Forget the khao soi, Northern Thailand’s most-badass export is definitely Itchy Band. It all started in 2011 when four femme fatales came together to create the garage-punk sensation up in Chiang Mai, throwing high-energy, all-night shakers, popping Singhas and playing ear-splitting punk (by the way, “Itchy” evokes a Thai slang word for “horny”). Ingi (vocalist), Ra Ra (drums), Bess (guitarist) and Fon (bass player and the sole Thai force in the band) released their first album in 2012 and play original songs with the odd Motorhead or Stooges cover thrown in at live gigs. Now, they’re on the cusp of another tour across Thailand, hitting Ko Chang, Ko Phangan and Bangkok this Saturday at underground indie watering hole, Zoo. Coconuts scratched the Itchy back of drummer Ra Ra to talk “Live Fast, Die Fun” and jamming in Chiang Mai.
CB: So, tell us about the new album.
RR: It’s called Live Fast Die Fun, the hilarious motto of our bass player. We recorded it in March last year while our guitarist was eight months pregnant. What a trooper!
We recorded it in two hours at a studio in Chiang Mai. The guys working there really didn’t get what kind of sound we wanted – dirty ‘n’ loud. Luckily, my (producer) friends in Canada could salvage what we had done. We like doing things on the fly, but this time we didn’t even get a chance to do backing vocals or guitar overdubs. But hey, we like it anyway.
CB: Sounds like straight-up punk.
RR: We just call it “Itchy style.” It’s definitely not straight-up punk, although we do have some punk songs. I’d say we have more of a punk spirit. Our influences are all over the map. Musically, I think the guitarist Bess and I have more similar influences, while Fon and Ingie have similar influences.
CB: So how does does Itchy come up with a new song?
RR: Most of our songs are either the brainchild of our singer Ingie, or me. Sometimes stuff just comes out of a jam, or just us hanging out, shooting the shit. Once our idea is on the table, we’ll all add stuff to it to make it final. I guess Ingie and I tend to be the most outspoken as well.
CB: What’s Chiang Mai’s music scene like?
RR: Definitely lively, if you’re into rock and reggae cover bands and free-style jazz. There is a solid Thai hardcore scene, and a little Thai punk scene. Often, we are on the bill with cover bands, or bands doing mostly covers. We hope to inspire more of an original scene, eventually! Lately, we’ve been playing all over including setting up on the streets and near markets. Those shows are awesome ‘cuz the sound is loud and we have lots of onlookers, young and old.
CB: What’s coming up for Itchy Band in 2014?
RR: We hope to finally get a video out, and we’ll be recording a new album soon enough! Touring Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma would be cool as well.
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The show is free and starts at 9pm tomorrow.
ZOO
19 Prachathipatai Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok
Walking distance from Democracy Monument.
