Friday, they're in love

Evidently no one got the day wrong, because last Saturday’s concert by indie pop band Friday at Impact’s Thunder Dome was jam-packed, with 5,000 fans singing along through a 26-song set.

 Friday’s charm is in its patented acoustic love songs. It also helped that this was their first big show in 15 years, the first since “Yesterday, Friday and Tomorrow” in 1997.

 The band indeed took a trip into the past, all the way back to that year’s “Friday I’m in Love”, but also moving ahead to 2011 with “Colorfication”. Along the way there was the 2003 “Express Live” concert, which produced a live album.

 Screams erupted when singer Trai “Boy” Bhumirat and guitarists Kriengkrai “Nueng” Wongvanich and Adul Ratchadapisit appeared onstage with backup musicians. Animated drawings on the big screens accompanied the first songs, both from their debut CD, “Khuen Nueng Nai Krungthep” and “Chan Mee Khwam Suk”.

And the fans stayed high through “Klai Pai” from 1997’s “Song for Tomorrow” and “Song Kham” and “Plien Pai Thuk Yang” from 2002’s “Magic Moment”.

Each member of the trio offered a tune from “Express Live”.

Nueng did “Fang” (“Pls Listen”), and then Adul, wearing his beanie as usual, begged the fans before he sang and played mouth organ on “Hun Ma Mong” (“Turn Around Please”) to scream loudly once he’d finished so that his Japanese brother-in-law would see how popular the song was. 

The audience happily obliged, and then formed the choir for Boy’s rendition of “Khao Mai Kiew” (“Don’t Ask”).

The lads pulled up seats for an acoustic medley of covers of tracks by their favourite musicians and inspirations, including Pongpat Wachirabunjong, Thongchai “Bird” McIntyre, Nuvo, Boy Scout, Tik Shiro and Groove Riders. The audience went wild.

Then came a medley of three songs about the seasons – “Ron” for the summer, “Ror Fon” for the rains and “Nao Nee” for the winter. The musical year ended with the threesome surprising fans by taking off their shirts to reveal undervests. Boy’s had a Superman logo. 

The audience got dancing during “Ten”, thanks to a great percussion solo, and then the band – and the fans – had a laugh at the expense of the three characters in the movie and TV drama “Dao Phrasuk”.

Next came four songs from “Colorfication”, and Boy Trai introduced Japanese guest Jerry on keyboards and guitar for “Nueay” (“Tired”) and “Muea Rai” (“When”). It got a rousing response, and the screaming increased when Boy introduced singer Po Yokee Playboy and bassist Natapol “Kor” Srichomkwan as the “2 Days Ago Kids”. They performed “Wan Thi Jai Sobsao” and “Klup Ma” from “Time Machine”, their 2001 debut album.

The three-hour concert came to an end with Friday’s danceable hits like “Mai Wa Ther Ja Rak Chan Rue Plao” and “Chua Mong Tong Mon”.