Better Weather, comprised of old friends Thonapat “Dew” Thanakornkan (vocal), Akkarachon “Fung” Ratchaphandi (guitar), Assawapong “Tum” Wongprasert (drums), Promphong “Jack” Prompanyo (bass) and Panuphat “Bas” Sukanyarak (guitar) has just released its debut album.

BK: How did you guys come together?
Dew:
We were close at Assumption School Lampang.
Fung: Then during the U-Band Battle, I wanted the band to become stronger, so I invited Bas to join us.

BK: What genre are your songs?
Fung:
Pop with influences from Europe. It’s a mix of Brit, French and Swedish pop that Thai people can appreciate.

BK: Why did you name the album Better Than Looks?
Dew:
We want to tell people to not judge us by our appearances. We would like them to come and watch our shows, then judge us.

BK: How did you begin as a band?
Fung:
We started the band playing cover songs at the pub.
In Lampang, we were the only student band to play there.Dew: Our friends would also come and support us, but when the police came, they would all run up to different floors, hide in the kitchen, or act like another band member, since they were underaged. We just acted cool.

BK: When did you first compose your own songs?
Fung:
It was in our first year of college. We thought we played too many covers.
Tum: We had to move on in order to achieve our dreams.

BK: Any difficulties you faced as a band?
Fung:
The difficulty we first faced was when we had to be separated during college years.
Dew: It was a tragedy. Fung went to study at Bangkok University. I went to Chiang Mai University with Jack.
Tum: We met up during the holidays and breaks and played together. We talked to each other everyday through phone, MSN and even letters.

BK: What was the most unforgettable experience you had on stage?
Dew:
Right before going up the stage, I realized that my zip broke so I tried to cover it with my shirt. During the performance, I unconsciously raised both of my arms in the air, revealing my broken zipper. A fan uploaded and tagged me on Facebook. I’m also called “the blue man” because I wore blue underwear that day.

Interview by Monruedee Jansuttipan and Heyun Kim

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