A few weeks ago, I was at the day 1 of the Tribal Ink Art & Music Fest, a two-day Tattoo Convention and Music Concert that took place at the World Trade Center, Pasay City from August 7-8, 2026. It was formerly known as Dutdutan Philippine Tattoo Expo, which I was also attended last year, but due to unspecified circumstances, it was cancelled and was reframed as Tribal Ink Art & Music Fest and shifted the event's format from an open convention and competition to a music- and lifestyle-heavy event featuring only an invited artist exhibition.
Originally, I was planning to go on both days, but I had to run my first Marathon on August 9, so I had to give up day 2 so that I could dedicate that day to have a proper rest. Thankfully, most of the bands that I really want to see perform during day 1, though I still regret not being able to watch them all.
Anyway, I arrived at the venue just before lunchtime, making me one of the first people to enter the venue. There haven't been that many people yet, since there was still 1 hour left before the gates opened, and I bet many people are struggling to travel since it was raining quite heavily.
But because of it, we got plenty of time to roam around the venue, see the different tattoo booths and their displays. There were even some cars that were on display, as well as music equipment exhibitions. However, while visiting some booths, there were booths that suddenly became very crowded, and when we looked, it was because one of the booths had Glock-9 regarded as one of the best Filipino rappers of all time, doing autograph signing and picture-taking with fans, same with the Greyhoundz one of the best know nu-metal and rap-metal bands in the Philippines.
We did not miss the opportunity to meet with them, so we patiently waited in line to take a picture with them. Since I did not take anything with me, I was not able to get their autograph, but my friend got some big-brain moves and had his shoes autographed. But he now has a dilemma of whether he will still use his shoes or not now that it is signed.
Eventually, the music event starts with Arcadia with their aggressive and high-energy sound that combines heavy breakdowns with melodic intensity. It was just not that lively on the audience side yet, since there were not that many people yet to form a pit or wall of death during their set.
Following them were the rappers Hero and Ramdiss, which I am not that familiar with, so we just used this instead this time to have some hydration, the one that is only for 18 years and above.
Next on the lineup were two Reggae bands, The Chongkeys and Chocolate Factory, and as you can see, it is now starting to get more crowded in the venue.
And then, it started to get more lively around the time that Saydie came onto the stage at their second Philippine live concert this year, which is also their last. Because even though they are a Philippine band, their members now reside in Hawaii, and most of their performances are now overseas, so having the opportunity to watch them live is something that I do not want to miss, especially given that my Hive username was taken from them.
After that, the crowd finally started to get loose as Wilabaliw took the stage, with us slamming on the pit. You can even see me in the video at 2:22, lifting someone who is crowd surfing, and at 2:43 at the middle of the pit. I don't really plan to join the pit, since I am preventing myself from getting injured, but the atmosphere of the crowd just gets me into the flow.
We got a small break after this, when Armalite entered the stage with their heavy guitar-driven tracks, but it became lively again once Tubero sang their Kupal Metal lab songs.
After them, the rappers Ron Henly, Loonie and Glock-9 takes the stage. And although I am more of a metal guy, I find all their performances entertaining and have had their songs on my Spotify rotation.
Second to the end was Greyhoundz, who has a shocking announcement teased before their performance. That in October next year they will have their Last Huhaah!!!, implying that the band will have their last performance on their 30th year as a band. Of course, it left me in shock, given how Iconic this band was and how long they were in the industry, but being in the industry for that long will take some toll on them as they grow older, so better to retire while they were still able to.
And then, we had Valley of Chrome to end the night with their performance. Similar to Saydie, they also performed much less locally, since their vocalist now lives in the U.S. Still, they keep on making new songs, just like their new single, Landas that they just released in July of this year.
Overall, even when the event is on a much smaller scale than its predecessor, I can say that I entirely enjoyed the entirety of the Tribal Ink Art and Music Fest day 1, and thankfully, despite going into the pit, I did not get any injured, though a little tipsy going home.
That was it for this post. Thank you, and see you at the next one.
