An ‘El Bimbo’ high, and showbiz progeny make good
I HAVE to be honest: I am still on a Huling El Bimbo high. That reunion concert of the Eraserheads is, as what the young ones say, “one for the books.”
I have to agree. Ely, Raimund, Marcus and Buddy brought us back to the 1990s and the early 2000s in a three-hour musical experience. The concert was kicked off with a set from The Diegos—a pair of rock musicians slash DJS Diego Mapa and Castillo who played songs from 1995. They were energetic and set the crowd into a frenzy, a perfect teaser for the fun nostalgia about to come as The Eraserheads open their concert with a spitting, sprightly number “Superproxy 2K6.” Of course the highlight was the jaw-dropping hologram of Francis Magalona doing the rap portion but Ely’s and Francis M’s kids: Elmo and Arkin Magalona and Eon Buendia made a huge impact.
In case you didn’t know, Eon and Arkin were featured in the original music video of “Superproxy.” Long before the “Lip Synch for Your Life” portion of Drag Race, Eon and Arkin 16 years ago did it in the video and, shantay, they both slayed with their cuteness.
Now, the two kids are trying to make a name of their own in the entertainment business. In a TV interview on CNN Philippines, Ely revealed that he “discovered” his musical talent when Eon came out of his room singing his own songs. In the same interview, Eon revealed that while comparisons to his own father would be “inevitable, I guess even if he wasn’t my dad I would still be compared to other artists anyway. Might as well just go for it.”
And go for it he did. Eon is now busy with Nobody’s Home, a band he formed with his friends guitarist Justin Punzalan and drummer Cairo Peralta. Their single Cigarette Daydreams, a cover of a Cage the Elephant song, shows their influences of 90s rock but with a modern pulsating rhythm. Other songs in their Spotify playlist are Happy Thoughts and 12:00 Midnight, have an unrelenting enthusiasm with enrapturing riffs. The band is currently signed on Sony Music.
In the meantime, Arkin Magalona has juggled studies, showbizness and music starting at such a young age. He was also a print and TV commercial model, and then did a number of acting and hosting stints. He would occasionally perform on TV in either GMA or ABS-CBN musical shows. He is currently concentrating on his studies but is still into making music and into gaming. Of course, from the looks of it, he is is still very much open to TV guestings and even hosting.
But personally, this writer personally experienced the “Arkin magic” in performing. Minutes before his appearance onstage, Arkin was just nonchalant. He would talk to us as if it was just a normal day and there wasn’t a crowd of 75,000 for an audience. A few minutes before going onstage the second time in the concert, Arkin was even fixing some stuff for his friends who came to the concert to support him. And then a concert PA went to the dressing room to announce that he and Eon should be on standby. A few seconds later, the self-confessed introvert and quiet man transformed onstage. He was fiery and explosive, rapping and pumping the crowd. Along with Eon, they truly made Huling El Bimbo a much more memorable experience.
In the meantime, those who missed or want to relive the Huling El Bimbo experience, this writer included, would have to wait for a documentary possibly to be shown in cinemas and streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. A world tour was also teased by the band members. Details for both will be announced soon.