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On Tuesday night (Aug 10), French DJ and producer Breakbot enticed his hip horde of supporters in Bangkok with a live performance at Muangthai GMM Live House, Central World.
Brought to us by WAV Collective and French label Ed Banger, the event marks the second time Breakbot, real name Thibaut Berland, has visited the Land of Smiles after first played hereย in 2013 at an exclusive backyard block party with Irfane, Outlines’ funky vocalist who might as well be Breakbot’s second half. This time, the twoย were joined by touringย vocalist Lauraย and guitarist/bassist Jim Grandcamp forย โThe Sweetest Romance: High School Lover with Breakbotโ, which was as sweet and prom-like as it sounds. For those who missed out,ย hereโs our review of the nostalgicย night.
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Thailandโs band of the moment POLYCAT opened the show with a bang, warming us upย with their biggest hits, including “Mun Pen Krai (Alright)”, “Pob Gun Mai (So Long)” and “Pen Pror Fon (Teardrops)”.ย Lead singer Na Rattana entertained the crowd with his old school moves, grooving onย stage in his usualย lovable charisma. Wrapping their set, the band seamlessly transitioned into covers of 80’s classics, appropriate choices at that โ Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana” and a-ha’s “Take On Me”.
ยฉWirun Kultan/WAV Collective
The moment Breakbot stepped on stage was definitely something else. Standing still at the centre with long hairย in an all-white wardrobe, spotlights shining at and through him from all directions, the Parisian virtuoso resembled Jesus himself.
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Though Berlandย was alone on his synthesizer, the 35-year-old remained composed and enigmatic, displaying minimal emotion and little to no body movement (aside from his fingers and right foot, of course). But ifย there’s one thing everyone in the audience could agree on in that very moment, it was that Breakbot was cool af. Cool inย his own definition, and we allย respected that.
After his first track, “Star Tripper” (yes, that awesome finale track on Rick Rubin’s curated Star Wars Headspace),ย the electro god was joined by Grandcamp for “Back For More”.ย The two defied rock ‘n roll norms by literally ignoring the other’s presence. Their standing on different ends of the stage doing their own thing, separate but in sync, we hadn’t seen anything quite like it.
ยฉWirun Kultan/WAV Collective
As the concert progressed, one thing became clear: the stage lighting was not to be taken for granted. Right from the secondย Breakbotย got on stage, the audience was treatedย with an eye candy of a production surpassingย that of a typical concert. We could see they’d made sure the lighting was art in and of itself. Every colour, movement and composition was well-calculated. But thatโs not enough for a Breakbot concert. This year, Berland and his company performed on a LED stage which lit up and danced to the beat of their music.
ยฉWirun Kultan/WAV Collective
By the time they got toย “One Out Of Two”, aย nu-discoย ode to young love, the crowd was already high on cloud nine on Breakbot’s infectious music. As the vocals behind the number, Irfane wasn’t settling for our happy head-bobbing; he wanted us to sing louder than theย neon pinkย suit he was sporting. And let’s not forget Laura’s poisedย femaleย presence. Her coy yet coquettish girl-next-door crooning in “My Toy”ย really made it clear why the concert might just beย “The Sweetest Romanceโ.
Half way throughย the show, the guysย still had a few tricks up their sleeve. During “2GOOD4ME”, the crowd was surprised by aย shower of silver confetti, as if the LEDย stageย wasn’t enough to light up the night.ย During the catchy chorus of “Get Lost,” Grandcamp and Irfane glided across the stage in a simple but slick synchronised movement. To say it’s boy band-y would be a bit of a stretch, but we, like many female audience members nearby, couldn’t help but squeal. It’s a bit of Justin Timberlake on Michael Jackson (the song’s keyboard is distinctlyย 80’s), even just for a few seconds.
ยฉWirun Kultan/WAV Collective
Amidst favourite jams and surreal artistic illumination, however, concert-goers were often thrown off by the unfortunate sound system. Throughout the show, it was clear thatย the singers’ mics were not up for the task, resulting in a fuzzyย noise that clearly affected their vocals.
Butย the crowd didn’t seem to mind. Breakbot pulled through and delivered a satisfying finale withย hit single “Baby, I’m Yours” and “You Should Know” as an encore. Overall, “The Sweetest Romance: High School Lover”ย exceededย our expectations and was, as prom clichรฉs go, a night to be remembered. Berlandย and his friends showcased theirย incredible musicality live, something not easilyย achieved when it comes to today’s electro-pop.
