BANGKOK

The crowd jump to their feet as local star Chulachak ‘Hugo’ Chakrabongse takes to the stage with a tip of his straw hat. “He was signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label and wrote Beyoncé’s song Disappear, which appeared on her I Am… Sasha Fierce album,” explains my friend, foreign correspondent and long-time Bangkok resident Philip Sherwell, as the Thai actor/model/musician works the crowd with his easy bluegrass beats. “Hugo’s also related to the royal family,” adds Philip.

Unlikely as it seems from this popstar performance, Hugo comes from the royal line of King Rama V, one of the most forward-thinking monarchs in Thailand’s history. It’s an attitude that’s worked its way down the generations, as Hugo’s mother, Narisa Chakrabongse, doesn’t just undertake royal duties, but is also an author, environmentalist, owner of publishing house River Books and organiser of the Bangkok Edge Festival, where I now sit happily tapping my toes. This ‘festival of ideas’ pops