Category: Night & Day

THU 9 | Robert Carmichael’s new book When Clouds Fell From The Sky spans five lives and five decades as it covers the causes and consequences of the Khmer Rouge’s catastrophic 1975-79 rule. Carmichael has worked for several international and local publications and written a book on Comrade Duch after having reported on the first Khmer Rouge Trial in 2009. He will be available for Q&A after the presentation of his book.

WHO: Robert Carmichael
WHAT: Book launch
WHERE: Meta House, #37 Sothearos Blvd.
WHEN: 7pm, April 9
WHY: A chance to meet and greet a well-versed author and journalist

FRI 10 | After a positively silly time was had last year, Show Box is presenting its second annual Show Box Awards this Friday night. Hosted by the lovable and hilarious house MCs Thina and Morgan, you can expect thinly veiled insults (aka awards) to flow as freely as the drinks, which will be specially priced to ensure good humour throughout the night. Everyone who doesn’t end up passing out on those comforting couches by the end of the night can scoot on over to the after party at D-club, where all those who attended the awards ceremony are entitled to one free beer. Let the good times roll.

WHO: Show Box winners
WHAT: Annual awards ceremony
WHERE: Show Box, #11, St. 330
WHEN: 8pm, April 10
WHY: Because sometimes even losers deserve a medal

SAT 11 | Get your summer best on and you may even snag yourself a prize at Riverhouse’s beach party this weekend. Sure, there won’t be an actual beach present, but there will be a host of live international musicians and DJs churning out chilled, summer grooves all night long, and that’s a pretty good substitute. Everything from Japanese electronic music to a local saxophonist and percussionist duo will be provided to ensure a party to kick the hot season off with one sweaty bang.

WHO: Live DJs and instrumentalists
WHAT: Beach-themed party
WHERE: Riverhouse Asian Bistro & Lounge, #157EZ Sisowath Quay
WHEN: 6pm, April 11
WHY: When there’s no beach at hand, you just have to get creative

SAT 11 | The Aussie-grown Potato Stars hit Equinox this week with their blitzkrieg rock that’s lasted almost 20 years. Going stronger than ever, frontman Falcon Randwick assures that their upcoming gig will be utterly unlike anything audiences will have witnessed before: “This band is like some sort of exploding amoeba. There is simply no way even we can be sure what kind of mayhem we’ll unleash on stage at any given gig.” And if that doesn’t tickle your pickle, the Spuds, to which they are often affectionately referred, will be supported by swamp rockers Delta Kong and experimental electro outfit timeofhex, a cross-disciplinary artist who converts hexadecimal (numerical) data derived from photographs into music. I think I just heard a few minds explode.

WHO: The Potato Stars, Delta Kong & timeofhex
WHAT: Three Aussie bands
WHERE: Equinox Bar, 3A St. 278
WHEN: 9pm, April 11
WHY: Blitzkrieg, swamp rock and experimental – all in the same room

TUE 14 | Now this is one party that is guaranteed to be 100% authentic beachside fun, occurring right on Sihanoukville’s Victory Beach itself. Sure, it means driving a few hours to get there, but with most city-dwellers fleeing the town over the Khmer New Year break anyway, there’s no reason not to get down there to join in. Running over five days and nights from April 14-18, Wave Electronic Music Festival will feature Khmer and international DJs playing house, techno, DnB, trance, reggae, hip hop and more. Headlining the festival are Dub Addiction, doing what they do best: delivering some of the finest quality live reggae/dub you’re likely to come across. Don’t stress about transport, as free shuttle buses will run direct to the festival from Otres 1 and Golden Lion Roundabout non-stop every day until the festival closes at 4am. Keeping in mind the non-committal nature of PP party-goers, the savvy organisers are selling tickets at $5 per day, so you don’t have to freak out about planning anything too far in advance. Having said that, it’s a festival, guys: if you’re going to do it then for God’s sake do it well.

WHO: Fun-loving festival-goers
WHAT: Beachside electronic music festival
WHERE: Victory Beach, Sihanoukville
WHEN: 2pm-4am, April 14-18
WHY: It’ll be just like Kazantip, only less expensive, less controversial and actually happening

SAT 18 | Most of us will likely have heard of Aussie hip hoppers Astronomy Class through their 2014 hit Four Barang In A Tuk-Tuk, which justifiably took the piss out of tourists behaving badly in our fine city. The album from which the song was taken, Mekong Delta Sunrise, is a non-stop hip hop journey through the Kingdom, which uses killer beats, catchy hooks and intelligent lyrics to highlight (and often poke fun at) some of the more pressing cultural issues the band noticed while road tripping through the country in 2012. Teaming up with Cambodian Space Project’s Srey Channthy, the tracks are additionally infused with Khmer rock psychedelia and Channthy’s penetrating, spirited vocals. They’ll be bringing their eclectic, high-energy sound to the Penh for one night only, so save the date and get along for a truly original international gig.

WHO: Astronomy Class ft. Srey Channthy
WHAT: Golden Age Cambodian pop X Aussie hip hop
WHERE: The Mansion – FCC, Samdach Sothearos Blvd.
WHEN: 8:30pm, April 18
WHY: A taste of Aussie hip hop with the best of Cambodian rockedelia

SAT 18 | It would be unfair, not to mention inaccurate, to simply refer to Sunshine Jones as a “house legend.” While an apt title to an extent, the music for which the San Franciscan DJ/producer is renowned combines sounds collected from his travels all over the world, creating a musical signature that makes labeling seem redundant. With the personal adage that “literally anything you can syncopate is house music” and an aversion to the common fixation of dividing music into infinite sub-genres, Jones experiments with live mixing, singing and re-editing on the fly. The outcome is a warm, beat-driven collection of sounds, which he has presented and remixed live to audiences in Australia, Japan, USA and now, Cambodia.

WHO: Sunshine Jones
WHAT: Experimental house music
WHERE: Pontoon Pulse, #80 St. 172
WHEN: 11pm, April 18
WHY: The more we attend truly awesome international acts like this one, the more they’ll keep coming

TUE 21 | After a week or two of Khmer New Year partying, it’s time to settle down and sober up again, and what better way to do it than with an exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh. French photographer Roland Neveu was one of the few foreigners who stayed behind when most of the press corps escaped the country as part of the US evacuation operation Eagle Pull, when Pol Pot launched his Year Zero campaign on April 17, 1975. The 35-mm films he shot that day are some of the only remaining images reflecting the confusion, chaos and panic of the time. This is a rare opportunity to witness the events as they happened, as well as listen to the artist’s first-hand experience during his talk on the Meta House rooftop at 8pm.

WHO: Roland Neveu
WHAT: Photography exhibition
WHERE: Meta House, #37 Sothearos Blvd.
WHEN: 6pm, April 21
WHY: A chance to see photos of one of the most rarely documented and most important events in history

FRI 3 | So, basically, these guys are a great example of that strange phenomenon that so often seems to occur within the live music scene, whereby a truly talented band with an original sound and killer riffs somehow hasn’t yet been picked up by a record label, but is still super happy just to play to enthusiastic audiences in the local pub. Take advantage of being one of these lucky listeners while you can, and check out their affecting, unique tunes before they realise how great they are and bugger off to somewhere bigger and better. With a combo of traditional hand drum and tro (Khmer string instrument) alongside electric guitar and bass (sometimes with accordion and/or congas, depending on who turns up for a jam), be ready to take part in an energy-fuelled jig.

WHO: Kampot Playboys
WHAT: Live traditional/Western rock fusion
WHERE: Equinox Bar, #3A St. 278
WHEN: 9pm April 3
WHY: Some of Cambodia’s best original rock musicians are in town

FRI 3 | Who needs cheap, shitty cocoa confectionary when you could treat yourself to a high tea fit for royalty? This Easter, ditch the coloured wrappers (‘cos let’s be honest, you’ll be hard pressed to get your hands on the good stuff anyway) and indulge in a decadent selection of treats and tea instead. And we use “indulge” and “decadent” purely in that irritating, health-conscience sense only, by the way. In terms of value for money, this is one of the sweetest deals you can come by for a quality set menu on a special occasion. $10 for two people will score you both a generous pot of tea accompanied by seriously gorgeous cakes, scones and savoury treats so pretty that you’ll question whether or not you’re even worthy enough be in their presence. The high tea is by reservation only (ph: 077 851 800) and will also feature on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5.

WHO: Sweet-toothed tea-sippers
WHAT: Afternoon high tea
WHERE: Daughters of Cambodia Sugar ‘n’ Spice Café, #130a, St. 430, Toul Tom Poung II.
WHEN: 8am-5:30pm, April 3
WHY: Easter treats with style