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Oscar –
pic: Jim Heston
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As
many Leng Pleng readers will
already be aware, Oscar Rock Cafe (to
use but one of the venue's several different monikers) has recently
changed ownership and ceased to be a live music venue. Best wishes
and best of luck to Oscar, one of the true characters of the Phnom
Penh music scene, as he continues to operate (and perform music at)
the original Oscar Bar
on Street 104. It would be tempting to point to the closure of his
Street 51 venue, and the recent winding-up of The Groove
and Memphis Pub, and
jump to an easy conclusion:
the appetite for live music in Phnom Penh is declining. Yet, on the
other side of the Tonle Sap,
a brand new music
venue has
opened it's doors. The
venue is called Sunset
Boulevard
and forms
part
of the newly-developed strip of
buildings leading to the huge Sokha Hotel complex
at the end of the peninsular. Early investigations
would suggest that there is not currently a huge amount of live music
happening on the 'other' riverside, with activity focussed almost
exclusively
on affordable seafood barbecues
but... watch this space (as always).
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Didier
Wampas
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Away
from the capital, the Cambodian music scene continues to grow.
There are several new venues including Lightbox
and KAMA
in Kampot and Seb Adnot's Le
Pain de Jade
in Kep. The latter venue is the location for this year's Kep
Music Market
festival
and will feature six bands
playing over three consecutive nights. Kheltica
and Manu
Pezard Quartet
open proceedings on Thursday
and Papa
Dub
will support visiting trio The
Love Below on
Friday. As their OutKast-inspired name suggests, the Saigon-based
group purvey a sexy blend of live r'n'b, hip-hop and
funk. All three members
of the band contribute vocals and special guest soloists are involved
whenever possible.
The
Music
Market
concludes on Saturday night with headlining act Didier
Wampas.
The politically-minded French punk is a strong showman
who
is never short on high-energy and high-volume performances. Wampas is
suitably supported by his
Sihanoukville-based compatriot Bob
Passion.
Check out the video below for a preview of the acts appearing at Kep
Music Market.
The
Love Below
will return to Phnom Penh for a jazz-inspired set at Doors
on
Saturday night, before concluding their Cambodian tour at Cabaret
on Tuesday. Didier
Wampas
and Bob
Passion
will also be playing gigs at Bhor
Garage in
Sihanoukville on Friday and Madison
Corner in
Battambang on Tuesday. Kheltica
also play Bodhi Villa in Kampot on Friday.
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Whatever
you're up to over the next few days, stay safe out there and... see
you around the traps!
JOE
WRIGLEY
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