Thanks to some unexpected rain, this year’s Big Mountain Music Festival came the closest of any Thai festival thus far to approximating its British progenitor—Glastonbury. The heavens opened over Khao Yai on Sunday, the second day of the festival, showering the crowds in a deluge that turned the festival ground to mud, and the festivalgoers to dirt-spackled hooligans.
However, Sunday’s deluge was just another surprise turn for a festival that delivered more than its fair share of unexpected delights.
There isn’t enough space on the internet to chronicle all the good stuff that went on at BMMF, but here are a few highlights:
Best Japanese Weirdo-Pop Surprise: The final slice of sunlight was slipping behind the mountains when Japanese experimental folk act Salyu X Salyu, one of the weekend’s highlights, took to the stage. The group mesmerized a growing crowd, belting out intricate pop under the ever-changing gaze of BMMF’s gigantic cow sculpture. The cool evening air seemed to carry the eclectic melodies fresh from the Land of the Rising Sun, anesthetizing onlookers and offering the festival a healthy infusion of imagination.
Best Dose of Straight-Up Rawk: Saturday night at the Ferris Wheel Stage, the much-loved Slot Machine barreled through a conservative, yet charming set of well-known anthems (such as “Phan”) in front of one of the concert’s largest crowds. The audience, which sprawled well beyond the surrounding embankments, jumped, swayed and, at one point, even wept in unison. Slot Machine swaggered around like exuberant, pop rock demigods, because that’s pretty much what they are.
Best Paraplegic Dance Machine: On Saturday night, BMMF’s Sticky Rice Soundsystem got down to the beats of a Gai Yang jam session. The spotlight, however, was stolen by a Vietnamese hat-wearing, spliff-wielding diva who danced wildly across the stage while wielding a pair of crutches. The audience, inspired by this self-medicated dervish, joined in on the fun. Dub beats warped the air, concertgoers nodded their approval and for just a split second, Thailand could almost have been confused for Kingston.
“Living Legend” Award for Ongoing Lifetime Achievement: Thai songwriting institution Carabao took the Ferris Wheel stage on Saturday night with casual aplomb, sending the crowd into riotous applause by launching effortlessly into a stream of his most well-renowned hits. Time has only tightened Carabao and his band’s control of their instruments, and the audience responded in kind.
Best Stylistic Outlier: Following Carabao’s performance, one of Thailand’s most successful musical exports, Hugo, stole the show at the festival’s outlandish, “District 9” stage. Best known for his presence on Jay Z’s Roc Nation label, the regal rocker was a breath of fresh air. His crisp blend of bluegrass, country and pop proved why big things are expected of him and his boys.
One of the loudest cheers of the night went up during the band’s duet with local pop star Palmy, when Thailand’s very own Carter and Cash romped through their feel-good country hit, “Big Mountain.”
Best Kai Jeow: All of them. Seriously. Coconuts Bangkok returned to the city about 20 pounds heavier thanks to the delectable offerings of the 10 omelet stands that comprised BMMF’s “Kai Jeow City.” A note to future generations: Once, there were omelets with pork rinds in them, and all was well.
Best Set Piece: This is a tough one. Between the Ferris Wheel Stage, District 9 Stage and Cow Stage, BMMF had some impressive eye candy to offer its attendees. The fact that you could actually ride the Ferris wheels at the Ferris Wheel Stage earned some serious points for that set piece, but we’re going to have to award top honors to the Cow Stage.
Not only did the Cow Stage offer an ever-changing array of adornments, it gave the proceedings an awe-inducing, atavistic feel. Reconnecting with your animal nature is half the fun of any music festival, and there are few things that put you in touch with your pagan roots quite as effectively as the looming visage of stylized livestock.
Best Shameless Self-Promotion: Our sunglasses.
Best Make-Out Sesh: Sqweez Animal—headliner on the Ferris Wheel stage—was a suitable climax to day one. The saccharine indie rockers blessed adoring festivalgoers with smoochy tunes such as “Till I Die” and “Our Love,” closing their set with a final flurry during “Funksy.” It was super-cute. We fell in love a little bit.
