Last Sunday I went to Museum Siam in Bangkok's old town to check out the second half of the two-day Noise Market festival. It was the fifth Noise Market to be held over the past three years, and having attended all the others, the latest one was the best yet.
The festival featured a huge line-up of local bands, including a few big names, but mostly underground bands who are either just starting out or who have already gained a following in the local indie music scene. In the relaxed environment of the grassy grounds of the museum, the bands could do their own thing for a receptive audience, and the crowd could meet and easily chat with the musicians after each performance.
As well as a huge variety of music, the festival featured a sprawling market where independent bands and labels could sell their music and merchandise. As well as music-related stalls, there were tables selling artwork, home-made craft products, clothes created by young designers, books, second-hand records and more. There was also plenty of great food, from local street snack favourites to burgers and curries.
In addition to all that, Noise Market also featured a great film festival, with loads of short films from all around the world being projected onto a large screen set up along one side of the museum. The films were incredibly diverse — the few that I saw included a short documentary about "wall of death" motorcycle riders at an Indonesian fair, an experimental horror movie montage from New Zealand and a Thai animated film that was so strange and interesting that it defies description.
Along with the local music acts at the festival was a great band from Indonesia called White Shoes & the Couples Company, who play a modern version of Brazilian-inspired '60s Indo-pop.
All in all, Noise Market was an inspiring event that showed how much amazing artistic talent there is here in Thailand. The event was also free, which meant that it attracted people from a wide cross section of the community. It's great to know that even in these tough times when the human race seems intent on destroying itself, there are plenty of people who are willing to direct their energies to something positive, fun and free.
Ben Edwards
Editor
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