It was the Sunday Market in Old Town Phuket.
We had transversed the length of the road and the bylanes, past food and games and desserts and squirming things and swimming things and unrecognisable things, but also smiling salesgirls, sweating cooks and roasting chestnuts!
And as we turned back, we heard the sound of music.
Beyond the sounds of bands with enthusiastic but non-sonorous kid-singers, these were unusual sounds, notes which seemed to soar above the shrillness of a noisy market. There was something hypnotic afoot. And Devang, my son, and I hastened our steps, until we reached the crowd surrounding the band. And what a motley bunch it was.
The sounds were all different but somehow meshed into something incredibly strong, catchy. Two didgeridoos deep-throated the surroundings, even as some high-strung guitar notes rose up from the street. A percussionist played a tribal drum, and an unusual modified flute let out notes full of roughly-hewn messages. The percussionist had ghungroos tied to his feet. And everyone played in gorgeous sync. And we watched completely transfixed.
We had just encountered the band “Tuku Didgeridoo”.
At first sight, Tuku Didgeridoo look like a motley collection of musicians, with each going on their own trip. There was not a single standard instrument which you might expect in a regular band. But -here they were, creating magical music done band, one gorgeous sound.
“Starting off we just had a didgeridoo player and drummer. We wanted to make the band bigger, so then we added a few more instruments,” says Nong, one of the band members. The band only plays their own originally-composed music, and sell where they perform. They have tried to connect to the world with a presence on Spotify, which immediately gives them massive visibility. But nothing in the recorded music captures the raw energy of their live performances.
“Every time we go to play somewhere we make a record because sometimes guests come to jam with us. We record our music in a studio in Chiang Mai,” says Nong.
Tuku Didgeridoo plays at various places across Phuket, and you will find them at One Nimman, Tha Pae Gate, and, of course, at the Sunday Market. They also play at live events across the city.
So if you are in any of the above-mentioned locations, and suddenly, whilst shopping or dining, find the most unusual and arresting sounds emanating from a distance where you see crowds rapidly building up, you can bet its Tuku Didgeridoo, belting out their silky evocative numbers.
And you will suddenly find yourself soaring, finding meaning in the evening, and as all great music does, understanding what makes life worth its trials and tribulations.
Hear some of their most popular numbers below (but remember, the real energy is in the live performance, which I urge you to hear in the above video).
Of Didgeridoos & Guitars