Mun-yai-mak!
The Thai festival season is already well under way and this weekend will see mobs of music fanatics making their way to serene Khao Yai National Park for the country’s most celebrated live event.
Big Mountain Music Festival, affectionately referred to in Thai as mun-yai-mak (crazy-huge-many), officially kicks off on Saturday with one of the most diverse and exciting lineups to date.
The likes of local legends Carabao, Modern Dog and T-Bone will be delighting audiences with classic tunes guaranteed to cause mass singalongs, and the occasional lighter sway, in addition to a plethora of international acts hailing primarily from the UK and Asia.
Now in its fourth year, Big Mountain Music Festival was created by Yutthana “Pa Ted” Boonorm, founder of Thailand’s largest record label GMM Grammy, in 2010. Inspired by major international festivals such as Woodstock and Glastonbury, Pa Ted got to work introducing the first weekend-long camping festival to the country which now attracts the biggest names on the scene as well as ever-increasing crowds.
“The great thing about Big Mountain is the sheer variety of acts at the festival. Gayray – the festival organizer – is owned by GMM Grammy but there are acts from many different labels performing,” GMM Grammy’s Beady Williams says. “There is a bit of a retro vibe this year with classic acts such as Carabao, Nuvo and Mr Team performing on the main stages but from a western perspective I would say that District 9 is the best stage to visit.”
District 9 is one of five major stages present at this year’s festival and will showcase up-and-coming British bands The Skints and Some Velvet Morning alongside infamous headliners Modern Dog. The latest installment to the event is the highly-anticipated Sticky Rice Soundsystem stage, which will be belching plumes of reggae, dancehall and dub-infused tunes to what is sure to be an adoring, if somewhat mellow audience.
In addition to the main stages, various art exhibitions, experimental theater, markets and a range of watering holes will be located around the venue to keep the crowds amused and lubed.
Although Big Mountain has garnered quite a reputation both domestically and regionally and regularly attracts the biggest names in Thai Rock’n’Roll, Beady explains that it there is no great urge to lure top performers from the international scene.
“Due to our low ticket prices you won’t be seeing Radiohead or The Stone Roses headlining here anytime soon. What you can expect are some great live bands from around the world. Many of the acts on the lineup have received critical acclaim including an ARIA award for DZ Deathrays this year,” he says. “In short this is a great way to discover some hidden gems from both Thailand and abroad. Even people who have a strong dislike for Thai music should go home happy.”
This year, the total attendance is expected to hit around 50,000 after three extremely successful events and hopes are that the festival will further cement Thailand’s reputation as a bourgeoning live music destination.
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Coconuts Bangkok is a media partner with Big Mountain Music Festival. Tickets are available from ThaiTicketMajor HERE.
