COMMON PEOPLE FOR THE UNIVERSAL
Indonesian & Philippine Indie Bands Join Forces for Britpop Movement Volume 1
by Rob Equiza
18 September 2025
In August of 2025, Jakarta’s finest Britpop indie bands together with two Philippine indie bands played their hearts out in the capital of Indonesia for two nights. Held at Glamz Antasari on August 22 and at Lithium Rooftop on August 23 and organized by Indonesian indie musicians, the back-to-back shows were a joyous gathering and celebration of Britpop – one of the biggest and influential genres in music.
Gracing the stage were Indonesian bands His ‘N’ Hers, Planet Bumi feat. Vin, Orange, Sneaky, One Love, and Glue; while my band, Rob Equiza, and The Door Stoppers represented the Philippines.
In front of a super-eager crowd, the bands performed hits from several Britpop bands such as Pulp, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Radiohead, Kula Shaker, Blur, Oasis, Dodgy, Manic Street Preachers, and Stereophonics.
The idea came about when I first met my Indonesian friend Miko (keyboardist of His ‘N’ Hers) in April 2025. Prior to that, he and I were just online friends after he followed me on Instagram as he was looking for indie bands, being an expat here in the Philippines. Upon learning that The Door Stoppers (a band under my label Jam Lemon Records) was playing near his place, he invited me to meet up. That night, along with The Door Stoppers, we got to know each other over cigarettes – from our common interests to the beliefs and passion we hold in music. (In fact, from then on Miko got onboard as the keyboardist for my band.) Myself having just played acoustic sets in Thailand with my bassist Jarell a month before, I instantly proposed to Miko the idea of our bands playing together in Indonesia. He was up for it! We set a date for it and in just a month, both my band and The Door Stoppers already had plane tickets to Jakarta.
Event planner Britbox (owned by His 'N' Hers guitarist Berland) professionally handled the event coordinating all aspects such as the artists, venues, sponsors, media partners, & advertising. It took numerous meetings among the Jakarta people as well as among ourselves here in the Philippines. Every careful deliberation was worth it. And the promotion leading up to the dates were top-notch.
Now, allow me to describe the scenes of those two nights, and they were in some ways in contrast with one another.
Night One in Glamz Antasari felt like we were transported into the 90s club gigs. The crowd was wild, the whole room was smoke-filled from cigarettes, the lights were so alive, the sound deliciously seeping into the bones. It was as if we were in a scene from the film Trainspotting – rambunctious, exuberant, boisterous!
Night Two in Lithium Rooftop, on the other hand, was more laid-back being that the venue is a bar & restaurant leaning more into dining, with live music only as a secondary priority. That meant that the backline (sound system/equipment) were put together DIY by the organizers themselves – and it was such an impressive feat. The performances were just as remarkable as the previous night. Both performers and audiences sang together. You could savor every word, every beat, and every note.
All in all, it was a phenomenal and momentous event that will stay in our memories forever.
Our endless gratitude to everyone who made this possible.
So, what’s next? We’re already planning to bring some of the Indonesian bands over here in the Philippines to continue the Britpop Movement. We are filled with hope and excitement to share the experience to our fellow Filipino Britpop fans.
Stay tuned!
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Photography by Britbox, Teesingcloth, and JD Multimedia
E-mail Rob Equiza at rob@jamlemonrecords.com