There was certainly some mid-90’s alternative rock credit due (Letters to Cleo? Belly?), especially in the instrumentation, but it didn’t feel like throwback for throwback’s sake. Their sound felt fresh, heavy and fun at the same time as it felt familiar and nostalgic. It isn’t surprising that they have been getting a lot of attention outside of just Thailand, they deserve it.

It is also good to know that the youth of the world still recognizes that reverb, distortion and feedback are still the appropriate ways to approach an electric guitar. Arnuphap Foeilung bore his influences proudly on his sleeve, but brought something playful and charismatic that a lot of those distortion greats lacked. Maybe it is just the right amount of 7th chords, who knows.

It was a set that wasn’t afraid to be equal parts sweet and raw, and anybody who decided to spend their afternoon with them at Orange Echo left their set venturing forth for the last night of festivities with some nostalgic pep in their step.

Not only is he a talented musician and songwriter, he is a gifted visual storyteller and myth crafter. His interest in Japanese pop from the 70’s and 80’s led him to create a narrative thread through his music and videos tying him to Japan, eventually leading him to spend much of his time here in real life. Few artists have a fictitious backstory as fleshed out as his, and his Saturday night Red Marquee performance was like another chapter in this story where the line between fact and fiction is getting increasingly blurred.

The Showa-ness of the set started off strong, visuals an early 80’s Japanese TV pastiche, his trademark tinny vocal effects, it was clear we weren’t here for a concert, we were here for a show.

In the way that any self respecting ska group has a hype man, Ginger Root has a cameraman, an energetic overall wearing imp frantically shooting the band with a bit ol’ camera with a perfectly dated feeling live feed to the screen. It truly completed the immersion that this is TV, and we have slipped back a few decades.

As the set unfolds, drama with his manager and the idol singer he is set to duet with erupts. The whole this is, as Cameron himself put it, a cinematic universes but don’t worry to much about the plot, just sit back and enjoy.

The music from start to finish was a perfect mix of the contemporary and the nostalgic. His songs are catchy, compelling and immaculately orchestrated. Certainly not just hopping on the City Pop bandwagon, but drawing a little inspiration and creating his own mode of conveyance.

What more could you want? The guy has chops, charisma, artistry, creativity, just about everything you might want in an entertainer. Japan is lucky that this is the country Cameron decided to become infatuated with.