Category: Night & Day

FRI 29 | We’ve all found ourselves craving a little more diversity in music and dance performances around here. Riverhouse group has heeded our wishes with a unique night of live belly dancing and cabaret at their Harem Lounge. The aptly titled Arabian Night will feature the fabulous body-shaking skills of professional dancers Linda Asha Abdalla and Jesmine Sok. Fly Cabaret will then present what’s guaranteed to be a festive, colourful performance. Arabian finger foods and drinks have been specially selected to set the mood for what’s set to be a night of energetic glitz and glamour.

WHO: Belly dancers and cabaret performers
WHAT: Arabian themed party
WHERE: Harem Lounge at Riverhouse, 157EZ Sisowath Quay
WHEN: 7pm, May 29
WHY: A little high-class belly jigglin’ never went astray.

FRI 29 | Tiny Toones presents Kreative Kings this Friday night at La Gasolina, with performances by the city’s best young breakers and hip hop dancers, as well as DJs and rappers. Anyone unfamiliar with Tiny Toones is either living in a hole or a backpacker, and should be publicly shamed either way. Nevertheless, for those unacquainted with the organisation, Tiny Toones has been using breakdancing, hip hop music and the contemporary arts to educate and inspire children from disadvantaged neighbourhoods since 2005. Every bit of the $4 donation for this event will be used to help TT keep funding their classes.

WHO:Tiny Toones performers
WHAT: DJs & dance
WHERE: La Gasolina, St. 57
WHEN: 5pm, May 29
WHY: An awesome way to contribute to a truly worthy cause.

SAT 30 | It’s always nice to give new life to old clothes. What’s even better than that is exchanging them into usable vouchers for new stuff. Come to Bee Vintage and Craft this weekend with those threads lost to the ether of your wardrobe and you’ll get a voucher for every item. Vouchers range in value from 50 cents to $3, depending on how well you’ve looked after them (and likely also where they sit on the fugly scale). The voucher can then be used in the shop to buy all new get up. And if there’s a chance that your clothes are not taken in for whatever reason, they’ll find a new home among the people of Boeung Kak who really need them.

WHO: Hoarders and seekers
WHAT: Clothing Swap
WHERE: Bee Vintage & Craft, St. 93
WHEN: 10am-8pm, May 30-31
WHY: Those forgotten threads aren’t going to sell themselves, y’know.

SAT 30 | Renry Hollins is a self-taught DJ with a passion for blending underground bass sounds, creating a mish mash of dub, jungle, boom bap, grime, UK garage, house and any other esoteric microgenres which may have emerged during the thirty seconds it took to write that. Originally from Kuala Lumpur, Hollins has shared the stage with Midival Punditz (India), EZ Riser (India), Baxtak (UK/Iran), HEEMS (USA) and Symbiz Sound (Germany). With his Indochina Tour currently underway, Hollins will be stopping off in the Penh to present a reggae, hip hop and soul infused set.

WHO: DJ Renry Hollins
WHAT: Underground bass
WHERE: The Room, #10 St. 246
WHEN: 9pm, May 30
WHY: If nothing else, what a rad name.

SAT 30 | Bloodstock is back with another installment of heavy, fast and furious punk and metal. Nightmare A.D. will firstly deliver a punk explosion with some classic Misfit covers thrown in. Knell, previously known as Splitter, will return to the stage with all new band members and songs that are louder and wilder than ever. They’re heavy, they’re metal and they’re definitely not for the feint-hearted. Daisy-chains and hessian are strictly prohibited, so don your steel-caps and join the break-neck moshpit madness.

WHO: Metal bands
WHAT: Live punk & metal
WHERE: Sharky Bar, #126 St. 130
WHEN: 7pm, May 30
WHY: If you like punk and metal, this is your chance to grab it by the horns.

THU 22 | The Penh’s lovable bard Scott Bywater is now selling his fourth volume of poems, Fog on the Loire. For those who don’t consider themselves poetry-readers, you’ll find Bywater’s works concise, light and beautiful in their simplicity. Fellow poets would probably prefer to describe them with a much deeper level of complexity, but I’ll leave that to the pros. Hear the words delivered with their intended rhythm and flow as the author reads a selection from the book available for purchase at the launch. And because it is a poetry-reading, red wine-drinking is compulsory.

WHO: Scott Bywater
WHAT: Poetry book launch
WHERE: Opera Café, #188 St. 13
WHEN: 7pm, May 21
WHY: Be a beatnik for a night. Everyone loves silly hats and red wine.

FRI 22 | According to numerous studies, when humans are deprived of one of our five major senses, others become more finely tuned to compensate. Banter about the scientific technicalities as much as you like, this exhibition by the photography students of the Deaf Community Centre is testament to this notion. Capturing everyday scenes of life and framing fleeting moments of beauty and pain, these photos highlight visual aesthetics in their rawest form.

WHO: Deaf Community Centre photography students
WHAT: Photography exhibition
WHERE: Frangipani Living Art Hotel (rooftop), #15 St. 123
WHEN: 6pm, May 22
WHY: These pictures really do say more than words.

FRI 22 | You know that sexy, shiny gold card you’ve been carrying around that’s been scoring you sweet deals on products and services for all the best bars, eateries and services about town? Well, it ain’t just a pocket-saver with a pretty face. The Advisor VIP card represents way more than all that, and at our first Advisor VIP party for the year, you’ll see why. All card-holders gain free access to the VIP Retro Night party, where you can chill out to smooth tunes by Dr. Wah Wah and Sir. Alan Ritchie, sip on classic cocktails, or swap business cards. If you don’t have a card, sucks to be you. But we’re all about cheering for the underdog, so card will be sold on the door (or if you’re really cheap you can just pay a fiver with a free drink included instead). With even bigger VIP events to come throughout the year, you can think of it like Phnom Penh’s version of Charlie’s  Golden Ticket. Your welcome.

WHO: Advisor VIP card-holders
WHAT: THE ADVISOR VIP PARTY!!
WHERE: The Room, #10 Street 246
WHEN: 9pm, May 22
WHY: It’s the card that just keeps giving.

SAT 23 | Addicted to reggae SAT 23 If you missed them a few weeks back, you still have a chance to catch Dub Addiction lay down the rhythms at Sharky Bar this Saturday. If you’re not already a fan, it won’t take you long to be converted by their mellow fusion of ragga, dub and reggae spiked with energy-fuelled lyrics.

WHO: Dub Addiction
WHAT: Live reggae/ragga/dub
WHERE: Sharky Bar, #126 Street 130
WHEN: 8pm, May 23
WHY: It’s failsafe music with chilled out vibes.

SAT 23 | After having fostered a warm, welcoming environment for open mic writers and musicians, the ever-progressive team at Java, with the help of Scott Bywater, recognised a need for a distinctly youth-orientated platform for expression. With a quick flick of their innovative wands, the team have duly organised a regular youth open mic night for poetry slams and musical jams, launching this weekend. Kicking off the series will be a performance by ISPP, titled Fractured Poetry.

WHO: Young poets, spoken word artists and musicians
WHAT: Youth open mic night launch
WHERE: Java Café & Gallery, 56E1 Sihanouk Blvd, Phnom Penh
WHEN: 7pm, May 23
WHY: Dial into the world of the young and talented.