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 Phnom Penh Trey So at Riva, the Cambodia Blind Band at  Boran House, the jazz jam with Dr George at Tape Deck, Hugo Marcellesi at Samai Rum Distillery and Mary & Ace at Little Susie.  Late and loud is The Extraordinary Chambers at Oscar’s on the Corner, while the Kampot Pepper Blues Band are at Madi Bar in Kampot and Chema & Kiko are at The Pizza Garden in Siem Reap.

Friday night in Phnom Penh, Greg Beshers is at The Vine, Terry Magson at Botanico, Jazz Sauce are at Khmer Funk Sky Bar and the Lazy Drunks are at The Tin Hat.  Chew & Bash present a Michael Jackson tribute featuring Mirasol, James, Gaby, Jed & Damani, while One Man Dan is at  Little Susie.  At Cloud, Reign in Slumber play a farewell show with After God in support, and The Lark are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Siem Reap, Pablo y Chema are at Lost City Pizza Society and Rain & Anita are at The Panthers Hut.

In Phnom Penh on Saturday, Two Country Drunks are at Botanico and the Japanese-style jazz of Iwato Quintet is paired with food and whiskey at Au Marche.  Adam Marsland dials up Song’o’Rama 2 at Little Susie, Brooke Palmer is at Tropico and Alli G & TheQuilas are at Distortion Dive Bar.   Later The Blue Souls are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  On the coast Poca is at The Wave: Kep West and in Siem Reap JamCha are at The Pizza Garden.

Come Sunday Terry Magson is at The Vine, and there’s a special Bob Dylan’s 85th birthday edition of Sunday Sundowners open mic hosted by Scott Bywater at Tacos Kokopelli.  Later on, Shaken Spirit are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  Speaking of Bob Dylan, there’s an extra  round of birthday celebrations at the Songwriters Circle at Little Susie on Monday, also hosted by Scott Bywater.

Passing Chords – a few things you may not know about

Photo: supplied

Raphaël Biamonti.  French saxophone player around town who you may have seen with Passion Soda, Lola and the Boys or Intan and Friends.  “I have a modular jazz band called Take.  So it can be Take Three, Take Four, Take Five, depending on who is available.  Even I can get replaced and the spirit of the band is still there.”  This Saturday he fronts the Iwato Quintet (with Phil Javelle, Metta Legita, Darvell Martinez and Mark Doherty) at Au Marche for a special Japanese night.

Do you have a pet musical hate/pet peeve?

As a bandleader, it’s a lot of work to keep everyone motivated, to manage the egos and instabilities.  And sometimes for a gig I have to play pop music on saxophone and that bores me – I like to listen but not to play it.

A private musical indulgence:

I love Middle Eastern music – when I want to chill and relax I like to listen to Anouar Brahem – my private go-to.

The year you first came to Cambodia:

August 2024.  So not that long.  I feel very lucky and grateful.  Initially I was working for a French music school but it didn’t go well and I was fired.  Then the music community gathered around me and got me gigs, really helped me out.

An early music memory:

When I was young my family would spend Sunday together listening to music like Fatoumata Diawara, an African French speaking artist, my first introduction to world music.  It’s a very warm feeling for me.

The last thing you had to eat:

Eggs.

Stagefright – yes or no?

It depends on the conditions.  Normally no, but if it’s a project that I don’t feel entirely confident about then yes – there are sometimes gigs where we haven’t taken time to rehearse.

A country you want to visit:

Japan.  I’ve never been there but I want to go.

A book or movie you keep going back to:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – the movie.  I haven’t read the book yet but I would love to.

What languages do you have?

Only French and English.  And tik tik Khmer.

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:

I started learning piano at five years old.  I had a Russian teacher, really strict, who would hit me and pull my ears.  She disgusted me from the traditional way of learning, but I still had the love for piano.  I started playing saxophone five years ago – I worked eight hours a day initially, even now I try to practice between four and six hours every day.  I’m lucky my neighbours love it.  I play alto, tenor, soprano, every sax I can get my hands on.

Something people might be surprised to know about you:

Before becoming a musician I studied law for a couple of years.  I was living in Bordeaux and met some French rappers who convinced me to take up music – “don’t waste your life, go to music school”.

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

I would follow John Coltrane anywhere he goes.  Also trumpeter Roy Hargrove, he died way too young.

A question from the last participant: If you could perform with any musician dead or alive, who would it be?  And what song would you perform?

I would love to play with Chick Corea.  And there’s a Japanese band, Sunaga t Experience, with an amazing saxophonist – we will play some of their songs on Saturday.  They do jazz, house, rock, everything.  And they have lots of fun.

Department of Mutual Support:  Friends of LengPleng

We are pleased to welcome new Friends of Leng Pleng this week: Tape Deck, Riva and Pearl of Kampot;  also renewed subscriptions for Botanico, The Deck and YK Art House.

       

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

Mirasol Aguila performing at Odom Garden way back on 4 March 2022 – this Friday she fronts an all-star Michael Jackson tribute at Chew & Bash

[Steve Porte is on his annual New York City visit.]

 

If you wish to receive a notification for the new edition of 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 21 May 2026

** residency/weekly


Thursday


Friday

 

Saturday                                                            

Sunday

 

Monday


Tuesday


Wednesday


Coming soon:


Friday 29 May

Saturday 30 May

 

Tuesday 2 June

Friday 5 June

 

Saturday 6 June


Sunday 7 June

 

 

By Weekly Wrap