A year ago, I was a fresh face in Bangkok out mingling at my local dive bar. There was a dude sitting by himself – not so much sitting, as draped over the armchair like he was hanging out in his own living room with a bottle of Johnny Walker perched on the table next to him. He was drinking alone and not looking like he was expecting anybody. Glancing over his hip demeanor, pining for some of my outré friends in America, I thought to myself, “I must know this eccentric.” I sat down with him and during the course of our conversation he enthusiastically asked me, “How fucking awesome would it be to have a party on a boat?” I agreed, but I walked away that night thinking he was a loon. Two months later I got a Facebook invite from one of my friends. The title? “It’s a Boat Party.”
Nobody ever got anything done by being sane. My new friend, Sun, was one of the founding members of Bangkok’s newest party planners, Duck & Noodle.
The first boat party, hosted by Duck & Noodle, was on a floating yet stationary vessel that normally runs as a restaurant. It was a success in terms of the crowd, however a lack of alcohol and an overestimation of partygoers’ tolerance for experimental music left the organizers with some negative reviews. But it also found some new faces dedicated to furthering the idea of the Boat Party.
One of Duck & Noodle’s friends suggested they move the party to an old fishing boat. The crew put in a lot of cash to completely redo the boat, including building new bathrooms and making the space suitable to host hundreds of people. Bands were booked for the top deck and DJ’s for the covered lower deck. Their hard work was supposed to pay off last March 31, however an impromptu thunderstorm scared some performers away. Duck & Noodle waived the admission and hosted the party for free, rescheduling the event for this Saturday, May 5.
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I talked to Dane, another one of the Duck & Noodle organizers, about the rain. “Obstacles have threatened the success of the party. We are acquiring some sort of rain deflection unit,” he said about this upcoming Saturday. As for last March, Dane said it was “sort of like a free music festival.”
Duck & Noodle consists of a core group of five guys; three bored Bangkokians and two “not-bored” but enthusiastic farang. Everyone in the crew seems to DJ. Daniel, a Kiwi farang working at the UN, and Bangkok-born bartender Hood are the two main dudes.
“Daniel is Duck and I’m Noodle. It’s not fair. Duck is the part everybody wants,” joked Hood.
As party planners, Duck & Noodle’s goal centers around what they want to do, not necessarily what would work. And what do they want to do? Take the party outside of the club by finding unique venues and musicians who are willing to pass on the booking agent. They also don’t have sponsors. It’s a testament to the Boat Party and to Bangkok’s party crew that over 500 people came to the “rained-out” bash. This Saturday’s crowd shouldn’t disappoint.
As for music, Dane described last March’s music as “heavy electro-dubstep” and said the rain-checked party on May 5 “will be more disco-funk-indie.”
Starting at 9 p.m., the line-up for the Upper Deck includes:
Slow Reverse reverberates with pretty, dream-pop melodies. If you miss them at the Boat Party, they are playing with Asobi Seksu May 9 at Sonic.
Basement Tape is feel-good indie that you can tap your foot to. Think Thai-version of the Beach Boys.
The line-up for the Lower Deck follows:
Dan Motive
Fine Music
Cut the Crap
Gramaphone Children (This founder of electronic/funk label Kistch Cat Records guarantees some funky tunes ripping up the dance floor. Be sure to practice your moves.)
Future plans for Duck & Noodle include hosting a party in an industrial space. Ultimately they would like to organize music festivals as Bangkok opens up to new music styles.
Tickets are THB400 and include one drink. Expect your usual beer and alcohol. There will also be a delicious burger stand. The boat will be docked all night at Charoenkrung soi 80. Worried about falling off and breaking your face? Don’t be, as there will be security and full staff to keep the crowd from sinking the ship.
All aboard!
