Gloves off, voices on

Tickets for last weekend’s concert “Let’s Fight” starring Sattaphong “Tao” Phiangphor and Nontanun “Kacha” Anchuleepradit, the two alumni who became known as “Khoo ‘Gin” on True Academy Fantasia’s eighth season, sold out within minutes of going on sale and so keen were their fans to see them on stage that they arrived at Bangkok Convention Centre at Central Lat Phrao well before the show was due to begin.

Screams were loud as the curtain rose on a stage boasting into two separate boxing rings with red and blue corners. Tao was the first to come out in the red ring with a cover of New Boyz’s “Backseat”, as Kacha Nontanun walked into the blue ring with a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Love Never Felt So Good”. Screams grew louder as the pair joined up for WHO’s “Chan Lor Pai” and performed some sexy dance moves.

With the bell ringing to denote the first round, Tao and Kacha went up against each other in a set of moody ballads. Kacha played keyboards on his new single “Tha Roo Kor Khong Mai Bok” and twisted a small wet towel to simulate tears while Tao, shouldering his acoustic guitar, wore water-injection sunglasses as he crooned “Loke Thi Mai Na Yoo”. The fans, almost all of them female, once again showed their delight when Tao and Kacha sang together on “Phieng Khang Lang”, the hit performed by popular gay artists Pongsak “Aof” Rattanaphong and Chalathit “Ben” Tantiwut.

Round 2 was marked by each of the boys singing a medley of his own songs and vying for audience attention by riding bikes around the auditorium and handing out roses  while singing in Nat Sakdathorn’s “Khid Thueng Dang Dang” and Waan Thanakrit Panichwid’s “Yoo Bamrung”. 

They set up a rapping match on Cham Cham Rum’s “Karuna Fang Hai Job” and Jonas Anderson’s “Kwang Khao Klang Khao” though it would have been hard to declare a winner.

Round 3 saw them introducing separate guests to the audience. Pichaya “Golf” Nitipaisalkul appeared on stage together with Tao for Pod Doung’s “Thi Prueksa” and was joined by actress Sucha “Aom” Manaying, his co-star in horror flick  “The Couple”, for  Groove Rider’s “Yud”.

Kacha meantime joined up with Lipta for “Yang” and “Pai Yoo Thi Nai Ma”. 

In Round 4, the rivalry turned to dance steps as Tao performed Tanatat “Kangsom” Chaiyaat’s “Sen Khanan” and Kacha sang “Mai Khoei Phae”, a backing track of the “Magic World 2” online game, before confronting each other on Boyd-Pod’s “Chuang Thi Dee Thi Sud.”

The concert wound down with a medley of danceable songs including Pause’s hit “Thi Wang”.