Rimpha Fest lands top names

BIGGER THAN ever in scale and with more big-name artists and activity zones, the fifth Rimpha Music Festival takes place a week from today in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Khao Yai. Around 20,000 people are expected.
Apart from the great music on offer and the cooler air at the edge of the national park, founder Thanavit “Tom” Thossaporn credits the festival’s success to the appealing annual themes, this year’s being “Paha Nam Yok”.

“It’s an easy drive from Bangkok and easy to find accommodations in the area, where there are several other tourist attractions as well,” Tom said at a press conference at the Rockademy in Bangkok where plans were unveiled.
The first Rimpha Music Festival, held in Pha Tai Rock, Saraburi, with “Indy Rimpha” as its theme, drew an audience of 5,000. The event remained in Saraburi for the next two years, the themes shifting from “Pluk Jai Suea Pa” to “Ongsa Celsius” and the crowd steadily growing. Last year it moved to Khao Yai for extra space and had the theme “Forplay”.

Tom explains that “Paha Nam Yok” is a pun on the phrase paha nam rok, meaning carriers of disease, altered to suggest the musicians generating more excitement.
 “And we do have big-name artists coming for the first time, such as Palmy and Big Ass, and more new artists then ever, from several record labels.”
In fact there are more than 30 acts on the bill. Slot Machine and Musketeers will be premiering their new singles and Tattoo Colour will play an updated version of their two-year-old “Pop Dad” set.
Along with these acts, the roster includes Joey Boy, F–king Hero, Sing Nuea Suea Tai, DJ Spydamonkee, Boom Boom Cash, Polycat, Greasy Cafe, Better Weather, Sixty Miles, Chart Suchart, Blueshade, Skykick Ranger featuring Yokee Playboy, Moving & Cut, Summer Stop, Brown Flying, Rasmee Wayrana, De Flamingo, Chanudom, Coconut Sunday, Ziriphon Fireking and DJ Leo.

The talent will be split between two stages, with the best-known acts on the main stage and the newcomers sharing the second.
While in previous years there’s been anywhere from four to five activity zones, this year the larger (66-rai) site allows for nine. There’ll be places to have fun, places to do some charitable work, and more amusements in the pop-up tent village named Moo Ban Rimpha.
And, if you’ve been to the festival before and experienced a little toilet anxiety, Tom promises you’ll be totally comfortable this time. “We have twice as many toilets this year. In Saraburi we had 200 to 300 and in Khao Yai last year about 500, but this time we’ll have up to 700.”
Tom will be onstage himself occasionally, urging the fans to pitch in and keep the site tidy. He’s thinking of offering a bottle of water free for every 10 or 20 empty bottles or cans turned in.
The festival will have two parking lots 50 metres from the entrance gate, each with a capacity for more than a thousand cars.

OFF TO KHAO YAI

- The Rimpha Music Festival 5 takes place next Saturday (February 4) on a site at Thanarat Road Km 21, four kilometres from Palio Khao Yai and opposite the Khao Yai Cowboy City Resort.
- Stage shows run from 3pm to 5am.
- Passes cost Bt1,300 (Bt1,200 in advance, “Buy six, get one free”) at www.EventPop.me/e/1060-rimpha-music-festival-2017 and the “RimphaMusicFestival” Facebook page.

- Follow the movement at
 https://www.facebook.com/|RIMPHAMUSICFESTIVAL/