Gypsy moth becomes a butterfly

IT CAME as a surprise to me that the second annual Gypsy Carnival held at Tonphung Farm in Ratchaburi last weekend with a “Butterflies Calling” theme was a resounding success despite competition from other music festivals happening at the same time. Organiser Kamol “Sukie” Clapp was justifiably satisfied with the attendance.
“I believe we have a very strong concept,” he said. “These days anyone can line up the talent and call it a festival, but you need to offer more than that, and that’s what we focus on. We don’t call this a music festival but rather a music-and-lifestyle festival. We offer more than just music – we have motorcycling, nature, camping, amazing food and fashion. We offer a different image than other festivals.”

Gypsy Carnival might not be the most politically correct name for any sort of gathering, but Sukie says the event this year really came out of its cocoon and blossomed into a butterfly.
I didn’t get to see the cocoon last year, but on my first visit among the gypsies I was surprised right from the start, the road leading to the entrance gate resembling a village, everyone painted in “tribal” colours, pouring across a bridge over a small stream.
The first sight inside the grounds was a display of vintage cars, including a Chevrolet Impala Custom, an Apache 10 and a classic Volkswagen Beetle, along with Triumph and BMW motorcycles, all in all a great setting for selfies.
By late afternoon the opening acts were onstage, and blues-rock trio Yamin were rolling through “Real Dog” with its refrain “Pen ma khong ther, hai chan pen ma khong ther, rak ther mod jai mai mee khor mae”, when suddenly a pair of actual dogs raced across the front of the stage. I couldn’t help thinking of Nazareth’s “Let Me Be Your Dog” and the line “Let me be the slave you can faithfully flog.”

While girl trio Jelly Rocket were offering a sample of their so-called “dream pop”, I overheard someone wondering aloud how “the Gypsy Carnival sound” might be described. I doubt there is such a thing, and the state of the Thai music business and the way people listen to music doesn’t allow much room for generalising.
I wandered around the venue looking at motorcycle sales booths and food kiosks. There was a bunch of food trucks as well selling grilled seafood, chicken noodle soup, roast beef and of course omelettes on rice.
While tucking into a meal I noticed a camping area with motorcycles parked nearby. The grounds included space for nearly 700 tents, but in two separate areas – since people who arrived in four-wheeled vehicles had to park outside the gate, while motorcyclists were welcome inside.

Thee Chaiyadej hit the stage carrying an acoustic guitar and, backed by several other musicians, played a few foreign songs before getting a better audience response with his hits “Lom Hai Jai” and “Home”. Meanwhile the band Parkinson offered “Kuen Nee”, “Ja Bok Wa Rak Ther”, “Ther Thang Nan” and “Samer”.
An electric energy pulsed through the crowd when Greasy Cafe was performing “Ubatihet”, “Prayok Bok Lao” and “Kwam Bang Earn”, and the screams got very loud indeed when Boyd Kosiyabong and Sukie shared the stage with Nop Pornchamni, Zomkiat Ariyachaipanich and Joey Boy. They did some rousing sing-along versions of “Rudoo Thai Taek Tang”, “Yak Ja Khor”, “Ja Kep Ther Wai Nai Jai Samer” and “Bang Sing”. It felt like a jam and was lots of fun.
Once the sun disappeared the temperature dropped to 15 degrees, but the set by Byrd & Heart soon warded off the chill. Among other tunes, they sang “Rak See Som”, “Susan Joan”, “Pher”, “Fon” and “Luem”.
And then everyone forgot altogether how cold it was as adrenaline kicked in along with the upbeat rhythms of T-Bone, playing “Klin”, “Dao Tok”, “Mon Rak Pleng Ska” and “Ther Hen Thong Fah Nan Mai”, and Polycat urging everyone to dance with “Wala Ther Yim”, “Pen Proh Fon” and “Sing”.
The music came to an end – at least on the stage – amid more heated excitement with Moderndog, who had the crowd jumping up and down with hits including “Busaba” and “Ta Sawang”.