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

Seasons greetings:

A very happy International New Year to all our readers, performers and audiences around the traps.  Let’s hope it’s a good one, etc.

Tonight, Thursday, might be quiet, it might not, but most of the regular gigs are on tonight in Phnom Penh, including the return of the jam session at Bosporus, while Gareth Bawden is at HClub and zargzology are at Oscar’s on the Corner.

International New Year’s Eve on Friday brings forth the variety expected of the Cambodian live music scene.  In Phnom Penh the highlights include Mary & Takeshi and Marianna & Joe at Penh House, Arome Khmer at The Plantation and The Extraordinary Chambers at Oscar’s on the Corner.  Not live but notable is the return of Cubik to HClub, with a new year party featuring numerous DJs kicking off at 10 pm.  In Siem Reap, FCC Angkor offers Alli G, AMBAR has Andy Luna, The Schkoots are at Laundry Bar and Those Handsome Devils are at The Harbour.  In Kampot you can bring the new year in with Geography of the Moon and DJs at Kenny’s Korner.

For those metal-minded who feel like avoiding the traffic on Friday night, Seila Records presents a livestreamed show from their Facebook page from 9.30 pm, featuring seven young and heavy Khmer bands: DarkStormz, Rose, Eternal, Plugger, Batbangers, Sweet and Doch Chkae. 

On Saturday in Siem Reap Alli G continues his new year run around his old stomping grounds, while in Phnom Penh there’s a winter jazz night with Intan & Friends at Aquarius, while Arome Khmer are at Duplex and First World Problems are at Oscar’s on the Corner.

Also one to look out for after the madness: Geography of the Moon play Karma Traders in Kampot on Tuesday, and Chi-Town is back with a new Tuesday night residency at Oscar’s on the Corner.

**For the rest of the gigs check out the listings at the bottom of the page**

The annual Radio Oun (formerly Kampot Radio) Top 100 Songs Of All Time voting has now closed.  Tune in on Friday, New Year’s Eve from noon for the countdown.

Another chance to have your voting say is in the inaugural Khmer Nights Live Band of the Year poll – until 6 January.  A selection of 15 bands have been nominated from the scene, and prizes are offered for the winning band and for participants in the vote.  A formidable field to be sure.

Note:  LengPleng.com has returned to its weekly email service.   If you wish to receive LengPleng in your inbox every Thursday please send an email saying Subscribe to gigs@lengpleng.com.   And tell your friends.

The Leng Pleng Weekly Feature

2021: An Incomplete and Selective Review of the Year

A recently established LengPleng tradition is to ask musicians, music appreciators and venues to contribute their highlights from the year in our last edition before New Year.  2021 has been something of a thin year of course, but there is still plenty to celebrate.  See what Gary Custance, Marianna Hensley, Colin Grafton, Clara Shandler, Troy Campbell, Steve Porte and many more have to say about the last 12 months.

Read the whole article here.

Passing Chords:  a few things you might not know about… Phil Javelle

Photo: supplied

Multi-instrumentalist Phil Javelle has been in and out of Cambodia for many years, and has worked with almost everyone at one time or another in almost every combination.  After New Year find him at Elephant Bar for Mojo Afterworks from Wednesday to Friday with Pristine Aniñon, Joe Lim, Delicia Ellis and Gerard Evans.  Also next week he will be accompanying visiting jazz singer Melissa Lesnie for a series of exclusive shows at Bouchon Wine Bar, Elephant Bar, Au Marché and Kep Sailing Club Kep.

Do you have a pet musical hate?
Boy band songs

A private musical indulgence:
Silence

The year you first came to Cambodia?:
2004

An early music memory:
Performing Mozart’s Concerto for Clarinet with the Paris Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Daniel Barenboïm in 1979 at the mythical Pleyel Concert Hall in Paris.  I was 12 years-old.

The last thing you had to eat:
Duck breast with porcini sauce and blue cheese polenta

A country you want to visit:
Iceland

A book or movie you keep going back to:
The Art Of War

What languages can you speak?
Fluently: French, English, Spanish
Notions: Italian, Portuguese, Malay, Khmer

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:
Piano, at the age of four

Something people might be surprised to know about you:
I have Asperger syndrome

You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past.  What do you choose?
Frank Zappa Live At The Palladium New York, Halloween 1977

A question from the last participant, Chema Rodriguez:   Tacos:  beef, chicken or pork?
Chicken

Steve Porte Photo of the Week

A guest cat sits in with Geography of the Moon, Little Susie, 23 December, 2021

 

If there are things that 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

Weekly Gig Guide – week commencing Thursday 30 December 2021

** residency/weekly

 For DJs and clubs, we recommend Phnom Penh Underground

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Coming soon:

 

By Weekly Wrap