The second edition of Wonderfruit, a four-day festival of arts, ended late last weekend. And now there's already a common saying: "You have to be rich to get drunk at Wonderfruit."
That is quite true, with a glass of beer sold at 180 baht, and it's not even a pint. Other popular conversation topics included the existence of 40,000 "boutique tents" with air-con which were repeatedly derided. I suspect that this was out of jealousy, however, rather than over concerns for the environment.
Regardless of whether it's really a "sustainable" fair like the festival claims, this year's Wonderfruit was a success in terms of the music. Held at the same The Fields at Siam Country near Pattaya but with one more extra day, there were many good things to talk about -- while some glitches included how Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def, missed his flight and how, as Pongsit "Pu" Kampee would on Sunday joke onstage, the mobile toilets reeked badly.
Despite that and the fact that Pongsit at one time forgot his own lyrics -- he was seen constantly drinking beer throughout the 40-minute show -- he was one of the strongest acts in the festival. Starting off with Gunman, which immediately cast a chill over the audience, other hits followed until one of his best known hits One Love sent the crowd into a complete frenzy. This is an exception for Thai bands in a festival thronging with an international crowd. Unlike Greasy Cafe, which took to the stage beforehand, Pongsit's band -- especially the lead guitar and violin -- was a show of its own and was enough to draw foreigners in while his powerful storytelling was a real treat to Thai fans.
Almost every person you met, however, told you that the R&B musical duo Rhye, which people were waiting for despite it being a Sunday night, was the thing. With Robin Hannibal's soulful instrumentals and Milosh's hauntingly pure and romantic vocals, the duo took us slowly through songs from their 2013 debut album Woman. And when Milosh started singing from their best-known tune Open towards the end of the show -- "I'm a fool for that sound in your sighs. I'm a fool for your belly" -- there were just as many people trying to get close to the stage as there were lovers who started walking further off just to lay down on the ground and look at the sky, enfolded by the music.
Though some have complained that the line-up this year, especially without the headliner Yasiin Bey, wasn't as strong as last year, one has to remember that music is treated just as one of "the pillars" of this festival along with food, health and wellness activities, talks and workshops and productions from the arts section.
It seems like the festival was never meant for us to soak up everything, as it was impossible, but rather just to be part of it. The experience, therefore, was a protracted and multifaceted spell of entertainment for the ears, eyes and mouth.
On Friday, a group of girls might be seen dolling themselves up in Wonder Salon, while listening to Polycat's synth-pop 80s sound from Soi Stage nearby. Some people stopped by for some more accessories at Taste Of Wonder tent before heading to dance to khaen master Sombat Simlah or DJ Poryai's spinning at The Jim Thompson Art Center's Molam Bus, or just walk straight to get truffle pizza at Peppina's mobile cooking station.
This spirit of mixed experiences pervades also to the arts and music section. There's a show Fractals by dance artist Lordfai Navinda who turned her work, which was staged earlier this year in Bangkok, into a more complete, entrancing form. Staged daily throughout the festival, an empty, deserted space in the middle of the field was turned into a enigmatically futuristic realm through wood structure and criss-crossing ropes while the performers, all clad in white, struggled to make sense of the space which was wonderfully at odds with the festive feel.
While in Lordfai's work, movements led music, it was the other way round with highlights from The Living Stage like Lucent Dossier Experience and Jon Hopkins and Chris Levine's premiere of The IY_Project. Circus show and electronic rock band, Lucent Dossier Experience, was as much a full-on theatrical spectacle, with acrobats, aerial artists, fire dancers, accompanied by live music and vocals. The IY_Project by Hopkins and Levine was as much a musical act as an light installation art. With Hopkins' energetic dance music, Levine's 3D light created the illusion that you could be anywhere but there at The Fields at Siam Country, in a music hall, up in sky and higher into space, etc.
Finally, the most indispensable part of the festival like last year was The Quarry. At midnight, once all acts in all stages were done and all food stalls were finished, festivalgoers trekked some kilometres into the woods where the DJs started spinning. Here was where the experience became really fragmented. A line-up of DJs like Heartthrob, HVOB and Dapayk Solo took turns but it was getting too difficult to tell who was who. Then, all of a sudden, the sun was up and it was yoga time. Most people, unfortunately, never made it there.
Jon Hopkins and Chris Levine's The IY_Project.
