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Gig of the Week
November 13th. 2002
AdMakers Pub
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I have been meaning to get to AdMakers
on Soi Lang Suan for some time now, so on Saturday night I finally took
the plunge.
Despite its fairly upmarket location, this is a fairly basic bar, albeit a big one, with plain wooden tables and chairs and exposed brick columns. That said, I am quite partial to that style so things were off to a good start. It was around 9.30pm when I arrived and the first band of the night were already in full swing. Jack and Noi are a fairly well known acoustic folk duo who've been resident at AdMakers for 14 years. The thing that struck me initially, however, was that there were three of them! Apparently, the eponymous J and N are joined on Friday and Saturday nights by Angela, an Australian girl who told me after they'd finished that she was making her first forays into the world of singing here in Bangkok. Nothing unusual about that, you might say. But hear her yourself and I doubt you'd believe she's only been in the business for a few months. Her voice is excellent - soft but with a strength behind it - and she exudes a warm charm that's well suited to the early evening dining slot. Jack and Noi are undoubtedly a folk band, but rather than simply trotting out that hackneyed finger-in-the-ear, nasal toned stuff, they instead deliver interesting and innovative versions of well-known pop tunes. Chain of Fools, We Can Work It Out and even Marley's Redemption Song were all played beautifully and I was soon applauding loudly while those around me remained silent - unfortunately too busy with their food. Like many of Bangkok's music venues, AdMakers is one of those half-bar, half-restaurant places, so making it a good place to go with a group of friends or your family for a sociable evening. As it was, I had already eaten, but I did take a quick look at the menu and found a fairly diverse selection of reasonably priced Thai dishes. The drinks, too, are about average (price wise), with standard bottles of beer Bt90 and a carafe of house wine Bt300. I, as usual, helped the bar staff dispose of a few Heinekens. The main act of the night, a pop outfit with the rather camp name 'Big Boy' came on at about 10.30pm, and after the great introduction from Jack and Noi I was keen to hear what they had to offer. Apparently, the idea is that the band starts off playing softer stuff, before cranking up the engine a bit around 11.30pm. And this they did, sort of. The first hour or so was filled with pretty standard stuff, with ample portions of the likes of Robbie Williams, Oasis, Coldplay and even Tracey Chapman. All reasonable stuff, though hardly inspiring. As I have said a million times before, the wealth of musical talent in Bangkok never fails to amaze me, though good singers are still very much in demand. And so it was with Big Boy. While the main vocalist had a good enough voice, he struggled several times with the English phrasing. I'm not criticising, but that's the way it is. By 11.15 the place was getting pretty lively - mostly with Thais, though there was a dozen or so farangs - and the atmosphere was getting warmer. About time for some harder stuff, I thought to myself. Unfortunately, I had to wait until almost midnight before there was any noticeable change in the sound from the stage. The time in-between was filled with far too much pop drivel from the likes of Ronan Keating and Phil Collins. The crazy thing was, was that when they finally did change style, the gig improved tenfold. A string of songs from Radiohead, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Guns 'n' Roses and Pink Floyd really lifted the audience. The applause got louder and the song requests were coming in thick and fast. The manager had told me at the start of the night that he likes Big Boy to keep the decibel level down for the first hour so, while people are dining. And that I can understand. What I don't get, however, is why he chooses to put a band like Big Boy on at that time? As I said, they are musically talented and sound a hundred times better playing rock 'n' roll than they do performing inane versions of teeny bop stuff. Far better, in my view, to keep Jack and Noi on stage longer, let the punters finish off their som tam, then let the Boys rock the place. As it was, by the time 12.30 came I'd heard enough pop for one night and though the place was by now pretty lively decided to call it a day. I should also mention here that last Saturday marked day two of the new anti-smoking laws, which meant I had to go and stand outside everytime I wanted a cigarette. Clearly not the fault of AdMakers, but as a hardened smoker, it did detract from my enjoyment of the gig. Let's hope there are some reforms soon. So, my advice on AdMakers - go early one night (Friday or Saturday) and listen to Jack and Noi while you dine - you'll enjoy it. Then, go somewhere else for an hour or two and head back some time after midnight for the harder stuff from Big Boy. Unless, of course, you like Westlife et al, in which case find yourself a good spot and stay all night! AdMakers is on Soi Lang Suan. Both bands play Monday to Saturday, 8pm-1am. |
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