As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means I earn commissions from my sponsored links or I make money when readers (you) purchase items through my links. Your purchase allows me to continue working as a stay-at-home dad who moonlights as a farmer and a musician. Needless to say, this post contains affiliate links.
So far, there’ve been two fundraising shows with the best bands in Davao showing up for, Project Satellite, one of their own.
This is what a supportive musical community looks like.
I’ve written about Project Satellite before.
Their music is good.
Their onstage performance is amazing.
It was in the early days, 2016?, that I mustered the courage to just go up to them and just flat out tell them that their performance was amazing.
The band is serious about what they do.
And now they’re going to Cebu for September Fever — which is a big deal — and other Davao musicians are showing up to give them a supportive push.
This doesn’t happen everywhere, where bands normally compete instead of cooperate, so this is a rare thing.
And it’s only here in Davao.
What Is September Fever?
September Fever 9 · Cebu · September 2026
September Fever describes itself as “a place where music, people, and ideas come together — built by an independent community, for an independent community.”
Nine editions in and they’re calling this year their biggest yet.
More artists, more stages, more music, more moments.
This festival exists because people who love independent music decided to build it rather than wait for someone else to.
Day 1: September 4, 2026 – Atua Midtown
Days 2–3: September 5–6, 2026 – The Kabilin Center, Cebu
Project Satellite making it to September Fever means a Davao band standing on a stage in Cebu in front of an audience that may never have heard them before.
That’s a terrifying experience for most bands.
I think Project Satellite won’t have a problem with it based on their previous onstage performances.
The Two Fundraising Shows for Project Satellite
Cebu Kickoff · Show 1
July 25, 2026 · The Commons at MTS · Gates 6PM · Music 8PM
The first show happened at The Commons MTS in Matina Town Square with live performances from:
That is an awesome lineup of bands.
The Creek, Cerise, Apo Lakan — these are proper Davao acts showing up for another proper Davao act.
Cerise especially, is a crowd favoirte, and I have their music on my constant road playlist on Spotify.
Read: https://musikawabad.com/cerise-an-otherworldly-sounding-band-in-my-female-fronted-bands-series/
Go Larry Go is one of those bands that seem to have been there forever. If memory serves me right, I’d already heard of them back in 2012 and I had a friend, well my cousin’s friend to be exact who said he tried out for the drummer position but didn’t get it.
Tickets at Pre-sale were priced at ₱150 while those who walked in had to fork out ₱200.
This was a collaboration by Cinedashery East + Holodeck Music and sponsored by Alberto’s Pizza, Don Juan Chilli Co., Doña Empanada, Iskina Fruite Stand, Arthur Dental Clinic, Azaka Music Hub, Mr. Noe, Mr. Jong, Mr. Melvin, Vargas and Alejado Family and the Banzon Family
Cebu Kickoff 2 · Show 2
August 15, 2026 · Suazo · Gates 6PM · Music 8PM
The second show moves us to Suazo.
Like The Commons MTS, Suazo is one of those venues that the scene gravitates toward. A smaller venue but more intimate. This will feature live performances from:
Gate Fee will be ₱150
This time we have six, heavier-sounding bands.
Tamad si Juan won Muziklaban recently and has been one of the names everyone’s been watching.
Read: https://musikawabad.com/tamad-si-juan-wins-muziklaban/
TrashBunk brings that energy that makes people want to be in the room even if they can’t explain why.
Learn More About TrashBunk: https://musikawabad.com/artists/trashbunk/
QUØRA is consistently one of the more sonically interesting acts in the Davao alternative space.
Read: https://musikawabad.com/lets-go-take-quora-to-cdo/
Wreckage of Elmo and Blinking Amber round out a bill that doesn’t have a weak slot anywhere in it.
Read: https://musikawabad.com/blinking-amber-dream-heavy-nu-gaze-from-davao-city/
Cinedashery East and Holodeck Music presenting both shows means the visual documentation will be excellent and the production will be handled properly. These aren’t just names on a poster — they’re the people who make sure the gig looks and sounds like it was worth attending even for people who couldn’t be there.
And Azaka Music Hub appearing as a sponsor on both shows is good to see. The local gear store that’s been serving Davao musicians since 2016 putting their name behind a local band trying to make it to Cebu… that’s the ecosystem doing what it’s supposed to do.
Whether they like it or not, Project Satellite, can now claim that they are one of those bands that can influence others to move as one. Their music and work ethic has always been there and one to marvel.
Getting to September Fever is the kind of step that can genuinely change what happens next for a band — new audience, new connections, the experience of playing somewhere that isn’t your home turf.
Davao putting two full shows together for Project Satellite to make that possible is something worth acknowledging.
This is what a scene that actually gives a damn looks like.
Why This Matters Beyond the Shows
Davao’s music scene is filled with diverse acts.
It’s still struggling to get heard but there have been acts that have broken through like Tamad si Juan, David VS Goliath, Yano, 1017, Chad Borja, South Border… . It’s a very active scene and it has been for years.
But getting that music heard outside of Mindanao still requires effort and resources that most independent bands don’t naturally have.
What the Cebu Kickoff series does — and what the bands showing up on these lineups are doing — is actively invest in one of their own making that leap.
That investment isn’t just financial.
It’s also a statement of belief.
We think this band is worth it.
We think Davao music belongs on stages outside Mindanao like Luzon and in Cebu.
We think September Fever should have a Mindanaoan act on its bill.
That’s worth showing up for. Both August 15 at Suazo if you haven’t been yet, and in September in Cebu if Project Satellite makes it — which they will, because the scene is making sure of it.
Show Up. Send Them to Cebu.
August 15 · Suazo · Gates 6PM · Music 8PM · ₱150 gate fee. Every person through the door brings Project Satellite one step closer to September Fever.
