What’s On This Weekend?
Here’s your weekend guide to the best of the best of what’s going down in Phnom Penh Friday through Sunday.
Photo by Heather Ford on Unsplash
Friday
Film
Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2020 Academy Awards, Les Misérables belies its historic name by telling a story very much of the moment. In a Paris suburb, where racial tensions are high, police who are meant to fight criminals are the ones who break the law. What will they do when a young person of colour accidentally videos their crimes with a drone?
8:30pm, The Flicks, St. 95
Comedy
Box Office’s Comedic Stylings is a free stand-up show with a rotating cast of Phnom Penh’s funniest comedians. They want you to stay safe while you’re busting a gut, so seating is limited but can be reserved in advance.
7:30pm, Box Office, St. 244
Music
Groove to tunes you love at Alchemy. The Antonio Trio, featuring frontman Antonio Elchico, plays acoustic covers of many different kinds of recognisable pop songs.
7:30pm, Alchemy GastroPub, St. 123
Hard punk band Blood Bricks and electro-rock outfit Goldilocks Zone are playing a double bill in front of mind-tripping visuals by Cymatica to rock your socks off.
9pm, Cloud, St. 9
Aguita ‘E Coco will perform live the biggest dance hits of the Latin American music scene from the ‘50s through the ‘90s.
9pm, Est. Lounge, St. 214
Dance
Sundown Social Club and Harvest Craft Beer are putting together a special Sunset Sessions party to say goodbye to the workweek and hello to the weekend. DJs Jack Malipan, Sound Advice and Dr Wah Wah will play tropical disco and Harvest will be handing out FREE pale ales from 5–6pm.
5pm, Sundown Social Club, St. 440
Celebrate Pchum Ben with a special dance performance by Morningstar (as Rihanna) at neighbourhood favourite, Khmer-owned Teddy Bar.
8pm, Teddy Bar, St. 460
DJ Mash-K is taking over the decks at Duplex, playing a whole night of very dancey hip hop, R&B, house, reggaeton and EDM.
9pm, Duplex Tavern, St. 278
Underground electro has a home at Metatronic, Meta House’s weekly free dance party. Playing deep house, tech house and jungle are three DJs from far-flung lands: DJ Sequence, fin_lay and Shibui Q.
9pm, Meta House, St. 178
What Else?
Cheap drinks help you drink the week away, and Mad Monkey’s happy hour has them in spades. Cocktails are two-for-one at their post-work session by the pool.
5pm, Mad Monkey, St. 302
Saturday
Film
Kick off your day with an inspiring, light-hearted movie, featuring live action talking animals in a zoo that espouse the ideals of friendship and freedom. Well, The One and Only Ivan also stars a huge list of Hollywood actors, so you can spend the film trying to figure out whose famous voice you’re hearing.
10am, The Flicks, St. 95
Art
Get your stuff professionally tagged (or rather, tastefully illustrated) while drinking beers, eating tapas and appreciating an art exhibition at Sra’Art’s Pimp My Item.
2–6pm, Sra’Art, Sothearos Blvd.
“Recollection” is an unusual group photography exhibition, opening today at TorTim. Unusual because it’s a collaboration between a photographer, Pay Bunarath, and a dance troupe, Sophiline Art Ensemble. Its “performance photos” convey life in Cambodia before and during the Khmer Rouge.
5–8pm, TorTim, St. 418
“Cambodia B4 Covid/Finissage”’s closing party is the last change to see and buy the photographs by four artists, all taken in Cambodia before March 2020. Walk through the gallery and relive recent (and not so recent) history.
6–10pm, Meta House, St. 178
Music
Pay the Piper, the gig night that sustainably supports both musicians and venues, is back with its third edition and its first “battle of the sexes”. Headlining the show are two bands with a huge stage presence, Hypnotic Fist Technique and Pocket Change, led by two divas and two MCs who will go song for song, mixing up genres like hip hop, pop, R&B, soul, rock, rap, reggae and funk. Entrance is $7 (which goes towards the bands) and includes a free beer.
9pm, Boran House, St. 310
Solo acts are teaming up to regale craft beer lovers with flying guitar strings and smooth tenors. Meaning: Criztian Velayo and Hugo St Leger are playing a show together at a bar with twenty craft beers on tap. 🙂
6pm, Box Office, St. 244
Irish music and dancing! Kheltica will be playing Celtic music all night while Azure serves up Guinness specials and fish and chips. It starts off at 7:30pm with free Celtic dance lessons to put you into swing. 😉
8:30pm, Azure Bar and Grill, St. 123
To celebrate Mexico’s independence day, Mayimbe will perform live salsa, merengue, rumba and bachata while Mexican restaurant Itacate serves up margaritas, mezcalitas, and their special pambazos and guacamole.
8pm, Itacate, St. 302
Little Wine Bistro is opening its double doors and clearing the floor for a live music performance by El Compañero de Piso, aka “The Flatmate”. He’ll be playing rock tunes from the 60s through the 90s (think Bob Dylan to Soundgarden) and pop rock tunes by some big names from his native Spain.
8:30pm, Little Wine Bistro, St. 308
Felix El Moreno makes the crowd pop like popcorn with his quick-flowing Spanish-language hip hop over infectious beats.
9pm, Duplex Belgian Tavern, St. 278
Dance
Learn how to salsa dance at Workspace’s professional salsa dance workshops. These classes are intended for beginners, so don’t be shy. The class costs 32,000 riel for Khmer and $10 for foreigners.
7–8:15pm, The Factory, National Road 2
UK entourage Ginnell is doing what entourages do – putting on a big a*s dance party. DJs Contra, S7eelz, Cymatica (normally the VJ, but tonight a DJ) and fin_lay will be playing some very underground UK hip hop, UKG, future garage, deep dubstep and, of course, house and techno.
9pm, Good Times X, St. 172
What Else?
As part of their month-long Eco-Tourism Fair, Farm to Table is setting up tables (yes) for organisations that protect tigers and pangolins – Phnom Tmao Sanctuary with Wildlife Alliance Cambodia and Chi Phat Community-Based Ecotourism. Stop by and learn more about these groups and how they can provide you with an excellent, and unusual, holiday.
10am–2pm, Farm to Table, St. 360
Sunday
Film
A hit man in 1990s Hong Kong finds killing has lost its lustre. His partner is elusive. He wants to get out. Across town, an ex-con sneaks into businesses and runs them at night to make a living. Watch their lives unfold in Fallen Angels, a story that naturally takes place in the dark of night.
7pm, Meta House, St. 178
Music
How does one want one’s Sunday? Smooth. Intan and Arone plan to deliver with a chilled evening of jazz and soul.
7:30pm, Green Pepper, St. 370
That’s all for this weekend! Looking for more inspiration? Check out our interview with artists Adana and Tyta, whose joint exhibition Complementarity is now showing as the Rosewood.
