Reggae fans have fun at the second 'Hic and Tist' festival
Golf, guitarist with headline act T-Bone, was pleased with the festival, when asked to compare it with last month’s “Samet in Love” held a few kilometres away in celebration of Valentine’s Day. “For a start, we had lots of people here who were actually fans of reggae ska,” he noted. “The Samet event was much more mixed.”
Unlike “Samet in Love”, the area set aside for the Hic & Tist could also effectively catch those endeavouring to enter without bothering to pay. Like last year, both sides of the road were lined with food stalls and product booths, as well as game booths. A Ferris wheel was set up at the entrance.
Local outfits Pluto and Reggae Village 1 opened proceedings while the sun was still high in the sky and were followed by Error 99, Plern Phromdang and Thai Dern Len. The organisers then held the official opening and handed out prizes for the best paintings.
Reggae fans settled in front of the stage at sunset and danced as Somrom Band and Goldred performed tight sets. Screams were loud when T-Bone finally appeared, playing many audience favourites and improvising a whole lot more.
The crowd, who were mostly young, went wild as the night wore on, the beer flowed and the ska got louder with Mocca Garden, Jofax, Madagascar 11 Circle, Ta-Mone and Kai-Jo Brothers keeping them up and dancing. Unfortunately, both lights and sound disappeared for a while during the Kai-Jo Brothers’ set due to a voltage drop.
The festival came to an end in the early morning with cool tunes from the Super Glasses Ska Ensemble, Deep O Sea and Ska Chance.
