Bangkok’s nightlife has one thing for everyone – and that’s notably true of town’s dwell music scene. But the huge alternative on supply will be intimidating should you solely have a restricted time on this crowded metropolis earlier than you proceed in your travels. My native’s information to Bangkok’s vibrant dwell music scene gives you a number of pointers.
Live blues in Bangkok
He’s swaying within the heat mild, his fingers shifting effortlessly up and down the neck of his electrical guitar, his eyes closed tightly behind his black-rimmed glasses as he sings the Sam Cooke civil rights anthem ‘A Change is Gonna Come’. He delivers the tune with a lot emotion that each lyric seems like it’s being shot by means of my coronary heart. His guitar solo leaves goosebumps on my pores and skin.
It’s the type of world-class efficiency you’d count on in a blues bar in New Orleans or New York, but it surely’s taking place in Bangkok at one of many oldest dwell music venues in Thailand: The Saxophone Pub close to the Victory Monument sky practice station.
Take a Thai journey after exploring the music of Bangkok >
The Thai performer is named Chai and he’s been wowing vacationers and locals together with his soulfulness on this institution for greater than a decade. The pub, which additionally occurs to be the place the place UK artist Seal started his music profession, places on three dwell music acts, seven days per week with a give attention to the blues. But jazz, people, reggae and ska are additionally on the menu together with a spread of scrumptious Thai meals and inexpensive drinks.
If you’re staying close to Khao San Road, one other blues bar value trying out – particularly should you’re a musician – is the unusually named Adhere 13th Blues Bar. It’s a hole-in-the-wall venue the place you need to squeeze previous the band to get to the bar. The music is gritty and actual and the vibe is all the time pleasant. Most nights finish in a giant jam session and on weekends the viewers tends to be pushed out onto the road as a result of recognition of the place. The video under reveals Chai Blues at a distinct gig at Adhere thirteenth Blues Bar (he does get round).
The Saxophone Pub, 3/8 Phayathai Road Victory Monument, Bangkok 10400
Adhere 13th Blues Bar, 13 Samsen Road, Bangkok 10200.
Molam, the real article
Live music at Studio Lam. Image c/o Studio Lam
Back in 2009, Bangkok-based DJs Maft Sai and Chris Menist determined they needed to share their assortment of molam (an outdated type of music that originates in jap Thailand) with their buddies.
They had no concept that this need would result in a musical revival and the delivery of certainly one of Thailand’s most profitable music exports, The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band.
The group has carried out sell-out reveals from Berlin to Bucharest and performed festivals similar to Glastonbury. They’ve additionally given a brand new era of Thais and foreigners a purpose to fall in love with a method of music that was dying within the area.
The finest place to lap up this east-meets-west music is Studio Lam the place, on any given night time of the week, you may hear DJs mixing the sounds of Korat in northeastern Thailand with the reggae beats of Kingston in Jamaica. You’ll discover the bar close to Thong Lo sky practice station.
Studio Lam, 3/1 Sukhumvit 51, Bangkok 10110
Live jazz in Bangkok
Live music at Brown Sugar. Image c/o Brown Sugar
A bigger than life portrait of Louis Armstrong will be discovered on the partitions of Brown Sugar, Thailand’s most well-known jazz membership. If you dig his music or the likes of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock or John Coltrane – or should you’re simply in search of a cool bar to hang around in for a number of hours, examine this place out.
From Tuesday to Sunday you may get pleasure from among the nation’s best musicians performing every thing from experimental jazz to massive band requirements. The venue is open as a restaurant and café in the course of the day.
There’s additionally the Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s uber-classy Bamboo Bar, which is value a go to for the jazz music in addition to the plush darkish wooden interiors and stylish mirrored ceilings. Here you’ll discover Bangkok’s excessive society sipping cocktails to the songs of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday – carried out by touring worldwide jazz artists.
But a phrase of warning – don’t hassle going to the Bamboo Bar until you’ve obtained money to burn: drinks are NOT low-cost!
Bamboo Bar, 48 Oriental Avenue, Bangkok 10500
Brown Sugar, 469 Thanon Phra Sumen Bowon Niwet, Bangkok 10200.
Live rock music in Bangkok
From thrash steel to black steel, funk to demise – The Rock Pub close to Ratchathewi sky practice station is kind of probably the loudest dwell music venue within the metropolis and is unquestionably value a go to should you like heavy steel music.
Here you’ll discover tattooed Thais banging their heads to quite a lot of native rock bands. Expect numerous roaring and a vigorous mosh pit.
If you’re into one thing much less hardcore, the pub hosts tribute nights to bands like Nirvana and Guns N’ Roses – in addition to 80s and 90s themed nights for these simply desirous to exit for a boogie.
Bangkok, like most main cities, has a Hard Rock Café, which paradoxically caters for individuals who want a softer type of rock. If you don’t thoughts paying high worth for a burger when you hearken to a canopy band performing Hotel California, then test it out. But don’t look forward to finding something overly inspiring on stage.
The Rock Pub, 93/26-28 Hollywood Street Building, Payathai Road, Bangkok 10400.
Hard Rock Café, 424/3-6 Siam Square, Bangkok 10330.