The Late, Late Show

MANOTE TRIPATHI

THE NATION

 More than just a snapshot of Thailand's best bands, the recent GreenSpace One World Party was Bangkok's biggest musical bash of the year with more than 7,000 fans plus VIP guests turning up.

 Concertgoers who flooded Central Grand Hotel to hear their favourite local bands got a bonus in the form of foreign acts who topped up a bill of more than 50 artists.

 The programme was well structured, with local outfits allowed to showcase six or seven songs and the outnumbered overseas acts given a little longer in the spotlight. Tahiti 80 from France, for instance, played 10 songs while the UK's Brand New Heavies lingered even longer. But as the night wore on, the stuffed set lists took their toll on the schedule and some fans were left wondering if their favourite bands would ever turn up.

 By the time last act Groove Riders arrived onstage, an hour later than their midnight billing, the party was over for many, who were either to sleepy or too drunk to stand through a finale that lasted way past 2am.

 But then, the tempo had been high all night, fuelled by a great line-up and some dazzling onstage jamming.

 Wrongfooted by the bang-on-time 7pm start, many including this reviewer were still in the parking lot when local act the Begins began the fest. They left the stage for the show's music director Monthol "Jay" Jira to welcome the steadily growing crowd, then Ben Chalathit to deliver a powerful five-song set. Pitch-perfect and hitting high notes that sent emotions ringing through the audience, Ben sang his hits "See Khiew" ("Green"), "Mai Care" ("Don't Care") and "Yom" ("Submission").

 It was 8pm, and the fun was just beginning. Up stepped Bee Pheeraphat to roars from a crowd hungry for another multi-award-winning Thai singer. No one was disappointed as mesmerising tunes like "Venus", "Khwamjing Nai Jai" ("The Truth in Her Heart", "Phood Trong Trong" ("Talk Straight") and "Din Dan Haeng Rak" ("A Land of Love") engulfed the auditorium.

 By the second track, I was hooked and swaying with the rest crowd to the night's funkiest piano lick. If this was a glimpse of Bee's new groove, his fans are in for a treat.

 Next he surprised the crowd by pairing with Nui Viriyapa from Peach for "You're Everything". She's a petite Thai singer with a powerful voice that puts most of her pop peers to shame.

 Then came another crowd-pleaser: a jam session featuring Thai singers with international back-up. The band comprised guitarist Bibi McGill from Beyonce's all-girl Sugar Mamas; Robby Williams' bassist Jerry Meehan; pianist Shota Hishiyama from Japan's URB; contemporary percussionist Marcus Santos from the Gypsy Kings; and Henrik Ockander, keyboardist for Cloudberry Jam.

 Seeing top-notch foreign artists lay down impeccable backing for Thai singers was a marvellous East-meets-West experience. Bee jumped back onstage for this session to give Michael Jackson's "Black or White" his own distinctive touch while Groove Riders' vocalist Burin in his signature sunglasses created a stir with "Love Foolosophy". Ben Chalathit also returned, letting his powerful voice loose on "Don't Stop Me Now".

 After a 15-minute break there was more jamming, but this time with a Thai-only flavour. Driving the funk was Lek T-Bone on drums and Kor of Groove Riders on bass, while Sing of Sqweez Animal grabbed a guitar, Smith of Groove Riders the piano stool, and Somkiat and Tor Z-Myx keyboards.

 After turns by some of Thailand's best singers, Noi from Pru band stole the show with his rendition of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". Few people in the world can match Jackson's moves, but Noi made a strong bid for Thailand's No-1 Prince of Pop impersonator with a scintillating costume plus dance steps to match. The crowd lapped it up, giving raucous rounds of applause as he showboated from one side of the stage to the other.

 There were doubters, though, with one wit suggesting the size of Noi's posterior eclipsed his Moonwalk. It was a cheap shot - the truth was Pru's frontman could have been Jackson's "Man in the Mirror".

 By the time the French-accented English vocals of Tahiti 80 hit the stage with "Made First", bodies were popping in the audience. The group played an album's worth of songs, tickling feet with a mix of rock and dance beats.

 But the biggest chunk of the night was allocated to the Brand New Heavies, acid-jazz funksters from London who tore into 14 ear-shattering tracks that helped wake some fans from beer-induced trances. Hits like "People Get Ready", BNH", "Never Stop" and "Universe" were pure party music, pumping up the rhythm and paving the way for Groove Riders.

 By the time the Thai boys eventually sauntered onstage, local fans needed no invitation to get to their dancing feet and into the groove for the party's last hour.

Riders' lead singer Burin joked he'd been waiting four hours for ||his slot. But we'd been waiting the whole night!

 They were scheduled to play seven songs to wrap up the party but by the fourth, younger fans were heading towards the exit, either too drunk or too sleepy to party anymore.

 The hardcore hung on though, anticipating big hits like "Superstar", "Rak Mai Dai" ("Unable to Love") and "Yood" ("Stop"). And they weren't disappointed. Groove Riders were worth the long wait and nothing was going to stop fans from stomping to the beat, singing along and dancing. The thundering chorus of "Rak Mai Dai" was a highlight, sending shivers up and down the spine.

 A word - and a big pat on the back - for the organisers: they showed real musical smarts in blending local and international artists for a tasty cocktail of beats. The jamming guests lifted the mood whenever they appeared on stage alongside the headline artists. Strong performances from the latter included shows by Tik Shiro, Tun of Apartment Khun Pa, Som Amara, Q of Flure, Win of Sqweez Animal and Nui Viriyapa.

 The night hit some minor snags too: the sound system didn't perform so well for certain sections of the audience. But perhaps that had more to do with the hall's poor acoustics.

 Judging by the huge crowd with a liberal sprinkling of foreigners that mostly stayed until the final act, this party went with a bang.