Leng Pleng - Live Music and DJ Gig Guide of Cambodia: Leng Pleng Weekly Wrap - Commencing Thursday the 3rd September 2015

Odd-ditties!

James 'Skip' Sutherland will be giving a rare solo performance at Odd Pub tonight (Thursday). The erudite Skip is the former front-man of cult Scottish new-wave band Radio City and is currently residing in The Kingdom of Wonder. Odd Pub is a cool new Phnom Penh music venue operated by the same team that brought you the legendary Memphis Pub. Skip told Leng Pleng that gig-goers can look forward to some of his old Radio City and Blonde Brothers material, alongside choice cover songs of Alex Chilton, Syd Barrett and Roxy Music. The solo show will commence early and be followed by a blues-breaking set by Bona Thiem and the ODD Pub house band. Sounds like a good night!

A stone's throw south of ODD Pub, Samai Distillery will once again be throwing open their doors to a crowd of revellers and some high-quality live music this Thursday. Rhiannon Johnson (vocals) will be joined by Euan Gray (saxophone), Phil Javelle (keyboards) and Lewis Pragasam (drums) for a smooth session of funk, soul and pop.

Also on Thursday, newcomer Rockin' Robin will be performing at the Alley Bar. Robin is a travelling musician from France, recently arriving in Cambodia - having already visited 20 countries in one year! Robin plays folk, blues and rock'n'roll, accompanying his 'unique outdoor-grown voice' (!?) with guitar and harmonica. We haven't heard him play yet, but Robin definitely sounds like one to catch!

Stylish Newcomer

You never know when the next great, original, compelling act is going to turn up on the Phnom Penh music scene. You could be quietly munching on a calorific Tex-mex meal in a Phnom Penh alleyway restaurant when, all of a sudden, a fantastic guitarist turns up from the UK with a style you have never heard before. Blake Young is so under-the-radar he doesn't have a website, Facebook page or Youtube channel for us to be able to listen to his sounds online or share a picture of him. Actually, he doesn't even have a telephone number... If you do manage to catch him at the Alley Cat Cafe this Friday, you'll be treated to free-flowing, instrumental compositions performed on a classical guitar. The music is captivating, compelling and nearly as enigmatic as Blake Young himself - it's enough to make you drop your burrito! Alley Cat Cafe will also be celebrating the second anniversary of their acoustic open mic Sundowner Sessions with a special acoustic jam on Sunday afternoon.

Rock'n'Roll in the Provinces

Phnom Penh rockabilly trio Joe Wrigley & The Jumping Jacks will be travelling down to Kampot on Friday for a special show at the venue-formerly-known-as Bodhi Villa, henceforth known as Banyan Tree. In an awesome display of rock'n'roll solidarity, local heroes The Kampot Playboys have agreed to share the bill and make sure that the live music party goes off with a bang. With the venue being completely remodelled and reorganised, as well as renamed, it will be interesting to find out if the legendary Friday night Kampot scene is as vibrant as ever.

Meanwhile, the local heroes of Cambodia's second city, Sony & The Batbangers, will travel to Phnom Penh this weekend for a brace of gigs. The Battambang youngsters produce exuberant Cambodian rock'n'roll, such as their original song Ban Pror Pon Jas (check out the video below). The quality of the Batbangers recordings and music videos is still rough-and-ready at the moment, but the quality of their songs, their performances and their attitudes are superb. Definitely a star Cambodian band of the future. Catch them in Phnom Penh at Cabaret Restaurant on Friday night and at Sharky Bar on Saturday night.

World Travellers

Doors Phnom Penh continue their series of internationally-themed jazz gigs with a visit on Tuesday from Brazilian vocalist and percussionist Valtinho Anastacio. Ritchy & Phil (Boisson and Javelle) will provide backing on drums and keyboards. The gig is shaping up to be a very interesting and very groovy evening of Latin-jazz music. Check out the video below for a flavour of the music of Valtinho Anastacio. The Ritchy & Phil duo will also be grooving on down to Alley Bar on Friday night with some acoustic pop songs from the 1970's to the present day.

Amanda Bloom has released a brand-new music video for her song Eyes of Galena. It is sometimes hard to keep up with the globe-trotting singer-songwriter, as she splits her time between projects in Cambodia, India, the USA, Europe and wherever else she can find inspiration. Here's hoping that the truly original Amanda finds time for a Cambodian show, sometime soon!