While many fans came to Gotcha Pop 2 Concert to catch their idol in action, it was very clear the surprises – in the form of covers and collaborations – got them wanting more.
This year’s concert, held at BITEC instead of Union Hall (last year’s location) saw a larger slate of T-Pop artistes, underscoring the growth of the industry, with new inclusions like BUS Because of you I shine.
The other artistes in the line-up were: LYKN, Nanon, Proxie, PiXXiE, Pretzelle, Trinity, PERSES, NuNew and Nont Tanont.
Like the gachapon machine its name is inspired by (Gotcha Pop, gacha-pon, geddit?), the actual order of performers are not disclosed until during the concert – adding to the element of surprise for fans.
In the lead-up to the concert, organisers Atime Showbiz had pitched this edition as a “level up”, and from the looks of it – the venue was certainly a level up. For one, the gigantic floor-to-ceiling screens provided a visually epic backdrop to all the performers.
Newcomers BUS brought the energy to 200% for the night: the 12-member group opened their set with the hit single Watch Your Step, amid screams (and a very loud fanchant) from their fans.
The boys then performed a string of their other hits, including their debut single Because of you I shine, and the new BUS5 single No Matter What.
SOLOISTS SHINE
The soloists of the night (or as we like to call them, the three Ns) did not disappoint either.
NuNew dazzled the audience (which included his on-screen partner ‘Zee’ Pruk Panich) with his sublime vocals, but switched things up with some K-Pop.
Nont Tanont had the audience singing along to what one netizen called “the new Thai anthem” – his critically-acclaimed track รักแรก (First Love).
And perhaps it was Nanon whose monologue in between songs tugged a little at the heartstrings.
In his trademark deadpan manner, he joked that unlike boy group members who have a “last name”, he was just “Nanon” on stage.
“In between waiting for your favourite group to go on stage, please take care of this little boy up here,” he says in Thai. The fans did not disappoint, clapping, cheering and singing along to every single song.
COVERS, COLLABS APLENTY
Fans also eagerly anticipated the song covers and collaborations – also called ‘Hidden Show’ – from their favourite artistes, and the night’s performances did not disappoint.
BUS, for instance, wowed the fans with their cover of MEYOU’s วันนี้ปีที่แล้ว. LYKN, meanwhile, covered fellow Riser Music labelmate ‘Fourth’ Nattawat’s Candidate, and then took it to 100 with their interpretation of 4EVE’s Vroom Vroom.
PERSES pulled out all the (linguistic) stops in their selection of covers, performing a medley of hits including Buddha Bless’s Fire, Joeyboy’s Slow Motion (ระวังมันส์ชนโอ๋!!), and then going to Bang Bang, an English hit by Jessie J, Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande.
Proxie took audiences back to the Y2K, with their cover of Katreeya English’s OK นะคะ.
The night was not short on special collaborations either. PiXXiE, for instance, roped in Proxie in their hit Mutelu. Proxie and PiXXiE then jointly performed the former’s single ที่ไม่รัก (Unnoticed), and the girl group elicited screams when they sang the song’s chorus.
And if ‘Charm’ was not hot enough, the boys of LYKN teamed up with PERSES – dressed up in leather jackets and wifebeaters – for a steamy cover of Timethai’s Hit Me Up, much to the delight of thirsty fans.
The night ended off with a ‘surprise stage’, with the vocal lines from each boy group all coming together to cover ทุ้มอยู่ในใจ, the OST from the iconic movie Suckseed.
These include ‘William’ and ‘Tui’ from LYKN, ‘Krittin’ and ‘Pluggy’ from PERSES, ‘Marckris’ and ‘Copper’ from BUS. The boys certainly did not disappoint, proving why they were the vocal powerhouses of their respective groups.
All in all, Gotcha Pop 2 proved why T-Pop is on the rise, with new groups entering the fray, and high-energy performances all around.
