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

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

Greetings:

Saturday night in Phnom Penh discover a celebration of underground alternative Cambodian music with the After Tonight festival featuring Sam Rocker, After God, Escapes and more at Cloud.

On Thursday in Phnom Penh find Maozi & Bandi at The Deck, Noisy Chili’s open mic hosted by Muz Muskett, Divergent Duo at Bat Muk Yu and The Extraordinary Chambers at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Siem Reap Kodi Hudson is at Barcode.

On Friday in Phnom Penh it starts early with a Independence Day Hootenanny with Joe Wrigley & DJ at Garage Sale, later Summer Lee Carlson & Mute Speaker are at Botanico, Alli G Rockustic is at The Tin Hat, Cardboard Li-Fi are at Bat Muk Yu and Adam Marsland is at Stories by Little Susie.  Later and louder, Crash Boom Bang are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  On the coast, Arome Khmer are at Saravoan and Jorge Deserio is at The Bay; in Siem Reap Chema & Kodi are at Ubuntu and Kiko & Carlos are at The Panthers Hut.

On Saturday in Phnom Penh Bong Bonlai / YK Art House kick off a new day time open mic, while Boran House celebrate their 5th anniversary party with Khmer Blind Band.  Later on Cheska is at Botanico, Bustaka Band are at Bat Muk Yu, Angkor Classique [see the interview below] are at Au Marche and The Fish Brothers (Scoddy & Troy) are at Stories by Little Susie.  Kimberly Bugo is at Samai Rum Distillery, Kim’s World Band are at B-Five / Bassac Square, Clay George is at Tropico and Temple go late at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In the south Arome Khmer are at The Wave: Kep West.

Come Sunday in Phnom Penh, Brooke Palmer is at The Vine and the regular Sunday Sundowners open mic is at Tacos Kokopelli.  Later on Cambodia Country Band return to Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Siem Reap, Kodi Hudson is at Embargo.

The LengPleng Feature Interview

Opening the chamber – Angkor Classique

One of the more unexpected musical ensembles to arise over last few years in Cambodia has been Angkor Classique, a constantly changing line-up based in Siem Reap plying classical chamber music.  Ahead of their show as a quartet this Saturday at Au Marche in Phnom Penh, LengPleng sat down with co-founder, flautist Leo Salazar, and their newest member, oboe player Noah Al-Malt, to talk repertoire, venues, and the ongoing search for classical musicians.

LP: So where did it begin, Leo?

LS: One day I was having coffee with my friend Jim Latt, who had been involved in the Mozart at Angkor project, and we were agreeing that there should be more classical music in Siem Reap in particular and Cambodia in general.  He said okay, I’ll find the musicians, you find the music.

Read the full article here

Passing Chords – a few things you may not know about :

Photo: supplied

Sofiane, also known as Wafi, is a passionate multi-instrumentalist lighting up Phnom Penh’s vibrant music scene. Whether he’s strumming the guitar, laying down bass grooves, or keeping the beat on drums and percussion, Wafi’s enthusiasm for jamming and supporting local talent is infectious. A self-taught musician, he cut his teeth in his teens, rocking out on drums in high school blues-rock bands before taking on the role of bassist for the electrifying French heavy metal band Overcharger.   Since returning to Cambodia in 2023, Wafi has become a familiar face at Phnom Penh’s open mics. He’s also collaborated with local artists like Initial G, Jeffro, AlliG & TheQuillas, and Shining Hearts, always ready to elevate the groove and celebrate the city’s thriving musical community.

Do you have a pet musical hate/pet peeve?

Oh man, don’t ask me to sing at a gig, please…  But something I don’t like is people speaking and chatting loudly in the first row during a show… Please go have a chat at the bar and let the magic happen on stage…

A private musical indulgence:

I’ve had wild musical phases since my teens, so don’t be shocked if you catch me vibing to 2000s Japanese rock, grooving to 90s Rai tunes or losing myself all night to Dark Forest Psytrance…

The year you first came to Cambodia:

I first crossed into Cambodia in early 2020, weaving through Southeast Asia on Motorbike (an old Suzuki GN125 that I sold in Kampot and would love to buy back…) after exploring Vietnam and Laos.   It was the final stop of my journey before the next steps of the trip to India, but COVID had other plans, grounding me back home.  Even in that brief one month visit, Cambodia’s energy—its colors, sounds, and spirit—struck a chord deep within me. Deep inside, I knew I’d come back…

An early music memory:

As a teenager, I channeled my angst through the raw intensity of modern rock and metal, blasting them in my headphones to unleash my teenage rage.  One day, my dad sat me down and played his classics — Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits… That moment was a revelation, opening my ears to rock’s roots and igniting a lifelong hunt for musical gems across all genres and eras.

The last thing you had to eat:

A street grilled banana as a gym preworkout

Stagefright – yes or no?

Yes: Since my first gig at 16, I’ve felt the nerves before hitting the stage every single time, but the trick is turning that stress into adrenaline.  It’s like fuel—whether I’m jamming on guitar at a Phnom Penh open mic or rocking bass with a metal band, I channel it into raw energy.

A country you want to visit:

Bhutan is very high on my list, when time will come.

A book or movie you keep going back to:

The Matrix trilogy (We don’t talk about the 4th one…), a mandatory rewatch every year.

What languages do you have?

I can speak French, English, Spanish and North African Arabic dialect.

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:

My first instrument is the guitar, which I picked up at 12. It took me a year or two to figure out I could learn songs from tabs without diving into music theory…

Something people might be surprised to know about you:

I really love nature, animals and could be qualified as a “plant dad”, especially cactuses, that I find fascinating while they require a lot of patience

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

I’d hop in a time machine to catch Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden in 1973. It was pure magic: Plant’s electrifying vocals and stage presence, Bonzo and Jones locking in a flawless rhythm, and Jimmy Page weaving guitar sorcery: History in the making.

A question from the last participant: do you have any pre-show rituals?

Besides some warm ups, I make sure a Gin Tonic is within reach 🙂

Department of New Releases – in case you missed them last week

Former Phnom Penh resident (and recent visitor) and New York resident Sarah G has just released a nine-track album, Men, The Man, and how they done be wrong on Distrokid – find it on Spotify and iTunes.

Also busy is Joshua Chiang, now of Siem Reap – side A of his album All of the Things I Know, including the singles Don’t Count On Me To Save The World and Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop, is now available on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music.

Department of Mutual Support:  Friends of LengPleng

    

 

 

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

Steve is recovering from his annual vacation in New York City, so here’s a picture of Sam Rocker performing at Cloud in November 2019.

 

 

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 3 July 2025

** residency/weekly

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:

Thursday 10 July

  • Jazz jam with George Hess, 7 pm, The Deck

Friday 11 July

Saturday 12 July

Monday 14 July

  • Calima Band (Nestor, Patrick & Chris), 7 pm, Bouchon Wine Bar
  • Ma Sovanream & San Sreyneath, 9.30 pm, Uniga

Wednesday 16 July

  • Khmer Magic Music Bus, 10 pm, Uniga

Friday 18 July

  • Miss Sarawan, 10 pm, Uniga

Saturday 19 July

Friday 25 July

  • Miss Sarawan, 10 pm, Uniga

Saturday 26 July

Wednesday 30 July

  • Khmer Magic Music Bus, 10 pm, Uniga

Thursday 31 July

  • Jazz jam with George Hess, 7 pm, The Deck
By Weekly Wrap