Heineken sponsored a show where bands from US, UK and Japan were paired up against local "indie" Thai bands. It was heavily promoted and of course all you could drink was Heineken. The whole notion of indie is complicated in Thailand because it seems to denote more of a style than an approach to making/producing music.
Slot Machine was paired with New York's Aluminum Babe. Slot Machine's hit song is played by cover bands all over Thailand and it took me until this concert to figure out it was actually written by Slot Machine. *Note* They are signed to Sony BMG but get lumped with the indie scene.
Front Man (Tul Vaiyoonkiat) from Apartment Khun Pa, a Thai band that sings about a little bit more than love. In a recent interview, Tul called Aparment Khun Pa "the king of indie music". Paired up against Japan's Osaka Monaurail (see below).
Modern Dog. Thai Indie All-Stars. Their songs permeate dak naew Thai collective consciousness. The singer throws the mic into the crowd and lets them sing his songs while he drinks. Paired with UK's Some Velvet Morning. After Modern Dog finished, the crowd was yelling OW ICK OW ICK ("want more"), the first time I've ever heard a Thai crowd call for an encore. They didn't get one.
OsakaMonaurail from Japan kicked ass and sounds like they were born in the bed of James Brown. Japanese guys dressed in suits doing choreographed dance moves. Hot. The Thais didn't quite know what to think, the funk was overwhelming. The promo described them as jazz (?)
Ra Ra's got hook-ups
