| Thai rock | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Phleng rock (เพลงร็อก), T-rock (ที-ร็อก) |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1960s,Thailand |
| Derivative forms | Phleng phuea chiwit |
Thai rock (Thai:ไทยร็อก) isrock music fromThailand. It was heavily influenced byAmerican andBritish rock bands. Originally emerging in the 1960s, when Thai musicians played cover rock songs for American G.I. soldiers during theVietnam War (1960s to 1970s), Thai rock later flourished in the 1980s with bands likeAsanee–Wasan,Carabao andMicro.
The earliest Thai pop rock music emerged from western music influenced form both the United States and United Kingdom. The earliest Thai rock combo groups played a combination ofinstrumental music andsurf music influenced byThe Ventures andThe Shadows which was known locally asWong shadow.
The international popularity in the 1960s with bands such asThe Beatles,The Beach Boys,The Rolling Stones,The Doors, and musicianJimi Hendrix influenced the creation of some of the earliest western style groups. The most popular Thai beat, garage rock, and psychedelic rock groups includeThe Impossibles, The Cat, and The Dynamics in the mid to late 1960s.
The Thai blues rock and hard rock genre began in the late 1960s and early 1970s byLam "Guitar King" Morrison andKitii "Guitar Gun" Kanchanasathit who performed forAmerican GI's during theVietnam War.[1][2]
Early rock bands in the genre includeV.I.P. led by Lam Morrison, Siamese and Kaleidoscope led by Kitti Kanchanasathit,The Fox led by Chor On Na Bangchang, Epitaph and Marmalade led by Olarn Promjai, Heavy Mountain led by Daeng Veyjan, Mundee led by Ekamun Potipunthong, andSuang Santi who helped to make Thai rock music mainstream.[3]
In the 1980s, a plethora of Thai heavy metal and hard rock bands emerged, including The Olarn Project, Neua Gub Nang, and Rockestra.
The Rock Pub opened inBangkok in 1987 and to date remains the most successful and popular Thai rock live music venue in the country. For close to forty years The Rock Pub has consistently provided a permanent home for the wide variety of Thairock and roll,rock,pop rock,hard rock,heavy metal, and related subgenres played by an ever growing number of Thai rock musicians and groups.
In the early 1990s, heavy metal and hard rock became popular in Thailand. Prominent bands receiving mainstream recognition includedStone Metal Fire, Uranium, Big Gun, andHi-Rock.
Rock music, including genres likepop-rock,soft rock, andnew wave, saw significant growth in Thailand during the 1980s. Prominent acts included Thai bandsAsanee-Wasan andMicro. Among their successful albums were Micro'sRock Lek Lek,Meun Fahrenheit, andTem Tang, and Asanee-Wasan'sKra-Dee Dai Narm,Bah Horb Fang, andFuk tong.[4]
The pop-rock band Nuvo became successful with their debut albumPen Yang Ngi Tang tae Koet Loei (เป็นอย่างงี้ตั้งแต่เกิดเลย) in 1988, which sold over a million copies. Hydra (composed of Nakarin Kingsak and Thana Lavasut) released their albumAsajeree (อัศเจรีย์) in 1992 under the labelNititad Promotion, and they also won the 1992 Season Award for Best New Band for that album.
Itti Balangura debuted in 1988 with the songKeb Tawan (เก็บตะวัน), which became popular.[2]
Caravan is credited as the first folk-rock band to sing in the Thai language in the 1970s. They pioneered the phleng phuea chiwit genre, which was later popularized byCarabao with their 1984 album,Made in Thailand, selling over five million copies.[5]
In the 1990s, the folk-rock bandInca, artistPongsit Kampee, and artistThanapol Intharit also received mainstream recognition.
The late 1980s and early 1990s marked the beginning of what became known as the era of death metal/thrash metal. Donpheebin pioneered the scene in the early 1990s, followed by Dezember, who began performing in the mid-1990s. Dezember's early albums, including the 1994 EPLaththi Satan and the 1995 full-lengthWinatsakam, garnered interest among indie music listeners.[6]
The early to mid-1990s saw a shift in the Thai rock scene asalternative music rose in popularity, pushing aside heavy metal and hard rock. The pioneering Thai alternative rock groupModern Dog released their debut album,Soem Sukkhaphap, and went on to achieve significant success. Another pioneering group, Crub, released their debut album,View, in 1994. Crub's songs were influenced by theshoegaze andMadchester/baggy scene, while Modern Dog's music was influenced by grunge, funk and soul. Both groups' songs were introduced on the radio byWanasa Wirachartplee [th]. She was instrumental in spreading the influence of Thai alternative and indie rock across the nation. A key figure in the alternative scene, she also brought many foreign bands to perform in Bangkok, such asSuede and theManic Street Preachers in 1994.[7] Modern Dog's success fundamentally changed the Thai rock scene by sparking a wider interest in indie music and illustrating the movement's mainstream reach.[8]
Many Thai alternative rock bands drew inspiration from Americangrunge (e.g.,Nirvana), and Britishindie rock/Britpop (e.g.,Radiohead,Oasis, andBlur). This led to the emergence of numerous alt-rock bands, including Proud, Y Not 7, Sepia, Smile Buffalo,Loso, Blackhead, Nursery Sound, Fly, Students Ugly, andPause, as well as artists like Nakarin Kingsak, Ornaree, and AUDY.[9] Thai alternative rock reached its peak popularity between 1995 and 1996. Although most Thai alternative and indie bands had disbanded or faded into obscurity by the late 1990s, their influence permeated later pop-rock bands of that era, such as Shogun Jump,Labanoon,Paradox, as well as bands influenced bynu-metal andalternative metal, such as Aladin,Silly Fools, andBig Ass.
Loso'sEntertainment, released in 1998, featured hit singles such as "Som San" and "Arai Gaw Yaum." The album went on to sell more than 2,000,000 copies, despite being released during the decline of the Thai alternative scene.
At the end of the 1990s, Mr. Team gained popularity in Thailand.Tannatonn Palakawong na Ayudhaya and Tai Tanawut also gained popularity during that era.
.jpg)
In the early 2000s, Thai rock bands drew inspiration fromJ-rock, with bands like Peak,Clash andPotato.[10]
In 2000, Silly Fools released the albumMint, which sold over 1,000,000 copies,[11] and their later albums, such asJuicy andKing Size, solidified their position as one of the most well-known bands of the time, recognized for their alternative rock and nu-metal sound.
In 2001, the Thai band Clash emerged in the commercial music scene with their full-length album titledONE, distributed byGMM Grammy's UP-G. Their first single, "Gaud (Hug)," was a big hit and led the band to success, while other rock bands like Zeal, Neo-X, Gear Knight, Bangkaew,Bodyslam,So Cool, AB Normal, Klear, and Drama Stream, also achieved greater success in the 2000s.
The band Kala released their single "My Name is Kala," while Big Ass released the albumSeven in 2004, featuring the single "Len Kong Soong." The third album by Bodyslam,Believe, was released in April 2005 and made them one of GMM Grammy's premier bands. The success of this album took them on a long national tour over the course of 2005 and part of 2006. They won the 4th Annual Fat Awards for Favorite Album, and "Khwam Chuea" became Song of the Year.
In the 2000s, Thai indie musicians such asPenguin Villa, Armchair, Cocktail, The Richman Toy, and Basher, achieved commercial success.
Other acts in the rock scene became popular (and eventually went mainstream), such asTattoo Colour, Flure,Slot Machine, 25 Hours, Slur, Playground, and The Yers, also gained recognition.
During the mid-2000s, the metalcore genre also began to grow in Thailand. Bands likeEbola, Sweet Mullet, Oblivious, and Retrospect were simultaneously increasing their fan base in the emo and post-hardcore scenes.
Examples include well-known bands like Ebola'sEnlighten (2005) and Retrospect'sUnleashed (2007), both of which are highly regarded by metalcore listeners.
In the early 2010s, rock music remained largely popular in the country, despite declining sales due to the dominance ofK-pop,pop,electronic andhip hop, as well as the rise of music streaming services.
The 2010s saw the birth of a new breed of rock and indie artists/bands, including Safeplanet and Three Man Down.
Khun Narin, a psychedelic rock band, blends elements of garage rock and mor lam. Their live album, titledII, was released in 2016 by the Los Angeles-based record label Innovative Leisure Records and produced by a Western producer.[12]
In 2022, the pop-punk band Paper Planes released the single "Song Yang Bad" (Bad Boy). Due to the song's popularity, fueled by social media, the music video reached 200 million views by November 2025 and became the unofficial National Children's Day song.[13]
From the 2010s to the early 2020s,shoegaze,post-punk,indie rock andpost-rock entered the underground scene and gained popularity among fans. Notable post-rock bands includeInspirative and Hope the Flowers; notable shoegaze bands include Desktop Error, Hariguem Zaboy andYellow Fang.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Africa | |
|---|---|
| Americas | |
| Asia | |
| Europe | |
| Oceania | |
