"Back in the early-to-mid 1980's, the Philippines had a thriving underground music scene centralized in its capital city of Manila. Bands like
Betrayed,
Urban Bandits,
Ethnic Faces,
Dean's December,
Violent Playground,
Under Blue Skies,
Strange Days,
Charlotte Russe,
Silos and a lot more were directly/ indirectly influenced by punk and new wave, still gigs were few and far between. Recordings have been real scarce, as well.
Apart from the not-too-many and sporadic 7" singles and cassette releases, a compilation tape entitled
Subterranean Romance went on a limited circulation and it pretty much summarized the whole scene: lo-fi and very DIY. Moreover and most importantly, it was inspired and awfully promising, with an intense fan-following. It's interesting to mention that a small number of the bands, like Charlotte Russe and the Silos had a penchant for pop. Sadly, only the Silos were able to release at least one song, which appeared on the above-mentioned Subterranean Romance compilation. One of Charlotte Russe’s live gigs meanwhile, was heard over the radio courtesy of the short-lived station,
DWXB 102.7 FM. Known for its "dare to be different" tagline, XB 102 catered to non-mainstream listeners and integrated these bands onto their playlists along with the likes of
The Pale Fountains,
Aztec Camera,
The Lotus Eaters,
Care and
Orange Juice. Even so, the radio station was shut down in 1987 and majority of the local groups faded into obscurity, while some have continued making music, although taking a different musical path." (via ssubzzero)
Listen to the entire
Subterranean Romance compilation.
Many, many thanks to
Dr. Rhod. Check out his amazing music blog at
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