= Live Music 
= DJs 
= Open Mic 
= Live Music & DJ * = International
The first hangover of
the New Year found me crammed into a 'luxury air-conditioned
limousine bus' on the journey between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. There
wasn't much luxury about it. The journey is particularly slow, dusty
and uncomfortable at the moment due to the vast extent of highway
roadworks taking place between Batheay and Kampong Thum. Roadworks
is perhaps not the most appropriate word as
it was tough to spot any machines or labourers along the 100km of
ripped-up road. The road-surfacing and road-widening operation seemed
to be
as abandoned as the innumerable
villagers and residents living in the pervading
dust-clouds either side of the road.
In
keeping with the doom and gloom of a New Year hangover, Leng
Pleng is sad to report that one of the foremost live music venues in
Phnom Penh will be closing its doors within the next few days. The
Groove will continue its normal music program on Friday and
Saturday before officially closing on Sunday January the 4th.
Surely, maestro Ritchy Boisson and the house band will be
joined by a few special drop-in guests this weekend to help see the
venue off in style. It will be sad to note the absence of The
Groove from future weekly gig listings. This classy establishment
has seen a cavalcade of first-rate musicians pass through its doors
since opening in the summer of 2013. Best wishes to Ritchy and The
Groove team in their future endeavours.
Here’s a few photos
from the globetrotting Ken Edgar:
 |
| Stephane Routtier and Ritchy |
 |
| l-r: Barry Spiers, Rhiannon Johnson, Ritchy and Greg Lavender |
 |
| Ritchy & Phil |
Groove
pics courtesy of www.kenedgar.com
Not a huge number of
gigs to get excited about during a predictably quiet first few days
of 2015. This being the Cambodian music scene, however, there are
still a handful of events worth checking out. DJ Kenny Raw will
be entertaining the Meta House crowd on Saturday night. Kenny
is an internationally renowned tech-house DJ and created his own
record label, Nightfalls Recordings, in 2014. Sample his stuff via
the soundcloud link below.
If you missed Los Hermanos at Slur Bar
last week, you have another chance to see this great band at Equinox on
Saturday night. In other news, UK singer-songwriter Billy Page is back in Phnom
Penh on Wednesday for the first of four weekly gigs at FCC – The Mansion. It will be interesting to catch up with Billy and check out his new
compositions.
Take it easy and… see you around the traps!
JOE WRIGLEY
You may want to update the categories of "Live Music Performers of Cambodia" and also "Venues of Cambodia". There are `several names in each category which need to be deleted and many new Music Performers that need to be added.
ReplyDeleteBig Mike, Sharky Bar