© Urbandub / Nemesis Music Group
25th years
Anniversary Tour
Back story
Urbandub is a Filipino rock band from Cebu City, Philippines, formed in 2000. The band's current lineup consisted of Gabby Alipe, John Dinopol, Lalay Lim, Sam Saludsong and Russ Manaloto.
Urbandub is the first indie band in the Philippines to release albums nationwide with the assistance of a major label under EMI Philippines. The label also featured Urbandub in a Pinoy rock compilation entitled "FULL VOLUME", with a remake of Sade's "No Ordinary Love".
Urbandub helped shift the Philippine music scene by proving independent bands could achieve mainstream success while retaining artistic integrity, bringing the "Sound of the Giant South" (Visayas-Mindanao) to the national stage.
Music influences and releases
Birth (2001)
Urbandub's debut album suffered distribution problems due to the lack of support from major record companies. Birth is raw and heavy, with obvious influences of Deftones and other experimental rock bands.
Influence (2003)
With the release of their second effort, INFLUENCE on Lighter Records, Urbandub took on a new form, changing their sound with a new drummer. INFLUENCE includes radio-released singles such as "Gone" and their most famous release to date, "Soul Searching", which won the award as Best Song of the Year in the NU107 Rock Awards 2003.
Embrace (2005)
With the 2005 release of the album Embrace, the band has kept Lighter Records as their management arm and guide. In line with their ideals, EMI allowed them the creative freedom to record their album on their home soil of Cebu. Added to that, they have been able to maintain their independent principles while taking major steps into the scene that has awaited their new sound. "First of Summer", became one of the most played songs on local radios.
Under Southern Lights (2007)
Asked about the album title, "The name is our tribute to Cebu City where we came from and where we did most of the writing for the album. It's also a metaphor for our families in Cebu, being that they're our inspiration and guiding light," Alipe said.
The Apparition (2009)
In 2009, after ending their contract with EMI, Urbandub signed with a new label, MCA MUSIC and released their fifth and most experimental album, entitled "The Apparition" . The writing took place again in Cebu, the band's home court, with the band renting a house up the mountains and turning it into a home studio for 2 months. The first single of the album was the song "Gravity", a song that carries the band's trademark heavy riffing balanced with melodies and harmonies that are rarely found in Pinoy rock music.
Esoteric (2013)
On September 20, 2013. The band released their sixth album (and most recent, before their last gig with the original line-up in 2015), which spawned the single "Never Will I Forget" that, according to frontman Gabby Alipe, dedicated to their fans (called Dubistas), so they invited some of their loyal fans to record the gang shout parts of the song.
Rebirth (2023)
In 2023, Urbandub re-released their first album of 2001, "Birth" in a new record version as "Rebirth."
Hiatus and reformation
In 2015, the band had announced that they will be having their last concert with their original line-up on May 9, 2015, while bass guitarist and back-up vocalist Lalay Lim and drummer JanJan Mendoza left the band to prioritize their families afterwards. Later on the same year, Gabby Alipe briefly performed as a solo artist.
In 2016, the band went active again but performing as a trio, then later as a quartet. On February 25, 2018, the original lineup of the band came again together.
Get ready for "the Giant Sound of the South"!
© Urbandub / Nemesis Music Group