Overview
Take a look at the history of rock music in Thailand. See how it originated and evolved, as well as the reaction to this new genre of music and the similarities it shared with rock music in America.
Rock
Early Rock
Rock started to emerge towards the end of World War II. This was due to the rising popularity of western music and Hollywood movies in Bangkok. It wasn't until the 1960s that rock performers started to appear. These performers were mainly divided into one of two groups: Wong Shadow or Pleng String.
Wong Shadow
Wong Shadow originated first in the early 60s was mainly viewed as a revolution of Thai music and youth culture. It mainly consisted of only a guitar, bass, and drums and was heavily influenced by artists in the British invasion and early American surf-rock. Even though these performance were meant to be for the adults, the youth were most affected by them and began to dress similarly to American rock stars. As a result, it was not well received by the government as they believed it was corrupting the youth and was an invasion of Western culture.
Pleng String
Pleng String was created in the government's failed attempt to censure rock music. In 1964 a law was passed that condemned American rock music in trying to protect the traditional Thai identity. By this point, the youths wanted something new that could better represent them and work around the government's new law, so Pleng String became a fusion of the two. Pleng String became very popular as it was closer to the music of the common people, not just the elite as most music had been up until this point. This is because the lyrics captured the identity of the middle class and became the face of music for them during this time.
Transition into Rock Today
Wong Shadow started fading away during the 1970s whereas Pleng String continued to gain popularity. It became more commercialized and was spread across Thailand to be enjoyed by everyone. Starting in the 1980s rock music in Thailand began to follow a similar path of evolution as the US resulting in them having similar sounds. In the 1990s-2000s is when some of the most popular Thai rock bands emerged and continue to be played to this day. The genre has declined slightly in the past few years as pop and rap have become the new music for the youth, but many of the rock bands are viewed as classics that will never disappear.
Citations
Sawangchot, Viriya. Rebel without Causes: The 1960s Thai Pop Music and Bangkok Youth Culture.
Mahidol University.