BANGKOK EYES PRESENTS -

Maps & Histories    About Us    Movies    Community     Archives

            The opinions of Blues afficionados aside, "The Blues" has never been a 'mainstream' music genre.   Nevertheless, over the years, Bangkok has had a number of Nitespot Venues featuring The Blues for longer or shorter periods (...some of you may remember Tokyo Joe's).   But recently (by this, we mean 'Post-Covid'), a number of Night Entertainment Venues have been featuring The Blues as their main attraction.   -And they are having increasing successes.   Below we present three of the top Blues Bars in Bangkok, where to find them, and what to expect....

            Probably the least likely Venue (in outward appearances) to have a blues band would be the Bang Bang Bar on Soi Ambassador.   It opened in March 2021 (taking over from the just-closed Brew Beers & Ciders) - just in time for the first wave of Covid.   It survived the Pandemic, and on reopening, brought in a regularly performing blues band.    The best nights are weekends, usually up and rolling at around 9:00 p.m.   The house usually has an ongoing 100 baht 'happy hour' for one of it's local beers.

VIDEO CLIP

 SOI  AMBASSADOR  (Sukhumvit Soi 11) 

            One of Bangkok's best blues bars was the Apoteka.   It didn't survive the vicissitudes of Covid, only to be replaced by The Golden Giraffe (opening in November 2022).   After some fits-and-starts, it now has a good rotation of blues bands cycling through.   Local beers under Baht 200 ...along with some choice beers for the few...   Best bands are on weekends after 9:00 p.m.

VIDEO CLIP

 SOI  AMBASSADOR  (Sukhumvit Soi 11) 

            The Green Room Bangkok opened up out of the blue, so to speak, in February 2022 as a built-for-purpose blues bar.    It was an instant success - oftentimes on weekends we see 'customers' standing outside for a free listen - as it is already SRO inside.   They often have walk-in guest singers front-up for a quick set (as in the clip below).   Local beers under Baht 200.

VIDEO CLIP

 SOI  EDEN  (Sukhumvit Soi 7/1) 

            Tokyo Joe's was arguably the first dedicated Blues Bar in Bangkok.   By 2007 it had successfully relocated from Sukhumvit Soi 24 to Soi 26 before finally going out of business.   Time for another Blues Festival?

  TOP  

BOOKS ...worth a read !

 TOP  

 TOP  

MIDNITE HOUR MAIL BOX         

  TOP  

Let the Follies begin-

 PATPONG  1  

MAP

       In the "We Don't Make Mistrakes Department", last month we failed to note the reopening of the Tip Top.   They have continued with their Pool Bar configuration for the present.   So then, it's official - they are right back where they left off... .

 PATPONG  1 

 PATPONG  2  

MAP

       It appears that the Patpong Museum has seen some recent activity, someone has been inside and has been cleaning up.   The goldfish pond is back out front, and they are once again receiving mail.   Too soon to get optimistic about a reopening - still a big wait-and-see item...   (Likewise, Delaney's, by the way...)

 PATPONG  2 

 SOI COWBOY  

MAP

            The Lighthouse seems to be the last holdout of the bars closed during the Pandemic-closure.   This comes as a bit of a surprise, in that it was one of the more popular bars on Cowboy in pre-Covid times.

 SOI  COWBOY 

 NANA PLAZA  

MAP

            A For-The-Archives pic of the long-running Morning Night, one of the popular bars at Nana Plaza facing outward onto Soi 4.

 NANA  PLAZA

            Up on the 2nd level, Straps has apparently fallen afoul of the Fates, and has been taken over (?) by Star...   We'll be following up on this next round...

 NANA  PLAZA

 SOI  NANA  

MAP

               It appears that The Blackout bar has been pulled under by the rip-tide and another bar is having their soft opening in those digs.   Let's see what it all looks like when the dust settles...   We'll get back atcha next time around..

 SOI  NANA  -  (SOI  4  SUKHUMVIT)

               The Charmming Massage has reopened (again) in Subsoi Big Mango.   May they continue to slip and slide...

 SOI  NANA  -  (SOI  4  SUKHUMVIT)

 SOI  KATOEY  

MAP

            We snapped this pic of the Infinity 88 almost by accident - we were unable to determine what this Venue is, or perhaps, will be.   More on this next trip around the Horn.

 SOI  KATOEY (Silom  Soi  4)

 SOI  22  

MAP

            Doors bolted, windows battened, the entire Venue wrapped in barrier tape, the popular, and thus very-long-running No Idea Cafe Gastropub has gone the way of the Phorusrhacos.   Greener grass, Gents...

 SOI  22  

             An (Unnamed Massage Parlor) has opened at the top of Sub-soi Lemongrass.   We'll endeavor to get another photo once they get a Thai or English sign nailed up.   Rub-a-dub-dub...

 SOI  22  

 SOI  AMBASSADOR  

MAP

            The Club Koreana has finished it's remodelling, and looking mighty fine....   A pic For-The-Archives...

 SOI  AMBASSADOR  (Sukhumvit Soi 11) 

            The Alchemist have upgraded their signage - and are becoming all the busier for it.   Gotsta get paid...

 SOI  AMBASSADOR  (Sukhumvit Soi 11) 

  7  CENTER  POINT  -  (SOI  7  PLAZA)  

MAP

            When Rain Bar moved off the North wall and into the adjacent 'island', Pookie Bar immediately expanded into the then-vacant space, thereby doubling their square footage.   May they continue to abide...

 7  CENTER  POINT  

            The Rain Bar relocated from the North wall onto the 'island' - now taking up about 50% of the space that was previously Long Shots.   These new digs are about three times the size of their original....   Keep on keeping on...

 7  CENTER  POINT  

            Big B's Cosy Bar has opened newly in part of the space that was previously occupied by the original Flamingo on the North wall.   This is Big B's third bar, one also in 7 Center Point, and the other at the back of Soi Ambassador next door to The Golden Giraffe.   May the night demons hector them less severely...

 7  CENTER  POINT  

 SOI DEAD  ARTISTS 

MAP

            The brand-new Tibet Gate is something we just have to try....   It's a Tibetan Meditation Center.   It's a Tibetan Cultural Center.   It has live music.   It has a Bar.   It has a Restaurant.   Once I arrive there, what am I supposed to do first?   Located in what was most recently the 33 Society (which never fully opened).   Welcome them to the machine.

 SOI  DEAD  ARTIST (Sukhumvit Soi 33) 

 SOI  EDEN 

MAP

            Last month we announced the arrival of a brand new, unnamed, Pool Bar.   This month they are fully open and have all their signage nailed up.   They are the Orange Bangkok - the same bar that started out as a Volkswagen van street bar, then moved into the complex of temporary bars on Soi Ambassador (which we were calling the Tewley Cocktail group).   As earlier reported, all those temporary bars on Soi Ambassador have been cleared out in preparation for a new construction development.   Welcome the Bangkok Orange to their new digs on Soi Eden, may they be dealt all aces and faces...

 SOI  EDEN  (Sukhumvit 7 / 1) 

 

 TOP  

          

Traces of Bangkok's Early Years

The Sani Chateau continued to bring in top foreign talent during this period.   We assume it must have been quite costly to fly in Frank Sinatra Jr. and his entourage of fourteen to perform for only a single evening.. September 1966

Following up from September's visit by the Frank Sinatra Jr. Show, the Sani Chateau scheduled in the Johnny Mathis Show for October.           September 1966

From the above advertisement, the relatively new S. Pattaya Massage & Turkish Bath on Petchburi's Golden Mile was promoting a lot of bathtub relaxation / entertainment.   From what little we were able to research, there wasn't any relationship with a similar venue in Pattaya.             September 1966

We came across a full newspaper page writeup of the then-brand-new Stardust Bar & Restaurant's opening night (a portion of which found above).   They were located in the Rajprasong Shopping Center (approximately where today's Big C is located on Rachdamri Road).   Although that area around Rachdamri had a few Nitespots in the 60's-80's, the area never really took off as a Night Entertainment Area.   September 1966

When we came across this clipping, we were more than surprised.   In September of '66, Max's of Patpong 1 renown had opened a second Max's next to Pan Am on Surawong Road called Another Max's. ...Just when we thought we knew better.... September 1966

As was the custom in Bangkok, when a new business opened, one could find (sometimes several pages of) adverts placed in the newspapers by other companies congratulating them on their new venture.   The above is such a case, where Universal Carpet congratulated the Honey Night Club on their opening night.   (We chose this photo as it showed the interior in some detail.)   The Honey was located next door to the Manhora Hotel on Surawong Road, and opened to much fanfare, to include Bernard Trink heaping praises on the Honey in his Nite Owl nightlife column. September 1966

Once Upon
A Time
In
HollywooD

FILM
REVIEW
Click Here

! ORDER
NOW !

Latest VINCENT CALVINO Novel OUT NOW ! *Click Here* A Christopher G. Moore Novel

  
 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With thanks to Cool Text.com

Bangkok Eyes is an historically based news outlet, and as such, all graphic excerpts herein are considered, under current legal precedents and
prevailing interpretations, 'Fair Use' under Copyright Law.   Copyright of any original artwork resides exclusively with the creators.

Bangkok's original site !

SINCE  2005

   The
MIDNITE HOUR
Graffiti Page is prepared by Staff Contributor "Boge" Hartman.

(Boge's photo, above, is not a graffiti per-se, although there are those who have insinuated....
- Ed)