Members of the band Rockband Napalm

Starting with only three members, including Cao Xuan Anh Tu (lead vocalist, born in 1992), Hoang Tien Nghia (guitarist, born in 1996) and Nguyen Dai Long (bassist, born in 1999), rock band Napalm appeared simply because Nghia “wanted to play rock, so he posted an ad looking for like-minded people”. Just like that, Napalm from a “lonely rookie” of rock gradually matured, gained its own fan base, represented the Ancient Capital to participate in the Rockshow “Comeback Ancient Capital” with famous bands, such as Brainwave, Ca Hoi Hoang and especially the “big tree” of Vietnamese rock – the band Buc Tuong.

Playing music since 2/3 of the members were still in school, the members of Napalm practiced together, honed their skills, and played music at cafes, bars, pubs, etc. They played music to satisfy themselves, to satisfy their love of music , specifically the rock that burned in their hearts. At that time, there was no money, no professional place to practice, so Napalm only practiced around their rented room, sometimes getting scolded by neighbors for being noisy. But that did not extinguish the love of music of the young people.

Although they were a rock band, in the beginning, the group lacked one of the most important positions, which was a drummer. Tien Nghia said: “The number of drummers in Hue is not large, not to mention that a drum set is much more expensive than a guitar, and playing music is not a profitable job, and the pay is low”, so finding a drummer was a big difficulty for the group. In the first three years, the drummers who played with Napalm at shows were just “mercenaries” and not… organic.

In order to attract people to play drums for the group, the group was so determined that they saved their salary, which at that time was only 50,000 VND/person/show, 150,000 VND for three people throughout a year to buy a drum set worth more than 3,000,000 VND and... recruit people. Despite such an investment, there was still no one suitable to become the missing piece for Napalm. In 2020, Tien Nghia "advised" his younger brother Hoang Tien Hieu (born in 2001), who was studying guitar, to switch to... practicing drums; so Napalm had its own drummer. Over time, there were changes in members, old members left but the band also welcomed many new members.

In 2022, Truong Viet Trinh (1997) joined Napalm as lead vocalist replacing Anh Tu, in 2022 it was keyboardist Tran Ngoc Thanh (2004), violist Tran Nguyen Anh Hong (2007), this year it was bassist Ho Nguyen Gia Long (1998). They, along with two brothers Tien Nghia and Tien Hoang, are the current lineup of Napalm. Despite the age difference, what binds them together is their love of music, or more specifically, the burning of rock in their souls.

For Napalm, 2022 is a memorable year for the band. During that time, due to the pandemic, they could not practice together, so Viet Trinh, Tien Nghia, and Tien Hoang started composing the group's first songs. From the melodies and lyrics that Trinh hummed on the phone, the two Hoang brothers started to arrange the music. Adding drums, guitar, bass to effects from piano and violin, the members of Napalm gave suggestions and together created a song of their own. Napalm went from a band that only played other people's music to a real rock band that owned its own work.

Also that year, Napalm was unexpectedly chosen as one of the two host bands to perform at the Rockshow “Comeback to the Ancient Capital”. Both proud and worried, Napalm “made it difficult” for themselves when they decided to choose this as an opportunity for the band to introduce their children. “The first time bringing their own music to perform and choosing such a big stage was really a big challenge. Unfortunately, Hieu was hospitalized for illness, so the whole group could only practice with enough members 2 days before the show.” Tien Hoang recalled. However, that risk brought the band a worthy reward. The show was successful, the name Napalm was chanted by thousands of audiences, and the band’s music products were well received by the audience of the Ancient Capital. To date, the band has 8 songs of its own, of which 2 have been posted on social platforms: “Border” and “My Apology”.

Napalm Performs at Rock Youth: Igniting Passion

Playing music does not make money, this is the truth that all bands in Hue understand. That is also the reason why many young bands "bloom quickly, fade quickly", long-standing bands often have to put aside their passion for the sake of making a living. For rock bands, this is even more evident when rock is picky about its audience, Hue is also a small community, shows are few, not to mention the culture of "going to shows" in Hue is not widespread. For that reason, Napalm was the youngest rock band from the beginning, after 7 years of operation, there is still no "junior". That is why Tien Hoang's thinking changed from "going to other people's shows" to "creating a playground for bands".

Drummer Hoang Tien Hieu said that soon there will be a rock show of Napalm's own called "Enough is Enough". "This is the first time we have organized a music show, the biggest worry is whether there will be an audience or not. Up to now, we have been quietly "self-directed", not only lacking sponsors but also lacking an organized direction..." Hieu said with a laugh. For Hieu and everyone in the band, any show organized by Napalm must sell tickets: "We only charge 50,000 VND/ticket, this amount is not much, but in our opinion, it is a way to filter... the audience. Only then can we truly find people who know how to listen to music, they come for our music." Hieu shared.

Always giving their all in every show, the members of Napalm both show their passionate love for music and spread the positive energy that rock brings to the audience. At the same time, the young people also contribute to affirming that the rock-loving and rock-playing community of Hue still exists and is still strong on the Vietnamese music map.

Pham Phuoc Chau