Category: Night & Day

FRIDAY 27 | 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: Doors, #18 Street 84 & 47
WHEN: 10pm September 27
WHY: Infectious beats and tasty horn lines

FRIDAY & SATURDAY 27 & 28 | If two of the capital’s funkiest, grungiest, low-down-and-dirtiest venues made deviant love one intoxicated evening, Cherry Bomb would surely be their horned, illegitimate spawn. It’s only right and proper then that monsters of metal Splitter and hard rockers Sangvar Day help christen the venue during its opening weekend. Watch out also for spinsters CAB, Simon C Vent, Polaak and Boom Baby.

WHO: A whole lotta hard rockin’ party people
WHAT: Cherry Bomb launch party
WHERE: Cherry Bomb, above Drunken Sponge, Street 51
WHEN: 9pm September 27 & 28
WHY: It isn’t every night you get to pop a cherry

Moi Tiet, quite literally ‘one more’ in Khmer, was originally conceived in 2012 by Scott Bywater, a Tasmanian drifter turned Phnom Penh local. Moi Tiet was the result of years of solo and group performances spread across four continents. Along with burly bassist Andre Stuart (South Africa), smooth saxist Marian Gommard (France), lead guitarist and pedal addict Chuck Villar (Philippines), percussionist Greg Lavender (Australia) and songstress Jenna Holliday (UK) this sextet boasts musical influences that range from Bob Dylan to Aretha Franklin. According to Scott, who has the trademark lead-singer characteristic of being first to answer: “If you are going to try to fly together, everyone has to believe you’re going to fly in the first place.” Even in light of the differences in gender, age and nationality, Moi Tiet leave you wondering why the UN has so much trouble cooperating. Their creative process is quite democratic: everyone gets a say in how the band plays. Currently, Scott writes many of their melodies which range anywhere from the bluesy feel of Flyin’ Into Pochentong, or Sunday Child, to the riffy tunes of Every Colour But One, but that’s changing. As Marian explains, it’s really hard to shine on a tenor sax in the key of A.

WHO: Moi Tiet
WHAT: All-original blues and stuff
WHERE: Equinox, #3a Street 278
WHEN: 9pm September 28
WHY: They could teach the UN a thing or two about international cooperation

SATURDAY 28 | The artist sweeps one arm over a canvas unrolled on the studio floor like a psychedelic welcome mat – a vast technicolour mash-up of lively forms and textures. From the next room, the dull rhythmic thud of bass bins threatens to stir the sticky air. “I will do something connected to his music, to show the rhythm of the sounds, the movement,” she says, nodding towards the door. “I use colours to express emotions and shapes to show the mood. You can see the DJ’s hands moving here, and over there is the sound.” An index finger jabs at enamel that’s been dribbled over acrylic like the zigzag of a hospital heart monitor. “And here you can see the equaliser, like the sounds that come out of the speaker when Warren’s playing.” More pointing, this time at a bright swirl of paint: “This sound here is like a DVD spinning. Each shape expresses an emotion: happiness, excitement…” Chhan Dina and Warren Daly are daring to tread in some of history’s most well-heeled footsteps. The duo – one a classically trained Cambodian artist; the other a DJ from Ireland – are redefining for the 21st century the complex relationship between sound and vision. Dina and Daly merge electronic dance music with live instruments and artists and audience participation to create a multisensory experience – a trip without a trip. Led by Daly, who in 2000 co-founded online record label Invisible Agent, they’re building on the work of 1960s San Francisco arts collectives that used disco balls and light projections on smoke to produce trip-like sensations (The Brotherhood of Light, who toured with The Grateful Dead, were inspired by the Beat generation and Ken Kesey’s ‘expansion of consciousness’ Acid Tests). In Swagger, Daly fuses pop culture, high culture and low culture by hooking painters, musicians, graffiti artists, digital artists and DJs into one psychedelic show.

WHO: The sonically and visually open-minded
WHAT: Swagger
WHERE: Meta House, #37 Sothearos Blvd
WHEN: 9pm September 28
WHY: A trip without a trip

WEDNESDAY 25 | A bicycle bell tinkles above muffled chatter and the distant swoosh of street noise. A single note rings out, slowly reverberating into silence. A second note, lower this time. The pitch drops again, followed by… the rush of wind? The splash of waves, perhaps? A lone voice with sing-song lilt echoes the same tonal arc: ‘Heat… Light… Weight… I am woken by the amber chants of bald men… and ecstatic squeals of children… and the mysterious banging and grinding that will miraculously turn into a new storey on a house across the street… or a new building on the next street down the block… once I have the energy to walk past it…’ So begins Triptych, the first album poised for release by WASH – an eclectic group of four sound wizards who between them span spoken word, electronica and live instrumentation. Triptych is no ordinary album, but then WASH is no ordinary group. Flyers promoting WASH’s second live performance, The Next Horizon, frame it thus: ‘Electronic music meets poetry and they get along pretty well.’ Let us turn for a moment to Hal FX (the ‘H’ in WASH): “WASH is basically comprised of one poet and three music producers, so our attitude to putting the music together is probably quite different from most groups. It’s more about considering the overall sound, thinking about what we can introduce to the vibe and how the audience is going to find the experience. Maybe I drew the short straw with playing the actual instruments: I don’t really consider myself a guitarist or keyboard player. First and foremost I’m a music producer, so this gives me quite a different approach to playing those instruments live. For me it’s about adding tones and textures to the rhythms and sounds that Warren and Alex put together. The guitar and piano melodies form a counterpoint to Scott’s voice and join the electronic world with the more natural.”

WHO: WASH
WHAT: The Next Horizon show plus Triptych album release
WHERE: Equinox, #3a Street 278
WHEN: 9pm September 25
WHY: “I surf on what they’re serving up. There are times when I’m thinking: ‘How does this start?’ Then the sound rises and I know where I am. I get to walk through this jungle they’ve created. It’s wonderful.” – Scott Bywater

SATURDAY 21 | The Fumes, together since 2009, are perhaps one of Phnom Penh’s longest-serving expat rock bands. The female-fronted quintet – a motley crew of music teachers and marching band survivors – conjure forth, among others, Nirvana, The Foo Fighters, Courtney Love, The Pixies, Elastica and The Clash. Their sound is “pretty heavy, thanks to [lead guitarist] Gem,” says front woman Karin Schelzig. Just don’t expect any Lenny Kravitz covers: the band vetoed them all by unanimous vote.

WHO: The Fumes
WHAT: Indie and alt-rock covers
WHERE: Sharky’s, Street 130
WHEN: 9pm September 21
WHY: They’ll rock your socks off

Recent graduates of acclaimed Irish stand-up Aidan Killian’s comedy crash course, the capital’s resident Funny People are staging their third Phnom Penh Punchliners open mic tonight. Brace your ribs for wicked wise-cracks from local scene stalwarts Dan Riley and Scotty Davies (UK), Sam Thomas (US) and guests. 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 September 21
WHY: It’s the best medicine

SATURDAY 21 | At the headquarters of Tiny Toones, where artful graffiti adorns the walls, kids of sex workers, drug addicts, the violent and parents otherwise unable to cope come to immerse themselves in the head-spinning, beat-boy culture that was the first wave of hip hop. Founded by ‘KK’ (real name: Tuy Sobil) in 2005, the organisation is today based in a bustling Chba Ampov alleyway on the far side of Monivong Bridge and supports hundreds of youngsters. “The major change is how I feel,” says one boy clad in a Manchester United football shirt. “I’m more happy than I was before I came to Tiny Toones.” “My favourite is the singing and dancing,” volunteers another. “It has opened my eyes to different aspects of art, especially coming from foreign places. I understand more now.” One boy giggles. “I never believed I could be a superstar.” Says KK’s sidekick, Shhort: “I was born in 1980 so I grew up listening to the first rappers back in the day. To me, rap was a movement. That’s why I fell in love with rap music. It was people living in the ghettoes speaking their minds. People were uniting through hip hop back in the day, with Queen Latifah and all those people. There wasn’t no gangster rap back then. Back then it was the b-boy, unity, love approach. We’re trying to bring back that original love and unity aspect.” At tonight’s fundraiser (entry is $4), expect guest appearances from spoken word artist Kosal Khiev and MC Gobshite; a mass dance performance and a breakdance battle.

WHO: Tiny Toones
WHAT: Home-grown hip hop show and workshop
WHERE: Show Box, #11 Street 330
WHEN: 7:30pm September 21
WHY: If you’ve never seen kids head-spinning and beat-boying, the time is NOW

FRIDAY 20 | Had he not succumbed to a lethal combination of alcoholism and prescription drugs at the age of 29, Hank Williams – also known as ‘the hillbilly Shakespeare’ – would have turned 90 this month. In homage to one of country music’s most enduring legends, Grass Snake Union’s Andre, Daniel Greg and Jose are teaming up with urban cowboy Joe Wrigley under the moniker Holey Bucket Union to perform a catalogue of Williams’ classics.

WHO: Holey Bucket Union
WHAT: Hank Williams tribute
WHERE: Equinox, #3a Street 278
WHEN: 9pm September 20
WHY: “Don’t take life too serious. You can’t get out alive, anyhow.” – Hank Williams

FRIDAY 20 | Amanda Bloom – a willowy, porcelain-skinned wisp with a penchant for vintage clothing – is an elegant Australian singer and composer who began studying piano at the age of three, wrote her first sonata aged six and debuted at the Sydney Opera House at just 17. On her first album, The History Of Things To Come, a song by the name of Rosetta – so called in honour of the Rosetta Stone, which famously unlocked the secrets of Ancient Egypt – contains the line: ‘An idea does not gain truth as it gains followers.’ When the album was released in 2010, the lyrics were immediately seized upon by freethinkers the world over. They’ve since been immortalised on everything from websites and radio shows to t-shirts and at least one tattoo. These ten words lie at the core of what Bloom, deeply touched by baroque and world music, describes on the album liner notes as “An epic and astounding fusion of fantasy, circus, classical, and piano-driven alternative rock.” Strings, oboes, harpsichords, cellos and timpanis layer in orchestral splendour amid off-beat rhythms, stunning harmonies and still more stirring lyrics. “Imagine an 18th century tea party with Tori Amos, Cirque du Soleil, Yann Tiersen and Muse” is how she defines her own otherwise almost indefinable style. Tonight, she will conjure a hypnotic blend of narrative, classical folk songs from her soon-to-be-released second album, Atlas, which features Australian saxophonist Euan Gray and Malaysian Asia Beat drummer Lewis Pragasam. “The album draws its inspiration from my experiences living in Cambodia for the last two years and is a melting pot of world, classical and piano-driven melodic pop music,” she says.

WHO: Amanda Bloom
WHAT: A hypnotic blend of narrative, classical folk songs
WHERE: Doors, Street 84 & 47
WHEN: 9pm September 20
WHY: “Imagine an 18th century tea party with Tori Amos, Cirque du Soleil, Yann Tiersen and Muse” – Amanda Bloom