Frontman to UK-rooted local band Firefalldown making heads turn

MANILA, Philippines — A band is a group thing and there shouldn’t be a featured member getting all the spotlight. But in most cases, reality proves to be more in favor of zeroing in on that guy with the voice, looks, personality and charm all-in-one. It’s a catalyst to success.

Firefalldown, a Filipino band which had its roots in the UK some 10 years back and then relocated to Manila, looks to be in that mold when it presented itself to the press during its recent digital single launch at Warner Music Philippines office. 

Vocalist-guitarist Jon Blaylock is obviously the band’s center of attraction not only for his talent showcase. He, too, has a Caucasian looks that can pass up for a leading man in a rom-com Pinoy movie. He possesses a gravitating personality anchored on a confident speaking voice. And his family background should get everyone’s attention, especially the car persons. 

“It’s really part of my journey to learn how to lead my band,” said Jon who is the scion of the entrepreneurial family behind the Diamond Motors that distributes Mitsubishi cars in the country.

“In order to make things move,” he argued, “I just have to do what I need to and be with members who are good at what they do but humble enough to support my vision.”

Fair enough. A real frontman knows his position and does not play the great pretender’s role of telling everyone he’s just one of the guys, yet wrests control most of the time.

Jon, who also writes the songs, has the tools and vision anyway. He said that Firefalldown’s latest single Kahulugan is a piece he sat down on, beyond simply pulling off from his massive files of words and melodies long stored. 

Describing himself as a “follower of Christ before anything else,” the truth-seeking band leader wrote the song distributed by Warner with the mindset of a deep digger. “You cannot trust what you’re spoonfed. Truth does find you but it still needs to be sought. Kahulugan is about finding meaning in the midst of that pursuit,” he shared. 

Firefalldown, labeling itself as rhythmic post hardcore with pop leanings, is currently doing a #TrutherTour to reach more audiences. It should be its biggest attempt at mainstream recognition since opening for Coheed and Cambria and performing at the Pulp Summer Slam in 2010. That year, the group flew from Europe and so it was welcomed like a foreign act. The relocation to Manila in 2014 enabled the group “to take its time immersing itself in the local underground scene.”

“Firefalldown has never been more of a force to reckon with. The sound has evolved and we speak and live the biblical truth,” Jon added. 

Spirituality is vital for Jon’s progress as a person as it allowed him to find his passion for music. He does consultancy work and has the blessings from his parents for doing the band thing full-time. Besides, the ongoing tour is billed as “an extensive string of dates to take place throughout the country, stopping at familiar music venues and food parks from Laguna to Naga.”

Jon’s parting shot revealed that love for sound with soul: “Without music, the world is a dry, emotionless place.”