Danish pop band Lukas Graham finally returned to the Philippines last Oct. 22 for their first solo show in the country. The band first performed in Manila in 2019 at a mall show and as special guests at the Wish Music Awards.

Singer and songwriter Andreah opened the night with several of her original songs including “So Far Away,” “Let Me Go Easy,” “Feels Just Right,” and a cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.” Her soulful voice captivated the audience.

A Great Night for Music
Cheers welcomed vocalist Lukas Forchhammer, drummer Mark Falgren, bassist Magnus Larsson, along with the band’s touring musicians Henrik Møller on bass, guitarist Andreas Lund, and Andreas Stigkær on piano and keyboards.

The band quickly captivated the crowd with songs from their second album, starting off with “Happy Home,” the lively “Take the World by Storm,” and the super catchy “Drunk in the Morning.” Songs from their fourth studio album 4 (The Pink Album) released this year followed, including “Share That Love,” “By the Way,” “Lie,” and “Wish You Were Here (feat. Khalid).”

Lukas’s good energy radiated onstage and he clearly had a good time performing, even if the Pinoy crowd seemed a bit shy at first. He seamlessly transitioned between the band’s upbeat songs and the emotional tracks, even generously sharing backstories of some of their songs. He mentioned that some of their songs had deeper or more serious themes since he also grew up and his life changed drastically since the release of the band’s popular track “7 Years.”

In the middle of the song “Love Someone,” Lukas introduced his special guest Juan Karlos (JK Labajo) who joined in the performance. The crowd’s energy doubled after JK said that the Pinoys should show the band how good we are, and Lukas said he just learned the song that day. JK launched into his original song “Ere,” and Lukas joined in at the perfect moment, which really got the crowd cheering as loud as they could.

For the second half of the show, the band performed a mix of songs including “This Is Me Letting You Go,” “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout Me,” even “Off to See the World” from the soundtrack of the “My Little Pony” movie. In “Strip No More,” Lukas mentioned that the crowd would usually be on their feet dancing by this time, but perhaps the Pinoy crowd went back to feeling a bit shy and just resorted to clapping along with the beat.

Earlier that evening, Lukas mentioned that in their home country the temperature would be going down by now, so the Manila warmth was perfect. He had already stripped down to his undershirt by then, but he also removed it just before performing “Mama Said.”

The band capped the evening off with “Funeral,” then their Grammy-nominated song “7 Years.” Lukas then thanked the audience and said it won’t be the band’s last time in the country.

Overall, it was a great night, and we left the venue with a better appreciation for Lukas Graham’s songs, not just the really popular “7 Years,” and “Love Someone.” We hope it won’t take so long for the band to return. In the meantime, we’ve added their songs to our Spotify libraries.

Lukas Graham Live in Manila with Special Guests Juan Karlos and Andreah was presented by Midas Promotions and KDR Music House.
Words by R. Enriquez
Photos by Seth Valenzuela

Setlist
-Happy Home
-Take the World by Storm
-Drunk in the Morning
-Share That Love
-By the Way
-Lie
-Wish You Were Here
-You’re Not There
-Better Than Yourself
-Not a Damn Thing Changed
-Home Movies
-Love Someone (with Juan Karlos)
-Ere (with Juan Karlos)
-This Is Me Letting You Go
-Don’t You Worry ‘Bout Me
-Off to See the World
-Strip No More
-Mama Said
ENCORE
-Funeral
-7 Years