The New York scene had CBGB and the Ramones; in London, the Sex Pistols and their guru Malcolm McLaren operated from the trendy King’s Road. Phnom Penh doesn’t boast the same kudos just yet, but if it did, the epicentre might be here at the achingly T&C coffee shop opposite the X2 club.
That’s right. I’m meeting the architects of the Cambodian rock revolution for iced lattes on a Saturday afternoon, served by a waitress with fake reindeer antlers. Self-mutilation, spontaneous swearing and mainlining skank do not ensue. But the polite and respectful – if oddly dressed – lads who shoot the breeze here of a weekend are pioneering an alternative path in Cambodia’s pop scene.
The Cambo Headbangers are a loose collective of rock aficionados, their musical genres spanning from pop rock to punk, metal and deathcore. Since the gang’s formation by the Sliten6ix and Anti-Fate outfits in 2011, they’ve gathered pretty much the entire Cambodian metalhead population under their wings.
There are now 14 bands involved: almost double the community’s following last year. And this weekend hails the Headbangers’ third anniversary event at the Longbeach Plaza Hotel, promising an ear-splitting odyssey through emerging Khmer rock.
The purpose of the CHB is simple, says one of the founders, Propey: “It’s about gathering all the rockers, starting up bands and making music.” Like anywhere else in the world, bands break up, bands reform and bands meld together. Through CHB they inspire, encourage and build each other up throughout the process.
In a country where the screech of the electric guitar is still alien, CHB picks up interest through social media. It’s a safe space for anyone brave enough to cast off the shackles of pop convention to connect with their audiences, though Khmer rock is now even beginning to make tentative appearances on television. As another founder member, Veasna, points out, CHB means the nightmare days of trying to introduce metal to happy-clapping teens at the school disco are over.
Without the big bucks commercialism, CHB’s rapid growth remains down to everyone mucking in, acting as crews and groupies for other bands while the scene takes off because, unlike K-pop, the Headbangers are not “about the beauty, the lip-syncing, the appearance, the way we act… we focus on the music and that way we last longer as bands.”
The majority of Cambodia’s youth may still be beholden to K-Pop and KTV classics, but there are those among the CHB collective who think a bygone age may be returning. “Look back to the ’60s,” Propey continues. “Rock ‘n’ roll was big, but in Cambodia these days it’s kind of lost. We want to bring back the ’60s, bring back Cambodia’s musical pride and encourage people to make their own music.”
Challenges remain, of course. The Cambo Headbangers and their spectators remain quite male-oriented, though there are women coming through such as Khmer Reborn’s vocalist Akhia. It’s also hard to find recording venues offering the appropriate facilities for upcoming bands (“It’s a crisis,” laments Veasna). Some groups’ technical ability allows room for improvement, too. Few Khmer rockers are formally trained, many having learned to play from YouTube tutorials. That just adds, however, to the homespun quality of the music.
Though there’s a tendency for newer groups to start off with cover versions, the more experienced and adventurous headbangers are now starting to compose their own material. “Bands keep their new music under cover until they’re ready to reveal it,” Propey explains, “but expect surprises on the day.”
The organisers also foresee “the craziest audience in Phnom Penh, a mosh pit and naked guitarists”, or at least a 50-50 chance of some gratuitous full frontal. Bring your bathing suit, too, because the stage will be treacherously close to the pool (“At the very least, you’ll learn how to swim,” quips Propey).
Several newcomers are slated for Saturday, from alt-rockers Asylum to The Pieces and Volcano. Looking forward to 2014, the Headbangers would like to try an open-air venue for the showpiece December gig. “We want to keep influencing the music scene,” concludes Veasna. “There’s going to be more and more people carrying around guitars and playing in tea stores. Cambo Headbangers is a band factory and we’re going to keep challenging Khmer people to know and understand this kind of music.”
WHO: Headbangers, who else? 6ixStrings, Animation, Anti-Fate, The Asylum, Count Us In, Khmer Reborn, No Forever, The Pieces, Sliten6ix, Tepsyut (‘Shooting Star’), Varaman, Volcano, The Underdogs
WHAT: Cambo Headbangers three-year anniversary pool party (tickets are $8 to see all 14 CHB groups play – that’s just over 2000 riel per band. Bargain)
WHERE: Longbeach Plaza, Street 291 (Corner of Street 528), Tuol Kork
WHEN: 4 – 11pm December 14
WHY: Encounter pretty much the whole spectrum of unconventional Khmer bands, from pop-rock to the hardest guitars in the Kingdom