MANILA -- After a fun-filled, OPM-only concert with Ben&Ben and Clara Benin last October 6, which kicked off a weekend brimming with indie music, a sizeable Sunday crowd gathered at the ABS-CBN Vertis Tent for Karpos Mix 3.1 featuring Urbandub and the Royal Concept.

• Concert recap: OPM in good hands with Ben&Ben, Clara Benin

It was a night of different rock genres, as each of the performers brought their unique musical style to the Karpos Live stage.

First up was the alternative pop rock band Over October, whose laidback performance was well received, with the crowd singing along to songs like Never Stop, and Wait, among others.

A beloved name in the local rock music scene, Urbandub was welcomed onto the stage with cheers by the Karpos crowd. Without missing a beat, they launched into “something old” by playing "Soul Searching," one of their most well-known and awarded tracks.

Filling the big venue with an explosion of sound came easily to the rock band with their instruments and Gabby Alipe’s vocals coming through crystal clear during their whole performance.

Playing songs from their extensive career, the crowd enthusiastically sang along to hits like "Frailty," "Guillotine," "Embrace," "The Fight is Over," and "First of Summer," among others, which had vocalist Alipe saying, “A lot of you are singing along, and it’s beautiful!” to the delight of the audience.

The band performed two of this author’s personal favorites from the "Influence" album. The first was "A New Tattoo," which they introduced as a song for people with unrequited love; and the second was Sailing, “a song about our home,” as per Alipe.

Reflective of their 18-year stint in the local music scene, the band thanked everyone for coming out on a Sunday night, and their continuous support for local live music.

On a personal note, the set was an unforgettable experience to this Urbandub fan, as it was a treat to experience their songs in this venue with top-notch lighting and concert-level high-fidelity.

THE ROYAL CONCEPT

It was the Royal Concept’s second visit to our shores. The first was in Wanderland 2014, and Filipino fans made quite an impression on the band, as David Larson’s (vocalist) first words to the crowd were, “We’ve been longing for you guys for the last 4 …years!”

Starting their set with "D-D-Dance" had the audience quickly on their feet and dancing, which was quite the 180 degrees from Urbandub’s metal-heavy set. The energy though, never waned, with Larson and the rest of the band giving it their all to an appreciative crowd.

“Four years ago, we played the best show of our lives, and tonight we’re going to make it better,” promised Larson.

This translated to a frenetic show which had Larson running around (and lying down) on the stage, standing on the bass drum, and even crowd surfing. Guitars were also thrown up in the air at one point by the guitarists, as well.

Songs performed during their set included extremely danceable tracks like "Fashion" and "Gimme Twice"; vocoder-heavy performances of "World on Fire" and "Smile"; and glam rock-inspired stylings in "Shut the World" and "Cabin Down Below."

As a special treat, the band played a song that wasn’t part of their regular touring set, as per a request of a Filipino fan, called "Damn."

A nice moment in their set was when the band acknowledged and thanked their co-headliners, Urbandub, and front act Over October, as well as encouraged the audience to keep on supporting live music.

Belying the fact that it was a Sunday night, the crowd asked for another song after the band’s encore performance of their new song, "Up all Night."

Obliging by singing "Just Wanna Be Loved By U," the band had the audience singing along, down to the last line, a fitting end to a rocking Sunday night.