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

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

Greetings:

Visiting this weekend are three singer-songwriters based in Thailand, touring under the heading Bangkok Eclectic – Matthew Fischer (US), John Lindsay (UK) and Rob Saltsman (US) – for individual details see Department of Visitors below.  They are in Phnom Penh at Noisy Chili on Friday and Botanico on Saturday, before Matthew and John head to Siem Reap on Sunday to perform as guests with Kodi Hudson at Embargo.

Friday night in Phnom Penh find Issei Sakano & Katy Lo Wing playing piano four hands at Green Pepper, Jay & JP at The Tin Hat, violin and saxophone duo Blue Serenade at Botanico, and Ex-Pulse at The Box Office. Bustaka Band are at Bat Muk Yu, while The Extraordinary Chambers are at Hometown Hangout and The Fender Benders are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  

Saturday night things start early at The Deck – The Stuffs with Sara Garcia, while Japan Guitar Shop are at Sundown Social Club and The Extraordinary Chambers at Bat Muk Yu .  Elsewhere Mosaic are at Au Marche, Clay George is at Tropico, Cheska is at Samai Rum Distillery and The Lazy Drunks are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In the south, Lucy is at The Wave: Kep West and the Kampot Playboys are at Madi Bar in Kampot.

Come Sunday, Miss Sarawan & Scoddy are at Villa Grange, Green Leaf Motif make their  final appearance at The Deck, Gaby & Chema are at The Vine and the Sunday Sundowners open mic is on at Tacos Kokopelli.  Later on, Electric Muxu Orchestra are at Oscar’s on the Corner.

Looking forward to Wednesday, Bellini presents Northpoint Jazz – Marie Coquillart & Jérémie Coquillart, for Europe Day.

Department of Visitors


[Text and image supplied]

John Lindsay is a melodic, fingerpicking folk musician from the UK, who has honed his skills and grown as an artist between the heat of Bangkok and the grey skies of Liverpool.  Fans of Nick Drake, Damien Rice, Nathaniel Rateliff and Norah Jones will enjoy John’s tone and his plucky guitar playing.

Rob Saltsman, US born and Bangkok based, has carved out a niche in the city’s indy scene with his unique sound.  Inspired by bands such as Radiohead and Bon Iver, his passionate vocals soar over beautiful guitar melodies. You can listen to his debut EP, Leyline, on all streaming platforms.

Matthew Fischer,  a Wisconsin born singer/songwriter and artist who has made Bangkok his home since 2008.  Panda Records released his smash hit Radio Sound, which is available at most CD retailers or on YouTube. He is a cofounder of Bangkok record label Wooo! Records, and owner of Fatty’s Bar and Diner in Bangkok.

They can be found at Noisy Chili on Friday, Botanico on Saturday, and Embargo (Siem Reap) with Kodi Hudson on Sunday.

Passing Chords – a few things you may not know about

Katy Lo Wing.  “I’m involved mainly in the classical scene of music in Phnom Penh.  I got my start during COVID, when travelling for international artists was not possible, and I had the opportunity to play at the Phnom Penh International Music Festival in 2020.  These days, I mostly perform piano 4 hands with Issei Sakano; I’ve also played piano and flute duets with Anton Isselhardt, Sharon Lui and Pisey Oum.”  Katy will be performing with Issei Sakano [see his Passing Chords from 2023 here] on Friday evening at Green Pepper restaurant.

Do you have a pet musical hate/pet peeve?
I don’t mind anyone playing wrong notes, but I can’t stand if anyone I play with doesn’t count.

A private musical indulgence:
All kinds of music without lyrics or words. It creates more imagination when I listen to those.

The year you first came to Cambodia:
2012.

An early music memory:
I played the piano in my kindergarten hall without anyone being there – no audience, no teacher, just myself.  It was probably my earliest memory with a piano alone.

The last thing you had to eat:
Fish.

Stagefright – yes or no?
Before I go on stage, yes.  But as soon as I start playing, not really.

A country you want to visit:
Any country I can see an aurora.

A book or movie you keep going back to:
Whisper of the Heart (1995), a Ghibli movie.

What languages do you have?
Cantonese, English, Mandarin and decent bit of music.

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:
Piano, I started learning and playing the piano when I was 4.

Something people might be surprised to know about you:
I never planned to be a pianist and/or piano teacher. I’m from Hong Kong and the culture I grew up in doesn’t value much of any artistic achievement, but rather monetary or materialistic achievement. So I’m very glad that music is my life now after a lot of trial and error.

You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past. What do you choose?
Besides listening to the established piano masters, I love listening to the new generation of classical artists. Aimi Kobayashi is one of the leading pianists of the new generation, and she’s one my favourite pianists to listen to. If I could chose, I would love to be at the audience of the competition that she played the Concerto No.1  at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, 2021 – she only came in 4th place but I cried when I listened to the live recording on YouTube. Her sound was pure art to me.

A question from the last participant:
I made a couple of my own piano recitals in my 20s, and there was one I arranged and performed the Sailor Moon theme song for two pianos and two violins.  Two musician friends actually flew from Hong Kong to play with me, at their own expense, it really meant a lot to me.

Department of Mutual Support:  Friends of LengPleng

This week 60 Road Studios renewed their support as a Friend of LengPleng – bountiful thanks!

    

      

 

 

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

Lay Mealea (Miss Sarawan) performing at Villa Grange on Sunday 20 April, 2025.  She will be back there again with Scott Bywater this Sunday afternoon.

 

 

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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 1 May 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