The crowd dances wildly during the set of Flying Ipis in Tentative at Nesting Grounds in Los Baños, Laguna. (Photo by: Chris Quintana)

Thursday night has traditionally been party night among UPLB students in Los Baños (LB), Laguna. Last December 10 was the last day of exams, and what better way to cap the semester than to watch all-girl band Flying Ipis and some of the best LB bands rock it out in an intimate venue like Nesting Ground.

Days before Tentative, Flying Ipis said on their Twitter account that they miss LB. The first time they played here in LB was during the UPLB Feb Fair back in 2013. I was not able to watch them even though my band back then also played during the week-long affair. This was my first time to witness the kickass all-female group perform. And I was floored.

Flying Ipis played a seven-song set, and their energetic performance kept the audience jumping and dancing all throughout. Vocalist Deng engaged with the lively—almost rowdy—crowd, disappearing into the throng and emerging back on stage every now and then. Ymi had this mysterious, silent swag, picking and strumming away effortlessly on her guitar.

Tanya’s resonating bass lines prompted some serious head bobbing and foot stomping. But what really got me—call me biased, I don’t care—was Gaki. Her beats went well with the bass lines. Simple but sure, every drum note played was defined. And boy, did she pound those drums like she was making mad love to the helpless kit.

Of course, the LB acts that were lined up made sure they put on a good show, too. Originals and covers were heard from Psychocyanide, Mr. Shly, hip-hop artist Gnarrate, Deathrow, Worth the Weight, Embercore, Save Alex Movement, Asylum Excursion, All Sudden Smiles, The Near Death Experience, and NinaVirgin.

Tentative was presented by Bottleneck Productions and Bacardi.