It took Gravity Thailand, the organiser of Arcadia: Bangkok Landing, two years to land The Spider at Siam Park City, but it finally touched down on Saturday.
Luckily, the hard work of bringing what was no doubt an expensive production to Thailand paid off. Arcadia's mechanical, fire-breathing spider, an aerial showcase and a performance by the "Lords of Lightning" were spectacles that were not to be missed. And the musical line-up — a blend of local and international DJs — made the night even more memorable, with dubstep, drum 'n' bass, electro, bassline and tech house fusing into a well-rounded sonic adventure that kept the crowd wild all night long, despite a few volume issues.
Billing itself as a "futuristic mechanical cabaret", Arcadia made its name at England's famed Glastonbury Festival, where the Spider was first unleashed.
The Spider — said to be an alien sent to earth to make people dance and scream — proved the main attraction for its Bangkok landing as well. The five-storey, steam-punk-inspired mechanical arachnid could do all sorts of tricks, from breathing fire and shooting lasers from its eyes to extending and moving its enormous legs.
In all honesty, I expected the spider to be larger, based on what I'd seen in photos and video footage. Still, it was quite a powerful sight to behold. I can only imagine how the DJs felt inside of the spider, looking down on us Earthlings as we twisted our bodies to their selected beats. Performing must have satisfied whatever God complexes were lurking inside them.
With such an array of imported spectacles, Arcadia: Bangkok Landing didn't exactly need to make the event pretty in terms of decoration. The surrounding amenities were rather basic, which I enjoyed — sometimes over-the-top preparation and gimmicks can take away from an event's main attractions and music. The location might have been too far out of town for some, and Siam Park City is not often used for any kind of large, organised event. But one of the reasons the venue was chosen was because gas pipes — used to supply power to the Spider — could be installed underground there. Arcadia began quite early in the day — 4.30pm — with an opening set by Thailand's rising electronic music star Machina. Hats off the organiser for giving the young kid a chance to be a part of what could only be described as his dance dream come true. Veteran DJ Suharit was up next, followed by Khan Thaitanium's latest side project, BangBangBang.
The landing show was slated to occur at 7pm, but was pushed back by about an hour, and the space slowly filled up with an eager crowd. The show itself was entertaining, and geared towards making a spiritual statement. With aerialists hanging from the spider's extended legs and a laser showcase, the Spider came to life. Fire shot from its pores, cranking up the volume of excitement all around. The Lords of Lightning show proved to be a success. The two Lords wore specially designed outfits that allowed 4 million volts of electricity to flow through them, resulting in a mind-boggling performance, one suffused with a lingering sense of danger. We were well aware that if there was even one tiny hole in the either one of their outfits, there would be tragedy instead of wonderful entertainment.
Far Too Loud took to the Spider after the landing show wrapped up. His set was my favourite of the night, a mix-and-match of banging electro with a sense of melody that could make anyone move. Skism came next, with a friendly dubstep set. The Bloody Beetroots pushed the crowd over the edge, and the legendary Roni Size rounded the night up with drum 'n' bass.
There was the obvious issue of noise control, as Arcadia was an outdoor event in a heavily populated residential area. The sound system was perfect — even at its highest volume, you could still hear every line and at the same time converse with fellow dancers. The sound was enveloping without being consuming. But at one point, the volume dropped, probably stemming from complaints from nearby residents.
I am not certain as to whether Arcadia will be an annual event, or if it is, how the Spider will keep us interested. It would be interesting to see what further tricks it would bring to the table. Let's just hope that if the Spider does return, the line-up will be as good as this year's.
