Scene Report

Plastic Section recently wrote a scene report for CMJ about five of the best bands, venues, etc. in Bangkok.. Amazing photographer Dave Crimaldi supplied some cool pictures. Check it out here!

In other news - Plastic Section's new album had been sent to the CD factory.. so the CDs should be here by the end of the year. (Vinyl will come some time early next year). News about the launch party coming soon!

old album / new album

Plastic Section have been keeping busy playing some low-key gigs at Bangkok venues like Immortal Bar and GOJA Gallery (where Ben recently played a solo set). Mostly we've been working on finishing up the artwork and final mixing for our new album, due some time in December on CD and on vinyl early next year courtesy of Colorcode Records.
In the meantime, our previous self-titled album with Panda Records is now available in slightly abridged form on Bandcamp: Plastic Section

Horses etc.

Plastic Section and been busy finishing the artwork and final mixing of their new album, recorded in one day late last year, which should be coming soon!

One track for the album was given to a Box Records compilation album in Thailand - you can hear the track and see a brief interview with the band here: Horse's Mouth

A demo for another new Plastic Section song can be heard and downloaded here: Leaving Here

In other news, we have a couple of shows coming up in Bangkok. Friday October 3 we'll be playing at Fatty's Bar and Diner with a bunch of great bands, all of which will play one or two AC/DC songs along with their own stuff, in honour of the recently retired Malcolm Young.

Then on October 10, Plastic Section will be rocking Immortal Bar in Din Daeng with the amazing Degaruda.. more details soon!

Instant Party

The amazing Deerhoof played at Bangkok's Harmonica bar on June 17, and Plastic Section were lucky enough to be one of the support bands (the other was a great new My Bloody Valentine-esque Thai band called Hariguem Zaboy) - it was a brilliant night and a rare chance to see Deerhoof play at a small venue (about 100 people) with a great sound. They played quite a few songs form their incredible Break Up Song album and a good selection from many of their other releases, as well as a cool cover of the Ramones' "Pin Head" and an encore of "Come See the Duck" from the Green Cosmos EP.

As well as being amazing musicians and performers, Greg, Satomi, John and Ed were really nice people who watched the support bands and hung out with the audience, happily signing autographs and chatting with everybody. So big thanks to Deerhoof for an incredible night and to Put Wednesday Suksriwan at Harmonica for organizing the show!

 Live photo of Plastic Section by Dave Crimaldi.

Plastic Section supporting Deerhoof!

Plastic Section will be supporting the incredible Deerhoof at Bangkok's Harmonica bar on June 17! Also on the bill are a great new Thai shoegaze band called Hariguem Zaboy. It will be amazing. If your here, make sure you're there!!

Festival Frenzy!

As rainy season hits a boiling-over Bangkok on the brink, there are festivals galore for (real) music lovers.. Last weekend (May 10-11) saw the second installment of the amazing two-day Noise Festival, where Plastic Section played a crazy set without drums or bass - Ben rocked the electric guitar as usual while Pok ran around blowing a melodica - it was great! Here's a link to some video from the set: Spin It Out

This weekend there is Fatty's Festival on May 16-17 at Fatty's Bar and Diner in Din Daeng - Ben will play a solo set on Saturday night at around 10:30pm, right after the amazing Deadtown Trash. Then on Sunday, there's a music and art festival at a new venue called Change and Charge, where the full Plastic Section experience can be experienced at around 6pm. Details here: Change and Charge

See you here, there and everywhere! Let's rock!

 Picture of 2/3 of Plastic Section by Dave Crimaldi from Noise Festival:

 And a photo by amazing singer-songwriter Eico Kurosawa from the same set:

Noise

This weekend in Bangkok (May 10 - 11), as well as the now usual political protests, violence and chaos on the streets, there will be a truly "indie" music and arts festival, arranged by Panda Records. Loads of brilliant bands are performing and people will have stalls selling their music and other bits and pieces. Plastic Section will share a stall with solo experimental guitar wizard Wednesday and the unique and brilliant Japanese singer-songwriter Eico. Plastic Section will also perform a semi-acoutsic kinda thing on Saturday May 10 at 6pm. If you're in Bangkok, you should be there!
More info here.

And here is the line-up:

May Day May Day May Day

Tonight Plastic Section will rock the house at Harmonica, Bangkok's coolest venue, along with the amazing Degaruda, Natsiree and P (featuring Pym from Yellow Fang), guitar innovator Wednesday and electro newcomer Clokue.

 Here's a recent photo taken by Bangkok rock photographer / writer Dave Crimaldi from a rooftop gig:

Plastic Section Rock and Roll

Here's a new Plastic Section demo..

City of Hell!

Plastic Section's self-titled album with Panda Records is available through iTunes and Amazon, and will soon be available via mail order through the Archive Project page.

iTunes

Amazon

May Day Party

Plastic Section have been keeping busy with regular shows in Bangkok, and Ben played a solo show at the groovy JAM bar on April 27 with amazing solo singer-songwriters Free Typewriter (from Thailand), Eico (from Japan) and guitar noise orchestra master Wednesday.

Coming up for Plastic Section is a show at Harmonica on May 1 with the amazing Degaruda, Wednesday, Natsiree and P (featuring Pym from Yellow Fang) and newcomer Clokue. After that, there are a few festivals in Bangkok in May, and in June we will be supporting the incredible Deerhoof!! More details coming soon...

Photo taken by Kik Wongchalard at the JAM show.

Shows coming up

Plastic Section have a few shows coming up in and around Bangkok..

Friday February 21: Lake House Festival at Ladprabang University

Sunday February 23: The Thunder at Bangkok's iconic Rock Pub

Saturday March 1: Bangkok Charity Concert at Union Center Silom

Saturday March 15: Nowhere End 6 at Cosmic Cafe, RCA

2014 so far

2014 has been a busy year for Plastic Sections so far. Last December we recorded our new album in about 4 hours, recording live with a couple of minimal overdubs at the Bangkok venue Harmonica. We started mixing the recordings and working on artwork recently and the album should be ready for release soon..

Apart from that, we've already played quite a few gigs, including the amazing Stone Free 3 festival in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, as well as at the album launch for the great Thai heavy rock band Degaruda. We also played a fun show at a cafe in Korat in the northeast of Thailand, in early February, plus a support spot for American trio Lemuria at the cool Play Yard venue in Bangkok (Lad Prao Soi 8).

Here are a couple of clips from those gigs shot by photographer and film maker Larry Hill..

Displacement Blues (live at Harmonica)

Train Train Train (live at Stone Free Three)

Rock 'n' roll party!

Plastic Section will bring their raw rock 'n' rhythm review to Harmonic in Bangkok (Ozono, Sukhumvit Soi 39) on Friday October 18. Also playing are amazing chaotic Thai surf garage rockers Triggs and the Longest Day. Between and before bands will be a choice selection of raucous rockin' sounds played loud, with cult film projections and local beer at the bar. Be there if you're in Bangkok!

It's Official.

Plastic Section did recently an interview for the October issue of L'Official Hommes (Thailand) magazine on the night of our album launch at WTF Bar in Bangkok. Here's the spread:

Plastic Live!

Plastic Section's self-titled album is now available on iTunes, as well as on CD.

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/plastic-section/id664404668

We've been playing quite a few shows in Bangkok and have been getting some nice feedback. Renowned American journalist Joe Cummings wrote a great review of our recent set at Fatty's Bar and Diner for Bangkok 101 magazine. The published review was an abridged version, so I thought I'd post the full version of the review here:

Music

By Joe Cummings

REVIEW

Wednesday

Pool People

Plastic Section

Triggs & The Longest Day

Fatty’s Bar & Diner, Thursday, 12 September

If you’re into live bands and haven’t been to Fatty’s yet, now is a good time to start looking at the weekly line-ups. This is a venue that’s on the verge of becoming a dependable stalwart for local music.

     One of the only bars – very possibly the only bar -- in the Rama 9/Din Daeng neighbourhood featuring original live music, Fatty’s sports the grungy feel of long-departed Rain Dogs, in a smaller space but with a better sound system and a menu of reliable food with such provocative names as Buffalo Hot Wangs, Cream Cheese Burgers and the Wisconsin Johnson.

     On a rainy Thursday night last month, four bands and their local fans and groupies, along with Fatty’s regular diehard beer-drinking music junkies, tucked themselves into the bar’s comfy nooks and crannies for a thumping evening of what the posters called ‘experimental garage rock twisted pop rock n'roll’.  

     Arriving around 10pm, Bangkok101 missed the opening act, called Wednesday, consisting of experimental guitar by Put Wednesday Suksriwan. Fatty’s gregarious owner and chef (himself an accomplished singer-songwriter in the Neil Young/Wilco vein) Matthew Fischer described it as ‘looped guitars and a Kaoss pad I think. It’s probably genius stuff’.

     Pool People were Benji Surangkanjanajai, a Thai-German keyboardist, singer and composer who lives in Berlin, accompanied by Nat Sanpawait Soikum on drums. Pool People songs consisted of intricate keyboard figures accompanied by wistful vocal melodies sung in English. More rehearsal would have yielded a tighter sound, but a rough, naïve charm shone through nonetheless.

      The highlight of the night came next. Plastic Section is led by Ben Edwards on guitar and slapback echo-drenched vocals, with Pok Pongprayoon on bass and harmony vocals and Put Wednesday again on drums. Those familiar with the local indie scene may recognise Ben from the band Basement Tape, while Pok is well known as one half of the duo Stylish Nonsense and for his production work with Panda Records.

     Unlike Basement Tape, a more sedate affair in which Ben alternates composing duties with Tat Bunnag, Plastic Section is clearly Ben’s pet project, with the Australian writing all of the band’s songs himself. He also played all the instruments on the rustic Plastic Section (Panda Records) CD, but tonight Pok’s inventive bass and blissed-out vocal support take the material to another level. In press material, Ben describes his music as ‘an experimental, idiosyncratic update of crazy rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and rhythm and blues’ and cites as influences Bo Diddley, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Gories, The 5678s, Beasts of Bourbon and The Cramps, among others. What we heard was good rockabilly bordering on great psychobilly. (Bangkok rockabilly poser bands take note; this is how it’s supposed to sound.)

       Capping off the night was Triggs and the Longest Day, who hacked at their guitars and howled into their mics with drunken abandon. Led by Tokin Teekanun on guitar and lead vocal, with Nopphon Cheng on bass, Sanpawit Soikum on drums and Chawalit Saowapakpongchai on guitar and backing vocals, their performance was haunted by a heavy hum – possibly from the guitarist’s pedal set-up -- that wouldn’t be tamed. The effort was there, though, and Bangkok 101 would like to catch this band again when their gear is cooperating.

      Conclusion: Without reservation, we can recommend Plastic Section if you like your rock 'n’ roll raw, raucous and clever.

Fatty’s Bar & Diner, Rama IX Rd, Tel 08 0557 1959

More info...

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Album track

Plastic Section's new album is about to be released on CD by Panda Records. It'll also be available through iTunes etc.. Here's a track from it.. the rest any day now..

Spin It Out

In other news - the next Plastic Section gig will be at Bangkok's groovy Fatty's Bar on Friday, July 12, with an amazing line-up including solo guitar experiment Wednesday, singer-songwriter Eico and the great folk rock of Matthew and the Fishes..

More gigs coming in July.. details soon!

Cheers to The King Khan & BBQ Show

It's been a while between posts here, so thought I'd do an update.

Last Saturday night (June 1) Plastic Section were a support band for the amazing King Khan and BBQ Show at Cosmic Cafe in Bangkok. It was a very fun night with a great crown and brilliant music. As well as being incredible performers, King Khan and BBQ were also great guys, happily signing the 7" singles they were selling (cheap too!), chatting with everybody and watching the support bands. Mark Sultan even very kindly gave me a copy of his "$" CD, which is excellent and highly recommended! Thanks also to Popscene for organizing another great event in Bangkok, and to The Standards who always put on a high-energy, exciting performance.

This gig was also the first with Plastic Section as a 3-piece, as Wannarit Pongprayoon (Pok) has joined myself and drummer (as well as guitarist) Put Wednesday Suksriwan  to play bass, filling out our sound in a very satisfying way.

In other news, Plastic Section's new album is about to be released on CD by Panda Records in Thailand. I'll post the cover, track list and details on how to grab a copy here when it's out.. any day now!

And finally, our next gig is on Saturday night at a new beer joint in Bangkok called Hemmingway's, near Asoke BTS station in Sukhumvit. We're on at 7pm - details here


One more thing - writer and Bangkok resident Dave Crimaldi has written some very kind words about Plastic Section on his excellent blog about the Thai indie scene. You can check it out here if you're interested.

Cheers!

Plastic at the Zoo

Following the next gig at Fatty's Bar in Bangkok on April 4 (see below) Plastic Section will be playing at a new venue called Zoo, near Democracy Monument in Bangkok (Zoo used to be called Chez Lodin). This will be an amazing night, with Thai artist Wednesday (experimental solo guitar improvisations), Eico (amazing Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist who is a very unique performer), My Post Life (Wannarit Pongprayoon from Stylish Nonsense doing his unique solo songs) and Plastic Section bringing the rock and the roll. Should be a good one!!

Plastic Section at Fatty's

Next Gig! Plastic Section are playing at the cool Fatty's Bar in Bangkok (10 mins walk from Rama 9 MRT station). Also on the bill are singer-songwriter Scott Allan Knost from the US and the amazing Thai band Chaldni Chandi. Organized by Popscene Live. Plastic Section will also be performing some new songs. More details here.

Note: Plastic Section will be plugged in!