November
has arrived and, once again, a small provincial city in southern
Cambodia will become, for the next few days, the cultural centre of
South-East Asia. Kampot
Writers & Readers Festival 2016
is
the second annual edition of the Ubud-inspired
event celebrating literature, arts and culture in the Kingdom of
Wonder. Like last year’s festival, KWRF 2016 will feature many
superb live music performances - with artists travelling from far and
wide to attend. Rich
Webb
is
a UK-born, Australia-based alternative rock singer-songwriter with an
impressive CV that includes glowing reviews from the pages of Melody
Maker and
Rolling
Stone.
Rich will not only be performing at KWRF but also taking part in a
Songlines
discussion
session. Check out the KWRF
website
for
the full low-down on everything happening in Kampot over the next few
days.
![]() |
Michelle
Flemming, Rich Webb, and the Bunong Tribespeople: three great reasons
to make the trip to Kampot this weekend. Pics: Tripadvisor, Warner/Chappell, Film Noir Studios |
The
highlights of the KWRF are too numerous to mention, but if you
haven’t already heard the jaw-dropping voice of Michelle
Flemming,
don’t miss her over this weekend. The festival organisers have also
invited the superb Bunong
Tribespeople
(‘Indigenous
Voices’) to perform in Kampot, giving attendees the rare chance to
hear the authentic folk music of Mondulkiri province. If you are not
able to get away to Kampot for the festival, there will be a wrap
event taking place at The
Exchange
in
Phnom Penh on Monday night.
The
International
Music Festival Phnom Penh
has
now reached its thirteenth year. The brainchild of musician Anton
Isselhardt,
the event draws superb musicians to Phnom Penh to showcase classical
music. This year’s festival focuses on the music of the Renaissance
period, joining the worldwide commemoration of the 400th anniversary
of the death of William Shakespeare. A series of concerts taking
place in Phnom Penh over the next few days include a lute recital at
Intercon
tonight
(Thursday), a chance to hear a spinet piano being played at The
National Museum on Friday and an opera performance at the Meta
House
gallery
on Saturday. Check out the 13th
International Music Festival Phnom Penh
website
for
more details.
When
the Cambodian-Australian band Krom
last
performed at Jazz
Club Phnom Penh,
the venue was absolutely packed to the rafters with an audience that
included an international TV news film crew. A fiercely independent
and self-professed ‘reclusive’ musical group founded in Phnom
Penh and producing original songs of (often) dark subject matter, in
a style well removed from mainstream pop, have succeeded in garnering
attention from the BBC, ITN and numerous other media corporations
around the world. Krom
is
not a name that pops up very often in the Leng Pleng weekly gig
guide. The show at Jazz
Club on
Friday is reported to be their last until February 2017! Seats are
limited and we advise you to contact Jazz
Club directly
for reservations.
![]() |
(l-r) Deejay Cake, 12ME and Parker Jones stirring it up at Jazz Club. pic: Steve Porte |
Rapper
and producer Mehdi '12Mé'
Benabdessadok is an inspiring figure on the Cambodian music scene. He
fell in love with Khmer culture whilst still living in France, and
knew how to speak the Cambodian language before he even stepped off
the plane at Pochentong! A few short months after making a permanent
move to Phnom Penh, 12Mé
has
now completed his first album of Cambodian-inspired hip-hop, entitled
‘Samai Thmey’ (‘new era’). The set of songs not only features
numerous collaborations with Khmer hip hop artists (Lisha,
Deejay
Cake
and
Parker
Jones
to
name but three) but also contains some Khmer-language verses
performed by 12Mé
himself.
The ‘Samai Thmey’ album will be launched with a live gig at the
French Institute in Phnom Penh this Saturday night - this could be
the start of something huge!
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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