Blake serenades Pinoys in London

Blake /Photo courtesy of Jomel Anthony Gutierrez, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

LONDON - The British pop-classical singers “Blake” serenaded Pinoys in London with songs from their album "Together."

The internally-renowned quartet composed of Humphrey Berney (tenor), Ollie Baines (tenor), Jules Knight (baritone) and Stephen Bowman (bass-baritone) wanted to give back to the Filipinos in the UK for the warm welcome they received when they were in the Philippines for their concerts.

They said there is nothing like Filipino hospitality and appreciation of talent.

“We are lucky enough to travel all around the world to perform and I mean this genuinely, we mean this genuinely as a group, Filipino audiences are the warmest and the most excitable people to perform to,” said Berney.

“For us, it’s about giving back to Filipinos. When we went to the Philippines, you embraced us next to your chest, so warmly, so genuinely and sincerely. We had an amazing time performing in ASAP, Showtime. Here in the UK where we live, we wanted to show the Filipinos how much we love them in return,” said Baines.

Bowman said they discovered early on, during their tour in the Philippines, how unreserved Filipinos are in showing their appreciation of good music.

“We were in a small shopping center but we came on. It was remarkable because everybody started applauding the minute each one of us sang. We realized straight away Filipinos have an incredibly warm, giving nature and they love their music,” said Bowman.

Blake performed in front of thousands of Filipinos on the second day of the yearly London Barrio Fiesta at Lampton Park, Hounslow.

“People have come from all over UK and Europe to come here today. It’s about 50,000 people. It’s an amazing buzz for us and to see such a lot of lovely people in one place is a real treat,” said Jules Knight.

Blake /Photo courtesy of Jomel Anthony Gutierrez, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Missing KC Concepcion

Knight, who earlier admitted to be infatuated with Kapamilya star KC Concepcion, said they still communicate although they have been both became busy with their work recently.

“KC, I miss you, you know that, and I look forward to seeing you in December,” said Knight

“She is a very good friend and I hope to see her again. She is a very special girl, she is very talented,” he added.

Blake is together as group for five years now. They gained international acclaim when their version of Swing Low was chosen as the official anthem of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

They have also performed in some of the world’s biggest sporting events such as opening of Wimbledon in 2010, The Melbourne Cup in Australia in 2009, The World Polo Tournament in London in 2010, among others.

The group also performed during the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton last year.

Blake is set to perform again in the Philippines in December for a series of concerts in Manila, Cebu and Davao.