I Have Been Abducted

It was my first time in Republiq. The place was kinda intimidating because it was really swanky and not the typical place I go to whenever I watch bands. People were all dolled up that one would be shy if their wardrobe consist of just plain top, jeans, and flats. But the heck with that. My excitement was sky-high since I opened my eyes that Saturday morning (despite the writing task on travel system strollers that I needed to accomplish) knowing that I will be watching one of my favorite bands play live. It's Taken By Cars and the event was called 'Abduction'.

The gig was the band's send-off party for their upcoming stint at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. Taken By Cars is the first Filipino band that was invited to the festival. 

Artists from 57 countries came to Austin for SXSW 2011, and this year's music festival promises to be another global gathering. All the way from Manila, the Filipino band Taken by Cars are Texas-bound with their dance-friendly, intelligent brand of indie rock. Known to their fans as TbC, they were featured as one of "Five Asian Bands to Watch in 2011" by Time Magazine, and enjoyed great response to their second album, Dualist, featuring catchy songs like "This Is Our City."  

- from the article Taken By Cars En Route to SXSW.

The event started late and the band didn't go on with their 16-song set, but it still was a spectacular show.
Here are some snaps from the event.

The stage.

My ticket. Thanks to Splintr.com!

I got to chat and hang out with Techy Romantics before
their set.  They opened the show. 

Taken By Cars!!!

Aside from the band's awesome music, another thing that 
sets this show apart from the gigs I have been to was the 
fantastic stage lights and design. Look at the pink wall!

With Taken By Cars' lead vocalist, Sarah Marco. :)

And now to give you a glimpse of the show, here's my video of the last song they performed, Shapeshifter.