The kids are alright

Major music label RS-Promotion offered new generation listeners a real treat last weekend with the seventh in its annual showcase of teen talent signed with its Kamikaze label.

It’s not easy to keep things interesting and new when organising a concert series but the label did well, staging a show that focused heavily on dancing and bringing a range of brand new talent to the forefront.

Audience enjoyment was enhanced by the introduction of up-and-coming young lads not yet in their teens that the label has dubbed “Newcomers”. They each performed a solo spot unlike the more veteran Kamikaze stars who were mainly cast in supporting roles.

This seventh anniversary concert, titled “Dance Neramit”, was mercifully shorter than in previous years at almost three hours rather than the usual four hours or more. And the new slot proved more than adequate for performances by 24 artists of 38 songs and medleys, both their own or those of their label-mates.

For their part, the young audience seemed much more aggressive than before, with the kids in the front rows rushing forward to flock in front of the stage when the show kicked off before being gently herded back to their seats by crowd control personnel a couple of numbers later.

Nonetheless, the situation could have been better handled from the stage through the singers asking the youngsters to back off rather than leave it to security. And one has to ask whether the hip humping and groin-groping choreography during the dance routines was appropriate for a show watched by such young fans.

Not withstanding the suitability, the 5,000-seat Royal Paragon Hall, was packed out, demonstrating that the Kamikaze artists are as popular as ever with the teens.

The show was divided into seven themes or levels  – the Boom, Water, Haunted, Space, Hollywood, Party and Army Floors – with each accommodating corresponding types of music, costumes and light shows as well as colourful videos that added spice to the numbers.

Young and new solo artists Laphas “Third” Ngarmchaweng, Thanat “Marc” Rattanasiriphan, Kieran “Part” Chaithat Cheewamongkhol and Piyaphum “Green” Thanawanichtrakul along with duo Pipe-Magorn (Monthaphum Sumonwarangkoon and Phoowatphat Tham-anucha), and the trio VRP (Natchakhun “Pluem” Nuttanont, Chonphat “Peter” Jeephet, and Siwakorn “Porsche” Adulsutthikul” raised the tempo and the temperature with their own shows and joint performances that had the audience screaming for more.

Mister Min, or Min Yongsuwimol, now 15, and Sinchanok “Thank You” Klaitae, now 16, showed more maturity in their performances, the latter appearing in her own show on the Boom Floor, while the former sang and danced on the Space Floor.

Dancer/singer Dharmthai “Timethai” Plangsilp, 18, has also improved since his first appearance and was given his own show on the Army Floor, performing both solo and with 3.2.1.

Meanwhile Kamikaze veterans Faye Fang Kaew, duo Neko Jump, Panyarisa “Waii” Thienprasit and Kunlamas “Khanom Jeen” Limpawutwaranon, showed off their experience with some stunning shows.

Khanom Jeen dominated The Haunted Floor in a red outfit and a powerful performance of “Let It Go” from the recent Hollywood hit “Frozen”, as well as her label’s “Honey I Hate You”.

The Party Floor served up the most fun thanks to four RS dance megahits “Don’t Cha”, “Tuet”, “Splash Out” and “Cheers” sung by Four and Mod and 3.2.1 with the high-tempo beats and provocative dance moves bringing fans to their feet.

After a few fast-paced numbers, the stars on the Army Floor brought the tempo down a notch with all 24 artists gathering to sing ballads “Poo” and “Love Love” before closing out the concert with “Dictator”, a song written to mark Kamikaze’s seventh birthday.