#based off an old promo photo of laura

[artificialhaunts]

She's got that +9 to persuasion and she's stealing your heart

[peculiarvernacular]

The Universe Smiles Upon You

Wonderfruit Festival 14 - 19 December 2017, The Fields @ Siam Country Club, Pattaya, Thailand.

My second time at Wonderfruit feels like a reunion with an old friend, which is appropriate because not only did I meet and greet familiar faces I managed to befriend many new ones, and that sense of familiarity extended to the stages and tents as well. New additions such as the funfair-themed dance tent from Hong Kong called ALTN8, chill-out and food tent Neramit and G & T capital The Tent of Unusual Tipples all served to replace the outgoing Rocketfruit (amongst others) but once again, the Solar Stage would be my base and default stage to hang out (and so it was for many others). Bouncing around on one of its’ sturdy timber beams I happened to meet its’ creator Gregg Fleishman, a somewhat reticent and very soft-spoken man but then again I’d expect genius to be so. This latest iteration was the biggest yet at Wonderfruit, with fabric “trampolines” and a Matisse-esque leitmotif centerpiece that also served as a dodecahedronal strobe light at night (when I asked Gregg if he was inspired by Matisse he just shrugged and smiled). Compared to the previous Otic structure this one felt warmer, homelier, even more inviting, if that is even possible. What is it with this thing? I can’t quite explain it but suffice to say that when something is made with passion and a purity and coherence of vision it is infectious. Something about the wholly organic yet mathematical precision of it, its’ aesthetic functionality, that just resonates deeply with me. Oh, and not to mention that it is essentially a bloody gorgeous work of art and engineering which also happens to be a stage for fantastic musical performances. 

On Sunday I met the boys from Crew Love namely Gadi and Zev of Wolf + Lamb, and their lipstick-wearing, nipple-taping labelmate Nick Monaco, just as they were readying to play the Sunday afternoon 3pm slot. The boys were great sports as we reminisced about that epic sunset in February at this very same place whilst posing for a couple of photos and clearly, they were thoroughly enjoying this little working holiday in far-flung Thailand. A little later they would all get behind the decks for an hour-long excursion into the finer points of tribal and acid house, as I continued to chug beer thirstily whilst throwing shapes with the beat. I was a little tired out from earlier, when I was randomly approached by a video crew and asked to volunteer in a festival promo video. An American traveler named Riley and I were to play cycling punters on these custom Wonderfruit bicycles called “Offering Horses”, and instructed to trace an imaginary route from behind Neramit to the Molam Bus. It was all good fun and I hope to see my stupid mug on some official Wonderfruit video soon. That would be pretty excellent and why I agreed to volunteer in the first place.

But the singular highlight, the shining, sparkling crown of the entire weekend, was none other than Khruangbin live at the Living Stage on Friday night. This year’s Living Stage as re-interpreted by resident designer Adam Pollina, represented a significant departure from the last, both technically and aesthetically, as giant peacock faux-feathers and a somewhat more rudimentary design made way for huge wooden half-arches and a gigantic circular projector screen that resembled some sort of Stargate portal. Bigger, better stage lights and smoke machines were added and it suited Khruangbin’s otherworldly surf-funk psych-rock perfectly. Halfway through their spell-binding set a light drizzle turned into a torrent, but ain’t no one was leavin’. As the band thanked the crowd for sticking around despite the rain they launched into a spirited rendition of the funk-laden “People Everywhere (Still Alive)” as if inspired by the deluged determination of the adoring crowd. Everyone went nuts dancing in the rain. The Universe Smiles Upon You indeed. By the time they came round to “White Gloves”, I could no longer separate the rain from my tears. It was such an emotional experience that after the set was over and Laura Lee was signing autographs I did not even think to have a picture taken, whether with her or of her. Needless to say, it was a non-decision that I am still very much regretting. Bands that followed included Wild Beasts, Roots Manuva, and Yeasayer and even though they were all good they paled in comparison such was the mark left on me by Khruangbin.

So some things were great, some things not so great - the incredible surround sound of the ALTN8 tent and the increased variety of food and drink belonging to the former; the distinct lack of soap and shampoo in the showers and the many empty water refill stations very much the latter. Even the much vaunted all-nighter stage The Quarry just didn’t have the same inclusive vibe despite being bigger and grander or maybe it suffered from the fact that it was just a little too big. A purely subjective assessment though as no one seemed to mind Ibiza legend Gui Boratto and techno godfather Richie Hawtin lobbing our collective heads off. Just some minor gripes in what was once again a truly spectacular festival, with each instalment seemingly bettering the one before, cementing its’ unchallenged status as South East Asia’s premier music and arts festival, if not the whole of Asia. Funnily enough many people I know are confidently declaring that they’ve had enough, that two visits to Wonderfruit is all they need. I’m not so sure though. I’ll allow myself a peek at the lineup for next year at least. Kinda feel like I’m obliged to make it a hat-trick.

I mean, I find it very hard to say no to old friends.

.

20th December 2017