Noisy Norwegians shakes up Bangkok

Staer performing at "Zoo" in Bangkok. Photo: Lasse Henriksen
Staer performing at “Zoo” in Bangkok. Photo: Lasse Henriksen

Norwegian band Staer and the Norwegian-French duo Black Packers put the ears of Bangkokian concert goers and venue neighbors on a test with deafening feedback and a journey through a metallic soundscape this Saturday at the artsy and experimental Zoo performance venue on Prachithipatai Rd.

As a warm up for the Norwegians, Zoo had two fairly loud and equally avant-garde performances. Approximately 15 minutes into the Black Packers show at 23:07 the owner of Zoo came running through the room to have a word with the sound engineer. The neighbors had complained and he hoped playing a few dB lower would please the neighbors, even though the music might still have seemed a bit strange to their ears. Black Packers are not the kind of band you will hear in a nightclub or even at most festivals, the sound is in focus, and it is a mix of screaming feedback from a guitar and electronic noises.

Black Packers' guitarist. The name Black Packers is inspired by young metal fans from around the world, that travels to Norway to hear metal music, the so called "black packers". Photo: Lasse Henriksen
Black Packers’ guitarist. The name Black Packers is inspired by young metal fans from around the world, who travel to Norway to hear metal music, the so called “black packers”. Photo: Lasse Henriksen

The lowered sound level, and the fact that the next band Staer plays somewhat more rhythmical albeit still rough sounding music, seemed to work out. Even the crowd that had been paralyzed bombarded by sounds up to this moment began to move a little. Zoo had no more complaints and the Norwegians could have a cold beer and a chat with the fans.

Bangkok was the second stop on Staer and Black Packers Asian tour. They will continue through Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila and Taipei before they hit Japan with six concerts.

Details of dates and venues can be found here

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