Category: Night & Day

SATURDAY 26 | The Phnom Penh Punchliners, recent graduates of acclaimed Irish stand-up Aidan Killian’s comedy crash course, are staging another open mic tonight. Brace your ribs for wicked wise-cracks from local scene stalwarts Scotty Davies (UK), Sam Thomas (US), Dan Riley (UK), Emma Blint (UK) and Roddy Fraser (UK) with Mick Taylor (UK) as MC. Fancy your chances at being funny? Contact Dan Riley at dmriley440@nullgmail.com to arrange a slot on stage.

WHO: PP Punchliners
WHAT: Stand-up comedy open mic
WHERE: Equinox, #3a Street 278
WHEN: 8pm October 26
WHY: It’s the best medicine

 

THURSDAY 24-28 |  Want a historic look without having to go to the trouble of time travel? Rifle through this four-day sale of imported vintage clothing ranging from 1930s silk bias gowns to 1950s atomic novelty sundresses; from 1960s Madmen wiggle dresses to beaded jumpsuits and strapless 1980s cocktail dresses.

WHO: Timeless fashionistas
WHAT: Vintage Clothing Sale
WHERE: #21 Street 306 (next to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf)
WHEN: 8am – 8pm October 24 – 28
WHY: What better way to go back in time?

 

FRIDAY  25 | Formed in 1964 and regrouping exactly 20 years later, Jamaican ska band The Skatalites, of Guns Of Navarone fame – along with Studio One in-house bands the Soul Vendors, Sound Dimension, Soul Defenders and Brentford Road All Stars – laid the foundations for modern reggae. Mixing their danceable rhythms with popular jazz tonight are some of Phnom Penh’s most talented musicians, among them Sebastien Adnot (bass), Greg Lavender (drums), Euan Gray (saxophone) and Alexandre Scarpati (trombone). Known collectively as Jahzad, they promise an evening of “infectious beats and tasty horn lines”.

WHO: Jahzad
WHAT: Jamaican ska meets jazz
WHERE: Equinox, #3a Street 278
WHEN: 9pm October 25
WHY: Infectious beats and tasty horn lines

 

FRIDAY 25 & 26 | More Diplomatic Affairs, an original farce set in an unnamed embassy, is the Phnom Penh Players’ latest offering. The play was written by Emma Triller, who promises that “More of the situations are real than you would believe.”  It’s the follow-up to last year’s Diplomatic Affairs, which became the topic of many water-cooler conversations in embassies around Phnom Penh. Farce has more set rules than any other form of theatre: it’s like a piece of music or a sonnet. At the same time it can be written about anything. Whatever the cover up, mistress in the cupboard, two dinner dates on the same night, it’s still a farce. Writing a farce is no simple task: it’s like spinning a spider web. Each situation has a story of its own, but they are all connected. “Emma wrote an amazing script,” says Emily Marques, who’s returning to the unnamed embassy with the accent that made her the lead in several audience members’ dreams last year. “The way that everything plays off what came before it… It requires a certain type of writer.” Despite the success of television programmes such as Fawlty Towers and ’Allo, ’Allo, farce remains a uniquely theatrical genre. After all, there’s nothing like sitting in a theatre full of people and watching someone’s day go to Hell. Tickets ($10) for More Diplomatic Affairs are on sale now at Baitong Restaurant, Street 360; Willow Boutique Hotel, Street 21; Bopha Titanic Restaurant, Riverside; Cha Nails, Sothearos Boulevard and Tips & Toes, Street 278.

WHO: The Phnom Penh Players
WHAT: More Diplomatic Affairs
WHERE: Russian Cultural Centre, corner of Norodom Blvd & Street 222
WHEN: 7:30pm October 25 & 26
WHY: Life’s just one big farce, isn’t it?

 

FRIDAY 25 | Although we tend to associate the word ‘heritage’ with dusty old scholars and hooky Angkor Wat souvenirs, there’s more to it than that. Today there’s a chance to discover Cambodia’s fragile cultural legacies, both ancient and modern – and the people saving them for the future. Bringing the vinyl vibe of ’60s Cambodia back to life, for example, are The Underdogs, six young Khmers who met at the Music Arts School in 2012. Inspired by “the unforgettable sound of the golden age and also Dengue Fever and the Cambodian Space Project”, they’ve performed their mop-top tunes all over town. “It’s going to be an awesome event,” says frontman Samean ‘Sammie’ Ouk. “The Underdogs will rock you with the best Khmer old-school songs and make you feel like you are dancing in the past!” Contrast The Underdogs to warm-up act Master Hong Sun’s Ensemble. The elderly musicians from Kampong Speu beat accelerating rhythms, scratching out melodies on traditional stringed instruments. They are entreating the Areak, spirits who in days of yore helped the shaman (mehmut) when villagers fell sick. As part of the ritual-heavy performance the Areak are offered food and liquor too, not unlike a typical night out in Phnom Penh. “Younger people ought to appreciate all these art forms and ensure they are not lost – and in turn become creators inspired by the past,” says Jamie Lee, who helps digitise priceless Khmer heritage at Unesco. In 2005, the UN launched a World Day for Audiovisual Heritage and guardians of culture at the Bophana Centre, Cambodian Living Arts and Unesco have joined forces to organise this year’s event in Phnom Penh. Themed Musical and Performing Arts in Cambodia: Reviving Artistic Heritage, the aim is to breathe ‘a second life’ into everything from classical dance to jukebox favourites.

WHO: Culture vultures to retro rockers
WHAT: Cambodian music and dance spanning the centuries
WHERE: Bophana Centre, #64 Street 200
WHEN: 4pm October 25
WHY:  It doesn’t need to be old to be heritage

 

FRIDAY 25 | The thought of endorsing roots reggae groups founded by Frenchmen can trigger apprehension in reggae snobs, especially when such groups have never set foot on Jamaican soil. But what Vibratone lack in geographical legitimacy they more than make up for with enthusiasm, as evidenced by their recent performance at Doors’ Vibe Music Festival. Between them, Ben and Leonard (guitar), Julien (bass), Vibol (keys), Luis (drums) and Maia (vocals) boast an eclectic background, with musical roots from Brazil to France to the Philippines, yet their all-original reggae genuinely rocks. Keep your ears peeled for Dreams, of which Maia says: “Dreams talks about just that: dreams. The wants, needs and desires that we all have. When I wrote it, it began on a really materialistic note – be it money, a house, a car – then Julien and I spoke and I realised it needed more substance, so there is this transition between the first and second verses. It talks about being at peace with oneself and gaining happiness through fulfilment. We have another song called Who Are You Fooling? and it’s very political; it criticises the status quo and speaks about injustices.”

WHO: Vibratone
WHAT: All-original reggae
WHERE: Doors, Street 84 & 47
WHEN: 9:30pm October 25
WHY: See ‘what’

 

FRIDAY 25 |  A little over a century ago, Oklahoma-based Hart A Wand’s Dallas Blues became the very first copyrighted blues sheet music ever published. Within weeks, this catchy 12-bar tune was being hummed the length and breadth of the Mississippi River – and its influence on all the blues music that followed has earned its place in the annals of history. Rooted in spirituals and work songs, blues music is believed to date back to when slaves were finally granted freedom under the Emancipation Act of 1862. As Samuel Charters notes in his 1975 book The Country Blues, it’s thus more than a little ironic that the first published piece was, in fact, “by a white man” (Wand called his melody ‘Dallas Blues’ after a black porter who worked for the family said the tune ‘gave him the blues to go back to Dallas’). No less ironic is the fact that the man credited with introducing the blues to Australia, guitarist Phil Manning, is also conspicuously pale of complexion. Pity the fool who points this out. “Forget the colour. Everybody gets the blues sometimes.” A veteran of life on the road, Manning has been praised for his keen technical abilities, silky vocals and insightful songwriting. He’s an accomplished finger-picker and slide guitarist and echoes of country, bluegrass and folk reverberate through his songs. Expect the unexpected: rather than stick to a rigid set list, Manning prefers to let the crowd determine the direction each performance takes.

WHO: Phil Manning
WHAT: The blues, with echoes of country, bluegrass and folk
WHERE: The Gym Bar, Street 178
WHEN: 8:30pm October 25
WHY: Who says white men can’t sing the blues?

 

THURSDAY 17 | In Cambodia, the 12th century was a luminous era. The Khmer Empire, although often in conflict with its Champa neighbours, was most definitely in the ascendant. And what better way to legitimise national prowess, thought then King Suryavarman, than to build a massive f*ck-off city in the middle of the sweltering jungle? So the Cambodians raised one of the wonders of the world in Siem Reap: the city of Angkor. Using 3D image technology, Artist Bruno Levy shows how this now-ruined temple complex might have looked in all its gilded glory. After the exhibition opening, Norwegian composer/pianist Ingolv Haaland and famous Khmer vocalist Ouch Savy team up for an exclusive acoustic session.

WHO: Bruno Levy, Ingolv Haaland, Ouch Savy
WHAT: Angkorian exhibition opening & concert
WHERE: Meta House, #37 Sothearos Blvd.
WHEN: 6pm October 17
WHY: See how Angkor Wat might have looked in its gilded glory

 

WEDNESDAY 23 |  Doubling as front woman for post-hardcore band No Forever, 22-year-old Sam Rocker tonight goes unplugged, along with her guitarist Tim, in acoustic act Khmera. And it’s all about love, apparently. “The name Khmera means we are Khmer youth and Khmer people,” she says of the 16-month-old pop, rock and, well, pop-rock duo. “We love making music. We want to show that Khmer young people have the ability to do so. We can do it. We love it and we do what we can and what we love. We love to bring people together with the music and joy.”

WHO: Khmera
WHAT: Acoustic pop, rock and, well, pop-rock
WHERE: Doors, Street 84 & 47
WHEN: 8pm October 22
WHY: They love to bring people together with the music and joy

 

TUESDAY 22  | Artist Chath pierSath, by way of self exploration, stitches together magazine clippings and his own intimate writings in a series of unusual collages. Each serves as a personal message to his family, to Cambodia, to warmongers and their victims. Says Java founder Dana Langlois: “The words are written, re-written, painted over and layered with prose and imagery, creating complex pieces that exist at the intersection literature and painting.” You can even take part in the creation of a ‘collaborative poem’ by adding your own words and phrases to one of the gallery walls.

WHO: Chath pierSath
WHAT: Distant Geography exhibition opening
WHERE: Java Arts Cafe & Gallery, #56 Sihanouk Blvd.
WHEN: 6:30pm October 22
WHY: Complex pieces that exist at the intersection literature and painting