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Well, let’s see…Some really positive things have happened here in Bangkok recently…
The bi-annual DEMONIC CONCERT featuring local hardcore and metal bands was held on April 22 and CODE 13 from the US played Bangok on May 22…
Both of which I will talk about below. But the fact that I, a guy from America, am writing this report tells you something about the Thai hardcore/punk scene right away. There are kids here who like hardcore, but the scene here is pretty small and there is little involvement.
Shows are few and far between. The DIY etchic does not exist here yet.
No zines…, a few bands…, and a couple hundred kids who really like hardcore/punk but who are, in my opinion, pretty confused about what hardcore/punk is or should be.
This isn’t their fault, it’s just that compared to neighboring coutries that have pretty big hardcore/punk scenes, like Malaysia and Singapore or the Phillipines, Thailand is years behind. Things are just beginning here.
Or rather, beginning again after having fizzled out before it really got off the ground some years back. Bands like Limp Bizkit and Slipknot are what a lot of kids here (not all) consider hardcore. (To me, these bands are rock stars not hardcore/punk bands!) Black Flag, Minor Threat, Youth Of Today, Bad Brains…, most kids here have never heard or even heard of bands such as these. But they haven’t had the opportunity to hear much here except really big name, mainstream hard music. There is also the fact that few kids here speak and/or read much English and therefore can’t get much information…
From zines in english from other countries, from the internet, from corresponding with other HC kids from neighboring countries or even from reading the inserts/lyrics of hardcore/punk records. But things are starting to change and grow and I think that in a short while, Bangkok will have a thriving hardcore/punk scene. As I said, there are some bands (info below) and a few kids who are really interested and motivated to work towards buliding more of an underground music scene here… and that’s where it starts…

Though not hardcore, one of the longest standing underground bands here in Thailand and more than worth mentioning is PLAHN. These guys have been together about ten years and play really sick speed/thrash/extreme in your face Metal with driving drums, sick guitar leads and heavy crunching rythyms, guttural vocals (in Thai) and a message. They just released a cassette called "Stop War Stop Aids" on a label called Justice Music. Unfortunately, PLAHN has had some problems recently and it looks like there may be some line up changes, but Fah, the singer for PLAHN, is very dedicated and assures me that PLAHN will go on as always. Fah has also just opened a small café/bar here in Bangkok called "Immortal" which he hopes will serve as a meeting place for metal and hardcore kids here in Thailand.
Also on Justice Music is a power death metal band called DEATHGUY and a thrash metal band called INSTINCT. Anyone interested in PLAHN or other Justice Music releases can Email PLAHN at plahn_ex_metal@hotmail.com

Another fairly longstanding band here is EBOLA. These guys play new school metallic hardcore with some funky rap influences. Their last release was on cassette and called "In My Hate." It was released a little over a year ago on a label called Hello Records. I have not been able to get any information on this company. As I understand it, there were some problems between this company and EBOLA, and EBOLA is now looking for another company to put out their next release. I had a chance to see them a little over a month ago and they put on a really good show… the kids went fucking wild.
EBOLA sing most of their songs in Thai, but also have a few in English. Two tracks from "In My Hate" are supposed to be on the new Asian Hardcore Compilation #2 which is being put together by ALL SYSTEMS FAIL (Izumi Kubo) in Japan and should be out fairly soon… I think.

COKAMLAM is another Thai hardcore band I saw recently. These guys play a mix between staight up hardcore/metal/industrial. They have a cassette out done by a company called Tempo Records. I can’t tell you the title because it’s in Thai and I can’t read Thai. They also sing in Thai. Again, if you’re interested in hearing this then let me know and I’ll see if I can find out how you can get it.

COUGH is an up and coming hardcore band here in Thailand. They have not released anything yet, but they just made a demo tape that shows a lot of promise and have played a couple of gigs here in Bangkok over the last year. They put on a good show and will hopefully have a release coming out fairly soon.

Most of the above bands played at the DEMONIC CONCERT which was held at the Thai cultural center here in Bangkok on April 22.
This was the second DEMONIC CONCERT held in Bangkok, both of which were organized and promoted by Fah, the singer of PLAHN.
It was an outdoor show that started at 5:00 pm, and finished well after midnight. At least a few hundred kids showed up, there was planty of moshing and stage diving for everyone and a portion of the proceeds, I am told, were given to charities to help poor children in a province west of Bankok called Kanchanaburi.

CODE 13, from Minneapolis, USA, played in Bangkok on May 22. They were doing an Asian tour, E-mailed me some months back, told me they had the option to stop over in Bangkok and asked if I could set up a show for them here. I told them I would try but wasn’t sure. I also told them that even if I could set something up I didn’t think any club here would pay them a penny. But they came anayway! At the last minute, I got them an hour, unpaid, at this freaked out up-scale, ritzy metal club called The Metal Zone. This place is bizzare, complete with huge dragon on the front of the building, monsters in armor… looks like it was decorated by GWAR.
Anyway, on a rainy Monday night, CODE 13 played. Despite my putting flyers for the show everywhere I knew kids would get them (with the help of my friend Yos), I wasn’t sure what kind of a turnout there would be. But about 100 kids turned up which was great! The club manager refused our request to move the little tables from in front of the stage, but with some coaxing from the band the kids started to get a little wild and soon the tables were gone…, some moved, others just pushed and kicked aside…
It was a great show and good fun for everybody. The first and last hardcore show at The Metal Zone. Unfortunately, many of the Thai bands listed above did not come. This is one of the problems here in Thailand…, apathy and a lack of support for the scene. Here you have a band from the US who comes to Thailand… the first hardcore band from another country to come play here… a band that is playing for free… not getting paid, but in fact losing money in travel costs and accomodation costs… a band that just wants to play in as many countries for as many kids as possible… and a lot of people who call themselves hardcore stay home and watch TV. Oh well, a lot of kids did come to show their support and they had a great time and hopefully in time all the kids here who call themselves hardcore will start to realize that bands like Slipknot and Limp Bizshits, though hard, have less hardcore between the whole lot of them than bands like CODE 13 have in the dirt under their fingernails.
But, as I said, things are looking up… Thailand will soon have it’s first hardcore fanzine, in English and Thai, so that all the kids here can read it. Other bands from Malaysia, Singapore and the US are talking about coming to play here within the year… and each and every day there are new kids and new faces popping up trying to learn more about hardcore/punk/underground music… I’ll keep you posted.
Peace.
chris
Posted 7/4/2000

wreckageasia@hotmail.com
Chris Luppi
4h, p1, 22/765 Baansuanthon
Srinakarin Rd., Bangkaew, Bang Phli
Samutrakarn, Thailand 10540