click here for an audio-visual look at the gig highlights

***for full gig listings jump to the bottom***

Greetings:

Thursday night in Phnom Penh at Sra’Art, the Channthy Fever exhibition of photographs of the late Cambodian singer Kak Channthy will feature performances by Cove Aaronoff, Summer Lee Carlson and Smack the Unicorn.  Later on Geography of the Moon are at Kando and The Extraordinary Chambers are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Kampot, Kodi Hudson at Madi Bar, Graham Cain is at The Bay and Chris Garcia & Luca are at Old Market Skybar (Kampot), while in Siem Reap Paul Mackie hosts an open mic at The Pizza Garden.

Friday night in Phnom Penh Dengue Fever are at Chew & Bash with Japan Guitar Shop – note only premium tickets are available now – SOLD OUT.  Elsewhere Vart Van is at Botanico, Arome Khmer celebrate Lyda’s birthday at Tropico, while Ex-Pulse are at The Box Office, Smack the Unicorn are at Noisy Chili and Andy Luna is at Bat Muk Yu.   Find jazz with Judy J & Dr G at Little Susie, Golden Era classics with Miss Sarawan at Uniga and electronic music with Squelch and Justfin at Canopy.  Later on Geography of the Moon are followed by The Extraordinary Chambers at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Kampot, Chris Garcia is at The Bay.

On Saturday in Phnom Penh Craft follow up their World Poetry Day event with Hugo St Leger and later Electric Muxu Orchestra, while Skeptical Chemistry are at The Deck and Cambodia Soundbase are at Botanico.  Geography of the Moon are at Bat Muk Yu and Intan and Friends present a night on Broadway at Au Marche. Jave is at Little Susie, there’s a Cambodian hip-hop night with K.U.N. Crew at Hometown Hangout, and The Lark are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  On the coast, Lyta Ly is at The Wave: Kep West and Kodi Hudson is at Kep Natural, while Frankie Teardrop Dead is at The Bay in Kampot.  In Siem Reap, People Die At The Fair (Switzerland) are at Atlantis as part of Slam City Fest 2025 – more on that below!

On Sunday in Phnom Penh find Greg Beshers at Villa Grange, Zakk Zoot at The Vine and later on Alli G & TheQuilas at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Kep, Lyta Ly is at The Wave: Kep West and Andy Luna is at Saravoan.

Also of note, on Friday Tacos Kokopelli host an event featuring art inspired by Kak Channthy, featuring photography, music, and paintings by David Roberts.  “A musical journey that took them from a first gig at the Alley Cat Cafe, now Tacos Kokopelli, on to tour Asia, Europe, America, and Australia in between bouts of touring the Kingdom, and collaborating with artists near and far.”

The LengPleng Feature Article

Evolving like a family – Dengue Fever

Dengue Fever are back for one show only in Cambodia, after their recent Thai debut at the Pelupo Festival, their first return to the Kingdom since 2016.  Initially inspired by the Cambodian Golden Era sounds of the likes of Ros Sereysothea and Pan Ron, the California-based band has over the years developed a hypnotic, world-music infused style, still graced by the Khmer (and sometimes English) lyrics and unmistakably Khmer melodies and phrasing of singer Chhom Nimol.  The day after their appearance at Meta House for a screening of the documentary about their very first visit to Cambodia in 2005, Sleepwalking Through the Mekong, LengPleng sat down with Ethan Holtzman (keyboards) and David Ralicke (horns) to talk about how they got this far.

LP:  So watching the doco must have been an experience.

DR: Ethan did not make it, but I was there.  It was great!  I haven’t seen it for a number of years; I can’t even remember the last time.  Part of me was reticent to go, but a friend of mine who’s playing drums on this tour hadn’t seen it.  And I’m so glad that I went.  It was really great to revisit some of the magical moments of that first trip, things that I haven’t thought about for a long time.  I’m not a fan of nostalgia, but what dawned on me was that it was a great moment for reinspiration about the band.  And some stories I just forgot.

Read the full article here

Department of Loud

Metalheads take note:  it’s time for Slam City 2025.  The Siem Reap leg (all shows at Atlantis) continues on Saturday night with People Die At The Fair (Switzerland), followed on Tuesday by Dummy Toys (China) and Rabies (Czech Republic), and Thursday by Seventh Son (Japan), Eleanor (Japan) and Opposition Party (Singapore).

For details on the Phnom Penh leg next weekend, Friday at Noisy Chili and Saturday at Cloud, check out the Slam City III Friends of LengPleng page.

Department of Mutual Support:  Friends of LengPleng

Being a Friend of LengPleng is open to venues, acts, and even private individuals; if you value the service we provide please consider assisting us financially.   For a modest contribution ($25 for three months, $40 for six months, $75 for 12 months), you get the logo of your choice into the weekly email and onto the weekly wrap page, and an automatically click through to a page on our website for further information, photos, videos and so on – we like to think of it as an alternative to Facebook.

We also pay special attention when you have a good story for us – an upcoming event or an artist you wish to highlight.  Email gigs@lengpleng.com for further details or bail up Scoddy wherever you see him.

 

      

 

Steve Porte Photo of the Week

Visiting jazz singer Melissa Lesnie at Craft, Friday 8 March.

 

If you wish to receive LengPleng in your inbox every Thursday please send a subscribe email to gigs@lengpleng.com.

Musicians, venues, punters:  if there are things you know that LengPleng should know, please tell us and we’ll do our best to tell the world.

See you around the traps.
your correspondent,

 

 

Guillermo Wheremount
LengPleng.com
gigs@lengpleng.com (mailto:gigs@lengpleng.com

 

Weekly Gig Guide – week commencing Thursday 20 March 2025

** residency/weekly

For DJs and clubs, we recommend Phnom Penh Underground

Thursday

Friday

 

Saturday

 

Sunday

 

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

*Note that Wednesday events are often not announced until early in the week – check back here for updates*

Coming soon:

 

 

 

 

 

By Weekly Wrap