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

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

Greetings:

Thursday evening in Phnom Penh find the jazz jam with Dr George at The Deck,  a classical concert by Angkor Youth Ensemble at Institut francais du Cambodge, and later on The Extraordinary Chambers at Oscar’s on the Corner and Adam Marsland at The Silk Route.  On the coast there’s an open mic with Chiet at Madi Bar, and Alli G & TheQuilas at The Bay, while in Siem Reap Rod Tolentino is at Koulen Central.

On Friday in Phnom Penh Farm To Table celebrate their 10th anniversary party with Mirasol & Gaby, while Zakk Zoot is at The Deck, and Judy & Dr G are at Botanico.  Elswehere Antonio & Pervez are at The Tin Hat, Miss Sarawan are at Bat Muk Yu, Greg Beshers is at The Vine and Adam Marsland is at Little Susie, while Montra are at Oscar’s on the Corner and Stu Cottom is at The Silk Route.  In the south, Alli G & TheQuilas are at Old Market Skybar in Kampot, and Rod Tolentino is at Infusion Bar in Siem Reap.

On Saturday Trio Time are at Villa Grange, The Stuffs are at The Deck and Bustaka Band are at Botanico.  Later, Angkor Classique are at Au Marche, Kimberly Bugo is at Samai Rum Distillery and Zakk Zoot is at Tropico.  At Oscar’s on the Corner Ben Etc (see Passing Chords below) opens up early for Punch Drunk.  On the coast, Nestor & Lyly are at The Wave: Kep West.

Come Sunday, find the Sunday Sundowners open mic at Tacos Kokopelli, Adam Marsland at Botanico, Joe Wrigley at Bar Oz and Shaken Spirit at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Siem Reap, Kodi Hudson is at Embargo.

Also of note into next week is a jazz concert by Marion Rampal at Raffles Le Royal on Wednesday – book tickets here.

Department of New Releases and Festivals

Bandleader Jesse Zenchuck may be gone but Smack the Unicorn have released a self-titled album recorded in Phnom Penh.  Check it out here at Bandcamp.

Also newly released is Daisy’s Daytime Radio, a project headed by Gary Custance, which LengPleng teased back in 2023.    You can listen here on YouTube.

Tickets are on sale for a big show at Halloween, Carnival Youth (Latvia) plus Japan Guitar Shop at B-BOX.  Advance tickets ($18) at The Deck, The Vine, and Wonderpass.

Preliminary details have been released for the forthcoming second Dave Fest to be held during Bon Om Touk (Water Festival), 4 – 7 November, at M’Pai Bai Bay, Koh Rong Somleoun.   Acts include Knell, Soselo Summer, Jazz Sauce, Vince Solomons, Johatsu, Wind-Up Mice, Drunk on Champagne, Bullshit Boy, Nightmare A.D..

Dates have been announced for Brett Perkins’ Siem Reap Songwriters Festival, 16 – 23 November, to be followed by the Phnom Penh Songwriters Festival (23 – 30 November).

The Brass on the Block ensemble, with their new video for their cover of Jeas Cyclo, as promoted in these pages, have been written up in the Phnom Penh Post.

Passing Chords – a few things you may not know about

Ben Etc., aka Ben Harrison, has played in bands and solo in Ireland, the UK, Singapore, Malaysia & Japan.   2025 sees the online release of Shirkers Circus, the debut album by his band Etc.  He will be playing the Solo: Early at Oscar’s slot on Saturday night at Oscar’s on the Corner from 8 pm.

Do you have a pet musical hate/pet peeve?
I try not to have any, but I’ve noticed — amongst other things— that:

a) I automatically want to tune-out whenever I hear Autotune

b) The Bee Gees’ appearance, voices, and songs have the ability to make me physically ill

c) It’s a lousy shame that everything generated using Artificial Intelligence I’ve heard this year has been cliche-ridden crap.

A private musical indulgence:

I don’t know about private indulgences but do I have a public one: if I hear Lionel Richie’s Hello out & about —usually in a Super Duper supermarket— I have to sing along.  Including the guitar solo.  No shame at all.  Very embarrassing for others.

The year you first came to Cambodia:

2017, a very short trip to Phnom Penh in November.

An early music memory:

My parents’ Sgt Pepper… was on the turntable as we were heading out to visit my little brother Sam’s grave.  They left it playing as we headed out and I was concerned. Dad told me it would stop itself. I don’t know what side of the record it was

The last thing you had to eat:

Thai food at Yosaya.  I’ve been going through the menu ever since I was a tourist here, they’ve never let me down and everybody’s really nice.

Stagefright: yes or no?

Genuine anxiety beforehand has happened, for no particular reason, but I’ve now learned what not to eat and drink before.   And then it evaporates.

A country you want to visit:

Chile.  The crazy geography, the lovely Chilean people I know, my deep affection from when I was young for the music, and my brother really digs it.

A book or movie you keep going back to:

There’s a running joke that I’m reading James Joyce’s Ulysses “again”.  But that’s because I seem to enjoy picking it up and starting at a random pace. Maybe I’ve read all of it by now — but not cover to cover …. Yet.  It’s nice to have a copy around, but I don’t at the moment. I think Kurt Vonnegut Jr. books are the ones I’ve read most of. Especially the short stories and Slaughterhouse 5.   Some films I never get tired of: A Hard Day’s Night, Rumblefish, and all the Fellini I can get my hands on.

What languages do you have?

Super-slangy English.  A few bits of French, Bahasa, and Yorkshire dialect vocabulary, tha ken?  I don’t speak Irish, which is terrible.

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:

Open-tuned electric guitar.  I volunteered myself as a drummer for my friend’s brother’s punk band, Productive Chaos, and I used my brother’s toy guitar as a piece of percussion.  And then an acoustic with a mic shoved in the soundbox as a way of generating and controlling feedback on a little stereo.  This was years ago. ‘80s.  I’m only just beginning to warm to tuning the strings EADGBe — and enjoying it.

Something people might be surprised to know about you:

I’m surprised that people know about me.  Maybe my affection for Jim Carrey is surprising to some. If there was a university degree in Jim Carrey Studies, I’d be up for it.

You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past. What do you choose?

I missed the Tippa Irie show at Hometown Hangout two weeks ago, I would have loved to see that.  His was the first music I heard that I don’t think was influenced by my parents or my peers.  I just heard it and went: what’s this?  It spoke to me, which was weird, because I didn’t understand a word.  Otherwise – you name a continent, you name a year, I might have one.  In Cambodia and Vietnam in the 60s, anything.  Tito Puente when he was starting out.  There’s a picture of James Joyce with a guitar – could he play?  He could sing, I know that.  Los Lobos played in Singapore in 1987 – it was a pretty uptight place at the time, and they are not an uptight band – I’d love to know what that was like.  Troublefunk in the 80s in Washington – go-go music that was a bit overproduced in the studio, but the live bootlegs are amazing.

A question from the last participant :  Which cultural icon would you invite to dinner and why ?

T.E. Lawrence of Arabia – and ask him what would he have done to redraw the maps after World War One.

Department of Mutual Support:  Friends of LengPleng

Please welcome The Vine and Nesat Market as new Friends of LengPleng.  We thank you very much for your support.

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Chema Rodriguez performing with Gaby Courroux at The Vine, Sunday 5 October 2025

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 9 October 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:

Friday 17 October

Saturday 18 October

Sunday 19 October

  • Open mic, 6,30 pm, Nomad Eatery (Siem Reap)
  • Martin Ng (SG) sings German Masterpieces of Romanticism, 7 pm, Raffles Le Royal – note ticketed event

Tuesday 21 October

Friday 24 October

Saturday 25 October

Friday 31 October

Saturday 1 November

Tuesday 4 – Friday 7 November

  • Dave Fest featuring Knell, Soselo Summer, Jazz Sauce, Vince Solomons, Johatsu, Wind-Up Mice, Drunk on Champagne, Bullshit Boy, Nightmare A.D. and more, M’Pai Bai Bay, Koh Rong Somleoun.

 

By Weekly Wrap