Heavy showers halted just in time, and the skies brought forth sunshine and warmth as Rex Orange County took the stage at the Mall of Asia Arena on the night of August 20, 2026, Thursday – his first Manila show in almost three years.
The British singer-songwriter, whose real name is Alexander James O’ Connor, had given fans a preview of the trip a day earlier, sharing on social media: ‘GUYS I’M IN THE MALL OF ASIA IN MANILA TRYNA NOT GET LOST…TOMORO I PLAY MY FIRST SHOW w THE BAND IN LIKE A YEAR N A HALF. EVERYTHING’S GREAT.’ since his last visit in October 2023, fans had been counting down to see him again – this time, in a much bigger venue.
Even before the doors opened, the anticipation outside the arena was its own kind of spectacle. Fans lined up early to secure their slots, especially those headed for the standing area, where prime spots are notoriously hard to get. Once inside, every time the LED screens flashed ‘Rex Orange County’, the crowd would holler and clap on cue – some fans, I noticed, were still busy making sure their phones were fully charged before he even stepped on stage.
Over October and Maki set the tone
Over October opened the night with a set that started calmly with ‘Dahan’ and built beautifully, closing out with ‘Ikot’ – a song the crowd knew word for word and swayed along to. It was my first time seeing them live, so a win is a win for me! What struck me most, though, was how great they actually sound in person – their band synergy is genuinely impressive, the kind that’s hard to appreciate fully until you’ve heard it live.
Maki came up next, and let’s just say: that man has pipes! Finding out he’d be one of the openers for Rex Orange County was already another personal win; my song wishlist practically wrote itself – ‘Kahel na Langit’, ‘Kailan’, ‘Saan’ all made an appearance. Maki also shared on stage that Alex (Rex Orange County) had inspired one of his songs, and spoke about how grateful he was to open for him.
Rex Orange County takes center stage
Rex Orange County opened his set with ‘Television’, and the crowd lost it. If you’ve spent any time on TikTok, you already know this one. It’s been all over everyone’s FYPs, spilling onto Instagram and Facebook, too.
‘Manila, what’s going on? My name is Rex Orange County. Are you ready to have a fantastic evening with me?’ he greeted the already hyped and hollering fans. Let me tell you something about Filipinos welcoming artists at concerts – it’s loud, and goosebumps will run all over you.
From there, Rex Orange County brought an electrifying energy to MOA Arena, and the fans gave it right back, twice over. His band matched him beat for beat – and yes, I’ll admit some bias here, but the trumpet and saxophone players were AMAZING. (pun intended)
A few moments later, the tender intro to ‘Pluto Projector’ began to play, and the arena glowed as fans switched their phone flashlights to an orange filter – the fan project called Project Sharmaine – turning the crowd into a visual that matched the song perfectly. From where I was sitting, it looked like a cosmos of orange, like stars shining brightly across the arena. He noticed and told everyone to ‘keep those lights on’.
Between songs, Alex took a moment to speak more personally to the crowd. He mentioned that this was only his second time in Manila, but that he would definitely be back – and that he’d see everyone again when he does, a promise that earned him some of the loudest cheers of the night.
Midway through the concert, I hit a very different kind of crisis: my phone flashed a storage-full warning, right as I was trying to capture more of the show. Qué horror! There I was, frantically deleting apps and old videos to free up space to keep filming – a very real reminder that some nights demand more storage than you think you’ll ever need.
Alex also had a few surprises up his sleeve for the Filipino fans present. He gave Manila an exclusive performance of ‘Belly (The Grass Stains)’, slipped the unreleased ‘Boyfriend’ into the mix, and brought ‘Take a Drive’ to the stage for its live debut. And in a moment that felt genuinely rare, he played ‘Indecision’, his new collaboration with Daniel Caesar, live for the first time (the song had only dropped a day before the Manila show).
A night to look back on
Right when ‘Happiness’ rang out, fans assumed that the night was over. Then the lights slowly went back on as Alex and his band came out for one final surprise: an encore of ‘4 Seasons’ and ‘Loving is Easy’, with the crowd chanting ‘Isa pa! Isa pa! Isa pa!’ so I insistently joked to my friend that they might break into Seventeen’s ‘Aju Nice’ next. (A running joke within Seventeen’s fandom, Carat)
I hadn’t even noticed it was nearing midnight until my eyes grew heavy – that’s how much energy he brought to the stage. He packed so many songs into one night, and somehow, it still didn’t feel enough.
Some concerts you watch. This one, you feel until you can’t anymore. Rex Orange County live in Manila will be a night I will be replaying for a while. Don’t change a thing, YOU ARE AMAZING, Rex Orange County. Manila is already awaiting your return.