The Mysterious Market-Concert

Wednesday, 2pm: A loud screech from a sound system or an incredibly loud microphone brutally shakes me from my reverie, bent over the laptop trying to write an article on promotions. At first I thought the racket was coming from a passing pick-up truck, advertising a Thai boxing match or a pop concert, but when it didn't stop I knew it must be originating from a stationary venue. That's an unmoving venue, and not one in which paper, pencils, pens, pencil sharpeners, and other stationery converge. The screeching of the sound system turned into a screeching of voices, first talking and then singing. Badly. Or it could just have sounded bad because they were Thai songs which do involve a lot of wailing, whining and screeching. A bit like a drunk Celine Dion. As you might imagine, it was pretty difficult to get much work done so I gave up and went to the gym at around four o'clock, hoping that by the time I came back whatever was going on would have ended.

Unfortunately, the noise seemed only to have intensified when I returned at six. They, whoever they were and whatever they were doing, seemed to be gearing up for a big evening. The Husband came in through the door shortly after I did and reported that there was a huge market set up on some waste ground not far from where we live. Dozens of stalls and a stage had been set up, from where the terrible noise was emanating. Only the day before I had wandered past that area and there was no sign of anything being erected. There had been no posters to advertise anything, not even a pick-up truck screaming about it from its loudspeakers. This market-cum-concert seemed to have appeared from nowhere. What was particularly baffling was that I went to check it out in the light of day yesterday and it had mysteriously vanished. There was no evidence that there had ever been any sort of activity there at all. They must have packed it all up and fled as soon as it was over, in the middle of the night. Perhaps it's part of some sort of underground Thai network that secretly organises really terrible concerts and then flee before the bad music police can capture them and lock them away forever. Whatever it is, I just hope that they never set up near us again!