Anonymous continued their second set. I checked my time when one of their artists said the next piece is their second to the last one. It was past 8:00pm that time! Wow! Time flew rapidly and I did not even notice it at all! It was a solid 4:00-8:30pm show of spoken word poetry and music!

How I wish I can just lend you all my heart for a second for you to exactly feel what I felt that night because none of my words here will be enough to accurately describe it in details.

I feel so blessed and grateful for experiencing that moment. I swear you will have one of the best moments of your life so check them out! 

Here is their thread of the pieces they performed that day. 

Feel free to follow Words Anonymous (@wordsanonph) and Ben and Ben (@BenAndBenMusic) to be updated with their shows.  

    Photo credits: @keeschwasound