Photos: BEC TERO
The Sonic Bang festival was arguably the biggest thing to happen to the Thai live music scene to date. Not only was it the largest event of its kind ever to be held in the Kingdom, but the organizers – BEC TERO and Singha – pulled it off without a hitch. To be sure, Sonic Bang has reset the bar.
Part of the event’s success is owed to its location – the massive Impact Arena in Muang Thong Thani. Impact has tons of space, enough for four main stages and a handful of smaller ones.
The largest of the four stages or “BANG!” was where the Virginia-born Jason Mraz drew the biggest crowd. Fedora-wearing fans bobbed their heads and sung along with Mraz’s ubiquitous tunes like “I won’t give up” from his 2012 release “Love is a four letter word.”
Another big name that performed on “BANG!” was Adam Young from the electronic-pop act Owl City. Clad in all black, Young’s devoted pubescent fans punctuated his songs with exclamations of“I love you Adam!”And feeling was mutual. When Coconuts asked Young to sum up Thailand in fewer than ten words he replied by saying, “good food, amazing people, great shows, always a good time!”
When we asked Baby, a star known for her 4.0 GPA, what she thought Sonic Bang meant for the Thai live music scene, she told us, “the acts are great, but I think it’s more than that. It’s about an economic shift. We want to be the center of the Asian music scene. And I think that’s what Sonic Bang is. Bangkok is going to be the center of the Asian scene.”
She could be right. Sonic Bang’s high level of production make a compelling argument that Bangkok could dethrone Singapore or Kuala Lumpur as the go-to spot in the region for international music festivals. Notably, Pete Pachara, heir to the Central Group, called the festival,“the next generation of music festivals in Thai(sic).”
There is only one way to describe Pitbull’s performance, and that is to say he absolutely killed it. When “Mr. Worldwide” took to the stage he turned BANG! into a crowded, sweaty dance floor where fans got their groove on with no shame. Accompanying the Cuban-American Pitbull were a bevy of thick, sultry Latina backup dancers whose mesmerizing booties kept the beat to“I Know You Want Me(Calle Ocho)” and “Blanco.”
Sonic Bang was certainly characterized by successful performances by big-name international artists, but there were a handful of Thai artists that got some serious attention and not in a good way. Slot Machine took to the POW! Stage 30 minutes late only to experience a number of technical problems that left fans wondering what was going on in the control room. Dressed in a striking double-breasted white suit, Slot Machine’s lead singer did a number of double-takes as he sung into a dead microphone. Many frustrated fans gave up and migrated halfway through Slot Machine’s performance to the neighboring stage.
The biggest drawback of Sonic Bang was simply the distance between acts. Impact’s size means it can accommodate many acts but it’s also a complete buzz-killer. Walking from one stage to another meant walking long distances through boring open spaces without much going on. Props to Singha for providing several beer gardens to keep revelers hydrated during the stage to stage treks.
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One thing is for sure; Sonic Bang has created a standard for all future music festivals in Thailand. BEC TERO and Singha have proved themselves to skeptics and risen above the typical problems associated with bringing in big names to the Kingdom.
