Punching in to Bangkok

Formed back in 2008, aspiring New Zealand indie band The Naked and Famous is all set to thrill Thai fans on Tuesday with what promises to be an exciting show at Moonstar Studio.
Since releasing their first studio album, “Passive Me, Aggressive You” in 2010, the five young musicians have enjoyed an unprecedented level of success and taken the music world by storm, with hits like “Young Blood” and “Punching in a Dream”. The synth-pop outfit received six nods at the New Zealand Music Awards in 2011 for Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Group, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Best Alternative Album and the People's Choice Award.
They were also nominated for the NZ On Air Best Music Video and won the Best Engineer Award and the Best Producer Award.
Before their debut show, vocalist Alisa Xayalith, who’s of Thai-Chinese descent, talked to us over the phone.

What are you guys up to now?
We’re touring. In fact, we’re on tour until April and right now it’s all about Asia. We absolutely love it because for us, these are places we are visiting for the first time. It’s really exciting.

What’s the story of Naked and Famous?
I met Aaron [Short] and Thom [Powers] at music college, and we sort of talked about what kinds of music we liked and we’re very, very connected on that. We were listening to Bjork on the radio, and Thom had this obsession with Nine Inch Nails and how the production was used to create the music. Musical chemistry is really important, you know, for us to make music together.

And where did you get the name?
We looked it up from the lyrics call “Freaky Kid”. We chose it because we despise the celebrity-ism of the rock and roll scene, and how people think that’s why you make music. But it’s not real, and it’s sad. It’s kind of a judgement, but very cynical.

What did you grow up listening to?
While I was growing up my father was in a community band, so I listened to whatever he was listening to. He would sing with a guitar - some Thai songs actually. And then later on I grew up listening to the Smashing Pumpkins. Actually they made a big noise for me and made me want to pick up a guitar. I also listened to PJ Harvey, Bjork, Fiona Apple, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but I would say the Smashing Pumpkins was my biggest awakening to rock music.

So, is Billy Corgan your music idol?
He was, when I was about 18. If I have to name an idol, it would be Bjork, because she continues to evolve and develop, and she’s always changing. But she keeps the essence of herself and her music. She’s still very relevant. That is something to be admired.

Is it cool to be the only girl in the band?
I’ve never thought about it. I could say I have my own curtain because I’m a girl, but I’m not any different to the other guys. No one treats me any differently.

Do you like the music scene at home?
I think it’s healthy, and there are a lot of great bands around at the moment. On the tour, we’re playing with many great bands and it’s really cool. The music scene in New Zealand is very small. You hardly make any money being a musician. You can tour the country within three days! There aren’t really many places to play, but there are a lot of great bands in New Zealand like Ladyhawke, Die!Die!Die! and Liam Finn. There’s only a handful on artists from each genre actually so there aren’t a lot of bands that we can tour with in New Zealand.

Have you been to Thailand before?
The band hasn’t, but I have. I went to Thailand when I was 19. I finished Thai school and I wanted to go travelling. I decided to do a gap year and went o Thailand. I went to Chiang Mai, too. The trip was fantastic and I can’t wait to go back, and relive the memories I have from when I was 19.

What can we expect for your show?
A lot of excitement, because it is the very first time we’re playing in Thailand. We’re very thrilled to play in Bangkok and hope to play more than one show.

SHAKE IN UP WITH SYNTH
The Naked and Famous performs Tuesday at Moonstar Studio on Lat Phrao Soi 80. Standing tickets are Bt1,000 from Thai Ticket Major.
Call (02) 262 3456 or visit www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.