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Gig of the Week
October 16th. 2002
RIVA'S
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I wasn't sure what to expect from Common
Culture, the new resident band at Riva's in the Sheraton Grande. Having
heard them described as everything from reggae to Latin, Afro-American
fusion to soul, there was clearly some confusion - or so I thought.
However, now that I've actually heard them with my own ears, I can confidently say that all of the above are accurate, at least to some degree. And while I'm at it, let's also throw hip hop into the eclectic mix. The band have been at Riva's since the start of this month and have a residency until next February - a good booking by anyone's standards. That said, it didn't take me long to see why the management were happy to sign on the dotted line. A tight, well-polished and good looking seven-piece, Common Culture are a real breath of fresh air on the Bangkok gig scene - simply because no other band (as far as I am aware at least) is doing what they do. I arrived at around 11pm, just as things seemed to be warming up. The band were half way through a slick version of "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy and a handful of Thai girls were moving beautifully on the dance floor. Squeezing past the early-comers, I made my way to a table close to the stage. Two minutes later, after falling down a ludicrously shallow and well disguised step (why is it always so dark in Riva's?) I settled down to enjoy the show. Unfortunately, just as I got comfy the band announced it was break time. Just my luck. Now, instead of a prime spot from which to watch the band, I was in the cheap seats - far too close to the wiggling bottoms of a group of middle-aged guys trying their best to keep time with the aforementioned Thai lovelies. God bless 'em! Thankfully I only had 15 minutes to wait before the band returned. And mere seconds after they bursted back on to the stage I started feeling better. Without wishing to sound like a terribly shallow fellow, I have to say the first thing I noticed was the female lead singer. In the darkness of a few minutes earlier (and the fact that I was tending to my twisted ankle) I hadn't really noticed her. Now I had. Dressed in a sparkly crop top (which she had to change halfway through the second set after one the straps on it went), tight black trousers and platform boots, she looked stunning. Long and lean, with flowing dreads, she moved wonderfully and sounded even better. And even though at the time she was singing that awful Madison Avenue song "Don't Call Me Baby," I couldn't have cared less - I was rapt. Apart from the beauty of the lead singer, the most striking thing about Common Culture is their enormous diversity and flexibility. Not only do they play a wide range of songs - everything from Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" to Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" to Modjo's "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" - as musicians they seem almost interchangeable. One minute a guy's playing guitar, the next he's hip-hoppin' around the dance floor with a radio mic doing lead vocals. And all the while, back on stage, any permutation of the other members are dancing in perfect sync and producing masterful four-part harmonies. It was great stuff. I should add at this point that the only static member of the band was the drummer. But then, he is the only white guy in the band and we all know white guys can't dance! Joking aside, while Common Culture's sound may not be everyone's cup of tea, there's no doubt these guys know how to entertain a crowd. And once the word gets around, I can see this becoming a really top gig, especially with Bangkok's younger set. I, for one, will be going back. Common Culture play Monday to Saturday
at Riva's, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Road. Call: 02-653
0333. I wasn't sure what to expect from Common
Culture, the new resident band at Riva's in the Sheraton Grande. Having
heard them described as everything from reggae to Latin, Afro-American
fusion to soul, there was clearly some confusion - or so I thought.
However, now that I've actually heard them with my own ears, I can confidently say that all of the above are accurate, at least to some degree. And while I'm at it, let's also throw hip hop into the eclectic mix. The band have been at Riva's since the start of this month and have a residency until next February - a good booking by anyone's standards. That said, it didn't take me long to see why the management were happy to sign on the dotted line. A tight, well-polished and good looking seven-piece, Common Culture are a real breath of fresh air on the Bangkok gig scene - simply because no other band (as far as I am aware at least) is doing what they do. I arrived at around 11pm, just as things seemed to be warming up. The band were half way through a slick version of "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy and a handful of Thai girls were moving beautifully on the dance floor. Squeezing past the early-comers, I made my way to a table close to the stage. Two minutes later, after falling down a ludicrously shallow and well disguised step (why is it always so dark in Riva's?) I settled down to enjoy the show. Unfortunately, just as I got comfy the band announced it was break time. Just my luck. Now, instead of a prime spot from which to watch the band, I was in the cheap seats - far too close to the wiggling bottoms of a group of middle-aged guys trying their best to keep time with the aforementioned Thai lovelies. God bless 'em! Thankfully I only had 15 minutes to wait before the band returned. And mere seconds after they bursted back on to the stage I started feeling better. Without wishing to sound like a terribly shallow fellow, I have to say the first thing I noticed was the female lead singer. In the darkness of a few minutes earlier (and the fact that I was tending to my twisted ankle) I hadn't really noticed her. Now I had. Dressed in a sparkly crop top (which she had to change halfway through the second set after one the straps on it went), tight black trousers and platform boots, she looked stunning. Long and lean, with flowing dreads, she moved wonderfully and sounded even better. And even though at the time she was singing that awful Madison Avenue song "Don't Call Me Baby," I couldn't have cared less - I was rapt. Apart from the beauty of the lead singer, the most striking thing about Common Culture is their enormous diversity and flexibility. Not only do they play a wide range of songs - everything from Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" to Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" to Modjo's "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" - as musicians they seem almost interchangeable. One minute a guy's playing guitar, the next he's hip-hoppin' around the dance floor with a radio mic doing lead vocals. And all the while, back on stage, any permutation of the other members are dancing in perfect sync and producing masterful four-part harmonies. It was great stuff. I should add at this point that the only static member of the band was the drummer. But then, he is the only white guy in the band and we all know white guys can't dance! Joking aside, while Common Culture's sound may not be everyone's cup of tea, there's no doubt these guys know how to entertain a crowd. And once the word gets around, I can see this becoming a really top gig, especially with Bangkok's younger set. I, for one, will be going back. Common Culture play Monday to Saturday at Riva's,
Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Road. Call: 02-653 0333. |
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