In their last show, Versions, held at ViVA Café, this seven-month-old P-pop vocal group showed why being formulaic is not part of their vocabulary.

Composed of Oliver Agustin, Kirby Bas, Shone Ejusa, Kier and leader of the band, director Frank Lloyd Mamaril, the quintet called Formula 5 highlighted their musical superiority in a repertoire of newly arranged anthems, telling the stories and making the subtexts of songs crystal in group and solo numbers. They ruled the stage and wowed the packed venue with their charisma and sincerity.

Versions

Band leader and manager Mamaril said, “The main reason for staging Versions is that we want our fans and casuals, of course, to see how much we have grown and improved as a vocal group. May nangyayari na, may mga pagbabago na, pero (Things have happened, and there have been changes, but) there are still so many dreams we want to realize.”

Mamaril added: “The concert was the opportune venue to showcase our own voices individually and as a group, singing styles, song choices giving it the feels and honesty and songwriting. Formula 5 is not just about physical aesthetics; we are more focused on putting passion and truth in all the songs we perform. Gusto namin ang takeaway palagi ng audience when they watch and hear us, yung they like what they hear and that the songs we sing humahaplos talaga sa mga puso nila (What we want for the audience to take away every time they watch us is that they like what they hear and that our songs really touch their hearts).”

And the songs that pulled the heartstrings during Versions were Agustin’s achy-breaky rendition of “All I Want”; Mamaril’s refreshing musical spin of “Take On Me”; Kier’s jazzed up “I Want To Dance With Somebody”; Ejuse’s male version of “And I Telling You” and Base’s “Lost Stars.”

Two outstanding group numbers were the Nora Aunor tribute song, “Handog,” which the group laced with reverence and respect for the National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, and they capped the show with an SB19 iconic anthem, “Hanggang Sa Huli.” They acknowledged SB19 as the Kings of P-pop and performed the anthem with all the requisite pain and pathos.

Seven-month itch

There is no seven-month artistic itch for Formula 5, Mamaril said. “There is no need to scratch it because we’re doing something right. We’re doing something that we all love, which is to sing, perform. We’d like to continue this. We may not have a network to support us, but no one can take away the family we have built. And the family we consider are the people behind these scenes — directors, artistic and technical crews, production managers and