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ULUVUS, an expatriate rock band that sings in Lao, staged a concert at the Mark Two pub in Vientiane on Wednesday night, to officially launch their new album “55555”.
The band’s popularity is legendary and local music fans turned out in force, packing out the venue to hear their favourite falang band play live.
The concert certainly kept the crowd entertained, staying true to the theme of the night ma dort, ma den, ma muan – come jump, come dance, and come have fun.
ULUVUS’s second album builds on the success of the first they launched back in 2009.
Titled tongue in cheek as ‘Seu Soi Dair’ (Buy something and help me) their debut release included several Top 10 hits including Phousao Bor Son Jai Hao, Hak Gan Leo, Gig Mai and Sao Sai Ta Jing Jai.
Titled “55555”, their second release is a play on a popular teenage texting phrase, five being hah in Lao and meaning having a laugh.
The album was written to be exactly that, a lighthearted attempt to blend into the local culture, play with the language, joke in Lao and have plenty of fun along the way.
The five members of the band who fell in love with the charm of the Lao language are guitarists Chris Crash and Mee Wah Wah, drummer Tom O’Hawk, base player Databass and relative newcomer Dr Luv on the keyboards.
The album has something for everyone – from a taste of Mor Lam (traditional Lao folk music), to hair-metal, disposable pop and epic rock – alongside the band’s legendary music videos.
ULUVUS surprise audiences with an unusual blend of musical styles, mixing pop rock with Mor Lam, which the album’s debut single “Khalam,” features, setting the tone for the rest of the album – upbeat, fun and youthfully exuberant.
All the guys in the band like to party, and for this album they have joined forces with well-known R&B artist Sam Intharaphithak, who really knows how to get a crowd on their feet.
The band also team up with Ning Nong from the award-winning Lao band Deep Heart to sing “Sou tor pai” (Go). Fans can now see this song on YouTube or the ULUVUS Facebook fanpage.
“Sou tor pai” is a spirited single that borrows from the Deep Heart style, designed to cheer up the brokenhearted, reminding them that new love might be just around the corner.
They also sing a heartfelt ballad with Sam Intharaphithak “Pouying mak kong yai” (Women like a big heart), which is sure to prove very popular.
Foreign fans of ULUVUS like to sing along in Lao as well, but with this song they better be wary of the band’s wordplay, because the lyrics could be misconstrued.
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