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

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

Greetings:

French restaurant and recently much more active music venue Au Marche celebrate their tenth anniversary this weekend with La Union on Friday, Angkor Classique on Saturday and two bursts of Jazz Sauce on Sunday (1 pm and 6 pm).

Elsewhere on Friday in Phnom Penh Smack the Unicorn are at The Tin Hat, Cheska is at Botanico, Brooke Palmer is at The Box Office and Miss Sarawan is at Uniga.  Summer Lee Carlson & Mute Speaker are joined by special guests Initial G and Cameron Smith at Hometown Hangout, and The Lark go late at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Siem Reap, Jam Cha are at Laundry.

On Saturday in Phnom Penh The Originals for this month features Liam Garth Jones, Tornado Orlando (See Passing Chords below) and Skeptical Chemistry at The Deck.  Elsewhere The Broken Cymbal are at Botanico, The Tuesday Welders are at Bat Muk Yu, and The Blue Souls are joined by special guest Bona (Memphis, Bona’s Pub) at Oscar’s on the Corner.  On the coast, Los Primos are at The Wave: Kep West.

Come Sunday in Phnom Penh, Adam Marsland is at Villa Grange, Greg Beshers and Clay George split sets at The Vine, and Sunday Sundowners open mic at Tacos Kokopelli is hosted by Scott Bywater.  Later on, The Lazy Drunks are at Bat Muk Yu and Elecctric Muxu Orchestra are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In the south, Poca de Feo is at The Wave: Kep West.

Passing Chords – a few things you may not know about

Tornado Orlando.  Originally from Maine, and until recently based in Thailand, Tony is in Cambodia somewhat by accident.  On Saturday he will take part in The Originals session at The Deck alongside Liam Garth Jones and Skeptical Chemistry.  “I only play originals, I’m not great at butchering other people’s songs.”

Do you have a pet musical hate/pet peeve?
When I go to an open mic and it’s really just a band that’s practising.  I don’t mind when it’s a jam.

A private musical indulgence:
Old school musicals.  My favourite movie is The Sound of Music, I grew up watching it with my grandmother when I was very small.

The year you first came to Cambodia:
I came here from Thailand to do a visa run about four months ago, late in 2024, just for a few days, had a pretty cool time.  After a recent trip to China visa issues meant I was refused entry to Thailand.  So I bought a ticket to Cambodia, and got in touch with friends in Thailand who put me in touch with some musicians in Phnom Penh, so I started to get to the Noisy Chili open mic.  I’m still trying to get back to Thailand.

An early music memory:
The first album I had, on cassette, was Faith by George Michael.  It must have been funny for my family, I was eight years old and some of it was a little wild – Rock the Monkey, I Want Your Sex.  My uncle played the guitar, so I was exposed to that, but I didn’t start playing until I was 30.  I met a girl, picked up a guitar, wrote a song about her.

The last thing you had to eat:
A Philly Cheese steak sandwich and macaroni & cheese.

Stagefright – yes or no?
Absolutely.  I’ve been medicating with a variety of things to deal with stagefright since the first time I went to an open mic.  In the beginning I would shake with stagefright.  One of my nicknames is Tequila Tony.

A country you want to visit:
Iceland.  I’d like to see some more of Central America as well.

A book or movie you keep going back to:
The Hotel New Hampshire, by John Irving.  I grew up in Maine, and the book is set in the north east, a little weird and a little nuts.

What languages do you have?
I speak a little bit of Thai, a little bit of Spanish, enough to get around pretty well.   And English.  I wasn’t expecting to have to learn Cambodian, I’ll have to put some time into that.

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:
I was able to download FruityLoops when I was about 19 years old, and I was able to make beats for the first time, so that was kind of my first instrument.  In my 20s I only rapped, I didn’t play or sing.  I learned a couple of guitar chords and would freestyle over that.

Something people might be surprised to know about you:
I’m an avid surfer.  Last year I broke my hip surfing and had to get it replaced.

You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past. What do you choose?
Grateful Dead at the Filmore East in the late 60s, early 70s.

A question from the last participant:   Do you ever get bored with knowing the things you know? And if you do get bored, what do you do about it?
I try to continue to re-educate myself on other interesting facts, history, and stupid videos online that I should not be wasting my time on watching. l

Department of Mutual Support:  Friends of LengPleng

Steve Porte has been good enough to once again support LengPleng for another year – consider being like Steve.

    

      

 

 

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

In memoriam – Takeshi Yamauchi.  Our condolences to Machiko.

From the archive:  Passing Chords with Takeshi and Machiko Yamauchi.

 

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 24 April 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