House of cards

THE QUARTET of winners of reality singing-contest “The Star” was back together again last weekend for a final concert. 
Wichayanee “Gam” Piaklin, Jaruwat “Dome” Cheaw-aram, Napat “Gun” Injai-uea and Warawut “Tum” Poyim, who have worked together since 2013 and are collectively known as “Si Pho Dam” (Four Black Spades) – put on a great show in front of a filled-to-capacity Royal Paragon Hall on Saturday night.

The Four Spades perform “Chandelier” by Australian singer Sia Furler.

The three-hour concert was full of energy, excitement and laughter, although it also had its sad moments, the most notable when the four singers bade a tearful farewell to their fans during their finale. The musical backup was provided by Extra Band and three chorus singers while dancers from the D-Dance Troupe livened up the show.
Si Pho Dam had their first concert together in 2013 and went on to star in a musical sitcom on TV Channel One of the same name. The programme, which came to an end recently, was produced by Exact boss Takonkiet “Boy” Viravan, who the four singers regard as their showbiz dad.
During last weekend’s show on the theme “Oh My God”, the quartet covered many numbers by well-known singers – past and present – and also performed their own hits.

Actress Bee Namthip dances sexily while lipsyncing a Christina Aguilar number.

Among the songs covered were Palmy’s “Son Klin” (“Hidden Scent”), Thongchai “Bird” McIntyre’s “Tong Thot Dao” (“Blame It on the Stars”) and Oat Pramote’s “Tid Talok” (“Funny Man)” plus popular soundtracks from TV series, mainly from the Exact camp.
The four also sang their own hits. Gam wowed her fans with “Mai Mee Ther Mai Tai” (“I am Still Alive without You”). Dome mesmerised the audience with “Kham Athitthan Duai Namta” (“Making a Wish Tearfully”). Gun performed “Nueng Nai Pan Lan” (“One in a Billion”), and Tum sang his hit “Rak Jon Kwa Ja Ru” (“I Will Love You Until You Know It”).
Gam impressed the audience with her powerful singing and clear voice while Dome did better than two other male singers in projecting his voice and controlling his breathing while singing and also fared well when having to “duel” with Gam on duets that required vocals with a punch. 
The chubby Dome talked about the criticisms that came his way after winning the singing contest in 2012, then sang “This Is Me”, a catchy and rousing ballad from the musical film “The Greatest Showman” aided by a group of young singers from Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind.
The performance was a powerful message of empowerment for the less privileged and people in need of encouragement and was rewarded with enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Gam was up next and further impressed the audience with Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”. She was joined on stage by eight drag queens in colourful dresses who put on a truly magnificent show.

The Four Hearts in action

Actress Namthip “Bee” Jongrachatawi-boon was the Four Spades’ first guest singer, lip-syncing her way through Christina Aguilar’s “Mai Yak Rok” (“Not So Hard”) with panache and a lot of sexy moves. She then performed her hit number “Kae Krajok Kan” (Just a Glass Pane between Us), with occasionally shaky vocals, which she latter admitted were caused by excitement.
The quartet’s next guest singers formed a quartet of their own – the “Four Hearts” featuring Chalatit “Ben” Tantiwut, Mariam Grey, Suveera “Q” Boonrod and Uthai “Cake” Punyaman.
The two groups had fun with a singing “battle”, displaying the power of their voices both singing together and in pairs. Tum paired with Cake, Gun with Mariam, Dome with Ben, and Gam with Q. After a show by the Four Hearts that the Four Spades used as a much-needed breather, they were back for their last set, performing first a short comedy skit similar to their TV musical sitcom and following up with a medley of three dance songs.

The Four Spades and the Four Hearts onstage together

Then came the finale, when the quartet sang “Khob Khun Kan Lae Kan” (“Thanks to Each Other”), coming down from the stage to shake hands with fans seated on the aisle, then taking turns to talk about their six-year bond as friends, colleagues and “family” members. 
Emotion threatened to take over and fans waved their phones in encouragement, their colour stickers forming a sea of multi-coloured lights.
All in all, it was an impressive farewell and The Nation joins their fans in wishing all four the very best in the future careers.