The show began as a one-off reunion.
Guitarist and vocalist Czandro Pollack, drummer and vocalist Mervin Panganiban, and guitarist and vocalist Bea Alcala performing for one last time as the Sugar Hiccup line-up from 2006-07 to celebrate the re-release on vinyl their album Of Tongues and Thoughts that was released independently.
Seventeen years after its initial release, the third album of Sugar Hiccup – their one album with Alcala on vocals – was out under independent label Eikon Records.
The three (as bassist Russel Dacasin shockingly passed away about two months prior) along with Alcala’s Narcloudia bandmate Domini Robledo performed two short-40-minute sets prolonged only by happy banter with the audience at Hello Phono last Friday, June 2.
Tiny Desk was the inspiration and Hello Phono, a record shop that doubles as a bar and a performance venue at the corner of Scout Rallos and Mother Ignacia in Quezon City, was perfect for the intimate show.
A show for Of Tongues and Thoughts’ vinyl rerelease that kicked off the 30th anniversary of a band that has had an odd career for its numerous stop-starts yet is spoken in reverential tones.
As the band had not performed in some 16 years, they only rehearsed twice prior to the show. The set list included five tracks from Of Tongues and Thoughts plus three cover songs that were staples of their live show back in 2006.
In the middle of the show, when the audience was asked if they had seen this iteration of Sugar Hiccup, no one raised their hand.
Even layout artist Popoy Ferrer who “remastered the album art for vinyl use” didn’t even know that Alcala briefly stepped in when previous vocalist and guitarist Melody del Mundo immigrated to the United States.
Outside the other musicians who were in attendance, none had seen Alcala’s band perform as they were mostly based in Singapore until her return to Manila.
“I was star-struck,” gushed An. “We were lucky to witness this lineup; ang husay. We even had a chitchat with the charming and talented Ms. Bea.”
It wasn’t that when this band came out they were anonymous. They did sell out the entire 1,300 compact disc run of that album. And they hit the club circuit that time.
Yet they came and went as quickly as the night.
When del Mundo returned in 2017 and Sugar Hiccup with Pollack and Panganiban and new bassist Iman Leonardo in tow to put out their fourth album, Closure, with the new mini-album A Photo Of Us Two expected this October, that 2006-07 line-up was buried.
Except to the hardcore fans, Of Tongues and Thoughts and even Alcala became the forgotten album and singer.
Until now.
The vinyl version has almost sold out. Only an initial 50 tickets were allocated for sales but yet, 90 people showed up in two different batches to watch essentially the same set of songs. More would have attended but it just wasn’t possible given the small space and the want for intimacy.
Hence, the performance not only celebrated an album every bit as good as the ones that preceded them in Oracle and Womb, it served as an introduction to a new generation of fans.
Of Tongues and Thoughts was similar in some ways to the band’s Dream Pop sound, but in other ways different.
Alcala brought a child-like naivety to the band. Her voice reflected that; a cross between the gossamer musings of Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell and the Cocteau Twins’ Elisabeth Fraser’s nonsensical banshee wailing. It seemed like the wind was whispering to you.
And the two sets of audiences at Hello Phono witnessed it.
“Thanks for releasing this epic album on vinyl,” said fan Wilson Olaguera, “and bringing together this Sugar Hiccup lineup. It was an awesome, awesome night.”
And Panganiban, a multi-instrumentalist, got his debut singing backup for the band.
When he faintly sang along during the first of the two rehearsals, it added something different to the mix of boy-girl harmonies, a third voice, higher in some cases, or lower depending on the song.
Those who came to the show witnessed that.
What started out as a one-off performance — along with the record release — also became a moment to correct a flaw in this band’s history. To give this band’s line-up its due. A moment to come together to pay tribute to the departed Dacasin, and then once more, move forward.
Image credits: Nikki de Leon
