Bakery and the P.O.P mix

It’s been nine long years since Thai pop outfit P.O.P has played a full-scale concert and tonight they’ll be back on stage at Impact Arena with a show they promise will blow fans away.

What makes P.O.P different from other bands though is not so much their music but their story. The band, which has been around since the late 1990s, was formed in an attempt to provide financial assistance for indie label Bakery Music, which had taken a massive hit when the Asian economy collapsed in 1997 and eventually closed its doors in 2003.

“Prior to P.O.P, we all worked behind other Bakery artists. Nop Ponchamni was the songwriter and producer for Christine, Boyd Kosiyabong and Moderndog, while Montien ‘Tong’ Keawgamnoed was responsible for Ornaree. I told the two founders Sukie [Kamol Sukosol Clapp] and Boyd that they needn’t worry about paying us because our aim was to rescue our label. Sasis ‘Jerry’ Milindavanij and Zomkiat Ariyachaipanich supported us during our campus tour,” recalls bassist Notapol “Kor” Srichomkwan.

“Back then, it was just the three of us and while we had a few favourites in common, our musical tastes were actually quite different. Our first album featured melodious pop rock and straightforward lyrics and we were all very surprised that it was so successful. Our songs were often played on the radio station and cable TV channels like Channel [V]. Showbiz takings were generally down yet our concert made a profit,” he says.

“Before that, we hadn’t earned any salary for four months.”

POP split at the same time as Bakery went down the tubes. Tong went to work with music label Spicy Disc, Kor formed the disco band Groove Riders, Nop joined up with Zomkiat, aka Mr Z, while Jerry founded 2 Days Ago Kid. Although, they would still play together occasionally, it wasn’t until 2010 that they really found the time to get back together.

“The one thing we all agree on is never to look too far into the future. While we were working on our original P.O.P project we thought of one thing only – saving Bakery. We never thought about how many albums P.O.P should come up with or how long we would spend together with this project. It’s the same really with the new P.O.P; we don’t think a lot,” says Kor.

“Although we’ve come back with a new album, P.O.P remains the same – a project, “ Nop adds. We still have our own jobs. Tong is involved with his  ‘Save Da Las Piece’ project. I have ‘Boyd Nop’. But if we’d got back together as a threesome, we would have nothing new to offer fans. So, I persuaded Zomkiat and Jerry to jam with us. The original P.O.P is finished and done with. Now, we are building our new P.O.P.

True to their word, the Bakery rescue gang has come back with “Rock”, a new outing, which has become the top-selling digital album at the iTunes Store Thailand. The tracks, all of them made famous by Bakery artists, include “Jon Kwa” (“Until”), “Thueng Wela” (“Who Moved My Cheese?”), “Dai Yin Khwam Rak Bang Mai” (“Can You Hear My Heart?”), and “Yak Hai Ther Roo” (“No Matter What”).

“The time was right for us to go back into the studio. We started with ‘Lom Haijai, which was produced by Zomkiat and sung by Pod in 1992. P.O.P has never covered this song. It’s been rearranged with new chords by Tong and Jerry and defines the new direction of P.O.P’s music. Zomkiat is the sound designer, Kor and I are responsible for the overall structure of the album and for our singing style. I like to describe our new sound as ‘super pop’. The chords are more beautiful and emotional and the music is more complicated but still easy-listening,” says Nop.

The change in singing style makes Nop sound rather like Groove Riders’ Burin, especially on “Khon Ti Mai Bok Pan”.

“In fact, it’s the other way round. Nop helped guide Burin’s voice on Groove Riders’ first album” says Kor.

“I look at P.O.P as a centrifugal force in our careers,” says Nop. “It is our P.O.P culture.”

      

 

Bread’s rising

<< “P.O.P Party of The Bakerian” kicks off at 7pm tonight at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani and features several other former Bakery stars.

<< Tickets cost from Bt1,000 to Bt3,000 at Thai Ticket Major outlets.

<< Call (02) 262 3456 or visit to www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.