Thai Shoegaze, Dream & Noise Pop, a quick guide, Vol.1
INTRODUCTION
by Punnawich Limparungpattanakij, from of ‘The year Shoegaze broke’
“The year shoegaze broke is a group of people who love genre of Shoegaze, Dream pop and Noise pop. We came together to organize our own gig, concerts and tours. In order to make Shoegaze music more popular in Thai society.”
Since the first period of 2000’s when the internet brought back to life of classic Shoegaze bands and with the rise of Post-Rock bands led by Sigur Ros or Explosion in the Sky, Thai alternative music scene got heavily inspired by those genres. Bands such as Goose, Desktop Error, Assajan Jakgawan (อัศจรรย์ จักรวาล), Swirling Light were the influential figures for those Shoegaze/ Post-Rock/ Experimental Thai bands that came after. Even if some of them have split up, still play the important role for Thai alternative music scene. Some are the founders of record companies which provide the sound that reminds us of those time in 00s, the glory days of Shoegaze/Post-Rock.
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These days, with the popularity of band such as DIIV, Thai bands develop their style of Shoegaze which are heavily charged with dreamy sounds and obscure lyrics. Band like ‘Death of Heather’ or ‘Mind Wanders’ are good examples. At the same time, the Post-Grunge style of Nothing, Whirr created Thai band like ‘Telever', which is more of a 'wall-of-sound/Noise type'.
I am also part of the collective 'The Year Shoegaze Broke' (with member of the band ‘Low Fly’, ‘Reverse’) that hosted few events that gathering unknown Shoegaze bands to play together. We also hosted the event: 'Shoegazer Night' that pays tribute to those Shoegaze legendary bands: MBV, Slowdive, RIDE, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Nothing, Whirr by Thai bands ‘Follows’, ‘Telever’, ‘Blue Yogurt’, ‘Frizzy Hair’ and founders of 'The Year Shoegaze Broke' band, to play the copycat of holocaust section in 'You Made Me Realise'. Its goal is to gain more attention for Thai music listeners who are familiar to those classic Shoegaze bands but still have no idea about what was going on the Shoegaze scene of their own country.
Even through the first-tier names for Thai Shoegaze band these days belongs to ‘Follows’, ‘Hariguem Zaboy’ (which change their direction to the more Post-Punk sound in their upcoming album), Thai Shoegaze community keeps growing, with the decline of Post-Rock and growth of Dream Pop/Post-Punk, Thai Shoegazers, who share listeners with these genres, have hopefully a bright future.
The year shoegaze broke is a group of people who love genre of Shoegaze, Dream pop and Noise pop. We came together to organize our own gig, concerts and tours. In order to make Shoegaze music more popular in Thai society.
DESKTOP ERROR
Desktop Error, is a Thai Alternative Indie Rock band, formed by a group of friends that have been hanging together since secondary school and university. Their love for similar type of music and lifestyle, eventually inspired them to form a band. They are:
Lek Kongphaibun (Guitar, lead Vocal)
Adisak Poung (Guitar, Keyboard, Vocal)
Wuttipong Leetrakul (Guitar, Keyboard, Vocal)
Chanarong Jamkow (Bass)
Phatharhaphon Thongsuka (Drums)
We collaborated with Desktop Error in 2017 to present the band and their music. They are by far the most famous and followed Indie band in Thailand. They are a world-class act, but unfortunately are not well known outside of Thailand. From the outside, the recipe for Desktop Error could be:
Shake some Ride and Radiohead together for the guitars and their capacity to complement each other very well, their flair for mixing melodies and using sound effect without abuse,
Add a bass player that understands how to blend support and melodies, without being too linear, much like Colin Greenwood, Radiohead’s bass player,
Supplement with a drummer that keeps everything together well and have a rich repertoire of rhythms and sounds,
Sprinkle a pinch of traditional Thai music and some flair for melodies.
Their music work to date:
2006: Instinct, EP
2009: Ticket to home, Album
2014: Looking at the window, Album
Surprisingly enough it is quite difficult to get their music (no Bandcamp, Soundcloud, limited presence on Spotify or Apple Store)
Some of the songs we love:
INSPIRATIVE - อินสไปเรทีฟ
Inspirative is a post-rock band from Bangkok, Thailand formed in 2006. The band initially started as a solo project of Noppanan Panicharoen. They work the Reverb like nobody and brush on genres like Shoegaze and Ambient.
Listening to Inspirative is like walking into the shop of a master sound crafter. All you discover has been studied, thought completely through, melodies, sound, texture, and colors. They are all masterpieces made by a band that has not only worked hard but also thought hard about their music and are clever about their choices. You can feel that the evolution is not just been let to itself: it has been planned, designed.
If you want to know more you can read our collaboration their music, the band or their interview.
All members joined in 2008 and turned into a full band consist of:
Noppanan Panicharoen: Guitar
Amornthep Masawang: Bass
Wuttipong Huangpetch: Piano, Vocals
Nattanai Janjarassri: Guitars
Ginn: Drums
Their musical work to date is:
2008: Floating Down Through The Clouds, EP
2009: The Sleeping Tracks, EP
2010: Memories Come Rushing Up To Meet Me Now, Album
2012: When We Talk EP
2015: Mysteriously Awake, Album
2017: Mainland, EP
2018: Inertia, Pt.1, Album; พื้นที่ว่าง, single
Some of the songs we love:
HARIGUEM ZABOY - ฮาริกึ่ม ซาโบ้ย
Hariguem Zaboy are a Shoegaze band from Bangkok. They are signed on the record label Panda Records
We're a long time friends. We had met at the Triamudomsuksa Pattanakarn School in Bangkok. When we were in the high school, we started this band, Hariguem Zaboy, just to perform in the school's auditorium. We were so happy at that time to be part of band and teenagers, so we decided to write our own songs and make our own music.
The band members are:
Napan Pichaikool: guitar
Rungsimun Suwiruttanapast: vox, guitar, tambourine
Garntanop Tanjaroen: drums
Songkhun Sanguankulthong: bass
The music work to date is:
2014: Thick Mink, album
2017: Kart, album
2019: (She Loves Her) Expensive Hairstyle, single
Some of the songs we love:
SOLITUDE IS BLISS - โซลิจูด อีส บลิส
Recommended by Desktop Error in their April 2017 interview with Noise Artists, as one of the best of the new generation of indie Thai bands, Solitude Is Bliss has a very nice mix of indie and Thai pop influences, tinted of reverb.
We are Solitude Is Bliss of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Join us on our journey, we promise to delight!
The band members are:
Thanaphol Chumkhammool (Fender) : Vocals/Guitar
Sedthakit Sitthi (Beer) : Guitar
Jomyoot Wongto (Dong) : Bass
Songpon Kaewwongwarn (Pound) : Keyboards
Saran Dolpipatpong (Frank) : Drums
Their music work to date is:
2015: Her social anxiety, album
2017: Montage, EP; Lost in Jane, single
2019: Please Verify That You Are Not a Robot, Album
Some of the songs we love:
MONOMANIA - โมโนแมเนีย
Monomania are an Alternative/Indie/Rock band from Thailand, united in their passion for ambient and electronic noise driven by hypnotic grooves. Together they create a unique atmosphere, from chilled psychedelia to jarring rhythms brimming with energy. This provides the bedrock for their songs that whilst tinged with melancholy are always hopeful, striving to break free.
Sometimes, we do love to play the music in the way of crazy, break of our mind but we also try to do it in the way of creativity. We do not like to limit ourselves so this can always make us so excited and fun especially on our music
The band met while studying at the same College of Music, in Mahidol University. They quickly became close friends and have been playing music together ever since, becoming the band Monomania when their project and sound took more shape.
The line-up is:
Napat Prucksachattawon - Lead Vocal, Acoustic Guitar
Katawut Chandaeng - Guitar
Nattapak Kaweethammawong - Guitar
Kanes Ongarjwuttiwong - Bass
Thanachai Sae-Chin - Drums
Their music work to date is:
2014: Another side of human, album
2017: Before the dawn, album
Some of the songs we love:
TELEVER - เทเลเวอร์
Telever is a band formed in 2018 in the city of Nakhonsawan, Thailand. Telever sings both in English and Thai. They mix Noise Rock and Shoegaze like Whirr or Nothing. Telever currently belong to the independent label ’Brand New Me Records’.
We grew up in shoegaze and hardcore music taste and small town. that’s the reason we do this music
The new album they prepare is quicker and heavier, with a more Post-Hardcore feeling than their popular, more Shoegazey, 2018 EP.
We has toned the reverb and distortion too, with an emphasis on scream vocal and lyrics. This new album, with its songs about depression and the broken hearts, is meant to be sang along to.
The line-up is:
Tae tae kittitad: Guitars, Vocals
Jame thanadol: Lead Guitar, Vocals
Thawedate Narkchittakarn : Bass
Teamy janson: Drums
The music work to date is:
2018: Chem, single
2019: Have a Good Health, long EP
2020: New album in preparation
Some of the songs we love:
LOW FLY - โลว์ฟลาย
Low Fly are a Shoegaze band from Bangkok. They are a newcomer but the first EP released in 2019 is full of great music.
The current line up is:
Nattacha Veeravanich: Guitar & vocals
Wisun Swathasut: Drum
Sutthipong Phumidamrong: Bass
Music work to date is:
2019: Low Fly, long EP
Some of the songs we love:
SWIRLING LIGHT - สเวอร์ลิ่ง ไลท์
Swirling Light is Shoegaze Alternative Band from Bangkok, Thailand.
The band started from in small apartment when Chonlatas met Manasya Sachorfah (Bas) as her Guitar teacher. He had the idea of the band as they both have had a very similar music taste like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, The Radio Dept. etc. In turn 3 other members, all Chon’s friends, joined the band.
Chon choose the name “ the world is full of noise”, a sentence part of Slowdive’s song Dagger, as an homage to the great band to be their EP/Album name.
We recorded all the songs very alternatively and home made way we use Bas’ apartment as a studio, and we had to record while only when all the other apartments in the building were very silent. It was very fun and like a family moment
Swirling Light toured in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia before even being known in Thailand.
The tour around South east Asia was a like a dream for us, people sang the song we did and gave us their friendship.
After they finished their studies, they stopped playing together as life commitments took over.
They are still well remembered, and one of the seminal Thai shoegaze bands.
Even the band do not anymore but, our light is still swirling somewhere in our life.
The lineup was:
Manasya: guitar, voice
Chonlatas: guitar
Ae: guitar
Tippy: bass
Bass: drums
Music work:
2009: World is full of Noise, EP and LP
Some songs we love:
Thanks & more
First a big thank you to Punnawich for his work (superb introduction) and his kindness. He is a treasure of information and contacts on the Thai scene + do a superb work in getting the Shoegaze genre better known. Make sure to follow his The year shoegaze broke if you are in Thailand.
Thanks to Manasya B Sachorfah (Bas) for her time in providing information on Swirling Light. Thanks to all the Telever, Monomania, Solitude is Bliss that reviewed the information above + to Desktop Error and Inspirative for all their kindness and patience when we worked together in the past.
And last thanks to the Facebook group Shoegaze Japan that always support Asian and Thai music.
Stay tuned for the volume 2 with many more exceptional bands.
