It's not often fans of molam queens Banyen Rakkan and Nok Noi Uraiporn get a chance to see these two legendary stars perform on the same stage but at the celebration for HM the King's birthday at the Sanam Suk Stadium yesterday, the great dames brought their colourful bands to the party to the delight of the huge crowd that had gathered on the grass in front of the stage.
Prior to the event, officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, and the Department of Physical Education, presented the singers and their families (both ladies have children who work in related fields) at an exhibition of paintings on the life of HM the King.
As dusk fell, the event began with DJ MCs introducing acts and singers _ as with all luk thung/molam shows, the lesser known singers go on stage first before the big acts. Popular singers like Baowee went down well, and he was followed by Banyen's daughter Kandy, a well-known molam DJ and dancer, who performed in front of a set of pin hai (clay-pot bass). She stayed on to introduce a singer and, it turned out, cordon bleu chef/instructor Rapeepat "A" Boriboon, who told me backstage that he loves to sing and cook, so he often combines teaching and preparing Thai food along with some lam-style crooning. That's something I'll have to try _ larb and lam, sounds like a great audio-gastro combo!
This kind of gig is more like a review than a full-on Banyen or Nok Noi show, the performers doing one or two numbers before leaving the stage for the next act.
Nok Noi's group, said to be the largest LT troupe in the Kingdom, has a bewildering variety of acts from singers to comedians to "girl groups" and they all did their bit. Both Banyen and Nok Noi performed to the delight of the crowd (and although in their 60s, both ladies still sing wonderfully), and the affection that many fans have for these two legends was evident as a constant stream of well-wishers crowded the front of the stage to hand roses and donations to each lady. And despite having to sing, handle bouquets, shake hands and pause to pose for a quick photo, the two classy ladies did it all with grace and smiles _ class acts.
I was in store for another treat in the form of molam legend Chanpen Sirithip. Those of you who bought the recent Theppabutr Productions CD will know her work from two great singles on that album: Lam Ploen Kiew Bao and Lam Ploen Ha Fan. On stage, she sang a couple of songs, dressed in the most colourful interesting sarong of the evening, that clearly showed she has lost none of her vocal prowess _ she sounded terrific. I spoke with her backstage and she said that she's not performing full-time at the moment but turns out to help her friend Nok Noi when she can. She regaled me with tales about her youthful days with Theppabutr, Banyen, Saksiam Petchchompu and Chaweewan Damnoen.
There was another big reason for me attending this show and that was to see the hang krueang (chorus line) from two of the biggest stars in the luk thung business and to talk to some of the people who put it all together. Backstage was a flurry of activity throughout the evening as male and female dancers rushed on stage, performed, then rushed backstage to quickly change into a new outfit (the production manager told me that for a full show, the chorus line may have to go through 40 such costume changes).
Nok Noi's troupe was billeted under the stage, while Banyen's was at the back. In a riot of colour and glitz, small groups of dancers practiced moves, while others adjusted their make-up or fixed elaborate head-dresses, often weighing up to 3kg and featuring more feathers than a Las Vegas showgirl. Many of the chorus girls told me that they made their own costumes, which is just as well as a full "khanom cake" style dress and head-dress can cost more than 10,000 baht.
By the time Banyen and Nok Noi took the stage together to sing, a sizeable crowd had gathered to enjoy the free concert. For me it was a memorable evening and a rare chance to see some of Thailand's greatest singers.
I went to another molam gig over the weekend, at Cosmic Cafe in RCA, to witness the live debut of DJ Maft Sai's latest project, The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. Despite playing only five songs, it was a very encouraging first show, which was deliriously received by the Isan Dancehall crowd.
Led by Khammao Perdthanon on pin, the band hit the lam groove right away and went on from there. A steady stream of RCA workers lingered at the back door to listen to the band play; it's not often you get to hear some decent molam in this trendy area.
Paradise Bangkok's khaen player told me that the band now needs a singer and I guess that will be the next development for them. Perhaps they should contact Chanpen Sirithip.
This column can be contacted at clewley.john@gmail.com.
