Gig print poster art making a local comeback

Gig print poster art making a local comeback

by rick olivares

Vinyl records and cassettes aren’t the only mediums from the past that have made a comeback. Printed gig posters are starting to make a comeback. Locally at least.

While most bands still prefer digital posters to promote their shows, the actual printed ones are gaining popularity. 

Furiosa, an independent promotion conceived by Romel Amoncio who is also with the shoegaze band, the Rave Tapes, is at the forefront of the revival of the print posters to promote their shows.

“I was blown away by the work of Frank Kozik during the 90s,” revealed Amoncio of the influence to produce his own gig posters. Kozik did the poster are for bands like the Melvins, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Helmet, the Offspring, Nirvana, the Pixies, Beastie Boys, and Newfound Glory to name but a few. “I promised myself that when I start to do my own promotions, I’d also want to do my own posters. It is entirely DIY (Do It Yourself), of course. But what we try to do are posters on steroids.”

The Furiosa gig posters – rendered by different artists from Amoncio’s bandmate Neil Pagulayan to Felix Taaka among others -- have become popular that fans buy them or the posters decorate the walls of independent vinyl record stores such as Black Circles along Timog. 

“Furiosa is a mix of grace and aggression which is similar to the genres (of shoegaze, dream pop, or indie rock) that we promote,” elucidated Pagulayan. “We feel that the female luchador is the best embodiment of this and rendered in exploding colors.”

Kurvine Chua of the band Memoryville and who owns and promoted United Cassettes Philippines also produces gig and event posters. “I do print because it goes in line with my belief in the analog format,” Chua explained. “I also think that in a world where digital is so rampant, print does something different. It gives you a special kind of connection.”

The posters are placed in schools, independent music shops, and the rock clubs. 

They aren’t only souvenirs, but also signposts of the times. 

In 2017, when the Ramones Museum opened as a tribute to the pioneering American punk rock band, one of the main features were the actual concert and gig posters including the original poster to their now-famous show in London that inspired people in the audience to form bands such as the Clash, the Sex Pistols, and the Damned to name a few.

Also during last year’s 25^thanniversary concert by rock band Sandwich, a poster of the show was also sold and according to organizers, it did very well among the fans who packed the venue.

Dream pop band the Strange Creatures also used the occasion of their recent album launch for their debut album, Phantasms, to produce a gig launch poster in conjunction with Furiosa. The art was done by Taaka (who also provided the album art for indie band Washington Drama Club’s cassette EP, Yada Yada Yada). 

“The first time I got to work with Furiosa was a collaboration with music fan site, The Flying Lugaw called, “Elephant-Sized Hearts” Benefit gig,” shared the bespectacled Taaka. “I was stoked when Romel approached me to do the poster art because I love what they do as a promotion. And I think that Furiosa is an excellent showcase for music and art. If you look at their shows, they also have booths for artists to sell their indie comics, pin-ups, stickers, and others. It also provides the artists with a venue to reach out to different audiences.”

Added The Strange Creatures Jon Tamayo during their album launch at Tomato Kick in Quezon City, “When the gig is special because of an album, video, or single launch or it is highly memorable because of the performance, the poster adds to the special nature of the show. Since the indie shows don’t sell tickets per se, the poster is a tangible remembrance. You can say, ‘I was there.’”