With appearances at huge music festivals such as Ultra as well as top clubs around the world, Sesco promises all EDM fans an amazing night.

Tickets are Bt400 for males and Bt300 for females, all with one free drink.

To book a table call (082) 308 3246.

Night with Neil

Another Englishman who’s come to town is the London-based DJ, producer, remixer and label manager Neil Pierce. He’ll be spinning his energetic set tonight, also from 9, at Safe Room in Silom Soi 8. He’ll be joined by Q Naronwate and Kklarn.

Entry fee is Bt300 including one Moose Cider, available at the door.

Find out more at (087) 061 1117.

Rich as Ruby

Malta’s pioneer of electronic dance music, DJ Ruby, who is a resident of the prestigious Cafe del Mar, takes over the gear at Insanity Nightclub on Sukhumvit Soi 11 tomorrow night at 10 for a night of quality house music.

Tickets are Bt400 for male and Bt300 for female with one drink. For more information and table reservations, call (082) 731 8885.

Bacardi House Party and Zaap present the seventh edition of the Zaap Room with the Trap and Twerk DJ Benzi at Violett in the Third Place Building on Thonglor Soi 10 tomorrow from 10pm to 2am.

Tickets cost Bt300 at the door.0 For table reservations, call (095) 393 8858.

Rhythms and beats

Bangkok of Dreams  the electronic dance music festival organised by Blend 285 and Zaap  is back for its second year at Show DC Arena on Saturday. The event, which gets underway at 4pm, features worldclass international headliners including Danny Avila, Zomboy, ARMNHMR, DJ BI3nd, and Tokyo Machine.

Tickets cost Bt599 at https://zcanme.com/event.php?eid=22.

All out to party

Saturday night is hip-hop night at Maggie Choo’s on Silom with Bixzexy, Bangkok Invaders, Kie Or Jah, Mc Nickerplus and special guests.

For table reservations, call (091) 772 2144.

Brian Aylward, named Best Standup Comic at the 2016 Canadian Comedy Awards and one of the most respected touring comedians in the world, will host the hilarious night out.

Also onstage will be Chris Raufeisen, cofounder of RAW Comedy and a recent finalist in the Magners Comedy Competition, whom the great Doug Stanhope handpicked to open his January 2018 show at the Westin Bangkok.

Christy Inhulsen, who burst onto the scene with a top three finish in the Magners competition in Bangkok, will be there too. He’s been the “goto” opening act for bigtime comedians such as Tom Rhodes, Stephen Carlin and was a hit at the soldout “Good Girls Gone Bad” headlined by Comedy Central’s Jocelyn Chia.

Tickets cost Bt350 in advance and Bt500 at the door.

Mirza, an award-winning comedian, writer, and popular television and radio personality of Pakistani heritage, strikes a blow with her brave and on-point comedy.

Her critically acclaimed show, “The Kardashians Made Me Do It”, was listed as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. It played 103 nights internationally across the UK, USA, Sweden, Ireland, and France, completing four sellout runs at London’s Soho Theatre. She has stepped up a gear in her most recent international tour, “With Love From St Tropez”.

Lock, star of the award-winning, BAFTA-nominated “Star Stories”, manoeuvres true stories, one-liners, flights of fancy, and plausible theories into his stream of consciousness freestyle stand-up that has continued to deliver mesmerising performances year-after-year at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond, including “Trevor Lock’s Community Circle:, a two-hour “social experiment” that received 5-star reviews and described as “the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off”.

Killian, one of the most daring, original, and thought-provoking comedians around, has now performed his unique comedy style for seven Edinburgh Fringes, becoming known for his master class in satire. He was nominated for Best Comedian at the World Fringe in 2017. He carried on bringing laughter to audiences across the globe during his two-year world comedy tour.

Nuha, meanwhile, is a hilarious hijabi dedicated to spreading the thrill of halal humour. Based in Kuala Lumpur for the past seven years, Nuha is the first Maldivian stand-up comic to dominate in the both female and hijabi departments.

Early bird tickets are on sale now for Bt500 and Bt800 at the door, or Bt1,400 for VIP tickets, which includes free-flow drinks before the show and during the break a meet & greet with the comedians, and the best seats in the house.

Check out http://www.Ticketflap.com/bkkcomedy-shaziamirza.

He’ll be performing such hits as “My My My!” “Youth”, “Wild”, and “Dance To This” for Thai fans at Impact, Muang Thong Thani on May 8.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1995 and growing up in Perth, Australia, Sivan began singing and acting at a young age, but his biggest break came when he appeared as a young Wolverine in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”.

A child of the digital age, he launched his YouTube channel with videos of musical performances, originals and cover songs and later began to upload weekly video blogs documenting the minutiae of his teenage life in Perth which quickly garnered a loyal international audience. Sivan also showcases his acting talents in the 2018 film “Boy Erased”, alongside award-winning stars Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe.

His debut album, 2015’s “Blue Neighbourhood”, introduced him to the pop mainstream, landing in the Billboard Top Ten with the singles “Wild” and “Youth”. In early 2018, he issued the single “My My My!” from his second critically-acclaimed album “Bloom”. The song quickly went platinum in Australia and entered the US Top 100, topping Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. Additional singles “Bloom” and the Ariana Grande-assisted “Dance To This” followed.

Ticket prices start from Bt2,000 and go on sale on February 2 at all ThaiTicketMajor outlets and at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com. For Citi credit card holders, pre-sale tickets will be available onJanuary 30 and 31. Fan club pre-sale tickets are available from January 30 to February 1 via the Troye Sivan mobile application. Live Nation BEC-Tero members can purchase pre-sale tickets on February 1.

Keep updated on http://www.BecTero.com.

Celebrations for the New Year may be over, but for Southeast Asia’s jazz community, the festivities are about to begin. For jazz fans, January means another amazing week of top level, international and local musicians gathering for the Thailand International Jazz Conference. This annual event has become one of the most well-respected jazz happenings in the region and with good reason.

Pianist and composer Abdon Alcaraz of the Abdon Alcaraz Trio

Now in its 11th year, the conference is hosting some of the best jazz musicians and educators from around the globe.

The event consists of multiple presentations including master classes by notable performers, a jazz solo competition, and performances from students and professionals from around the world spread over seven days with the main concerts and activities running from January 25 to 27. Participants can enjoy visual arts and educational exhibits as well as stalls selling arts, crafts and food.

The TIJC Jazz Camp begins the week with a three-day series of master classes conducted in one of Mahidol University College of Music’s brand new, state-of-the-art facilities.

Veronica Sobrinos, vocalist with the Abdon Alcaraz Trio

Students arrive each morning for back-to-back sessions with masters of the jazz craft. As in previous years, 2019’s campers will study with a TIJC featured main stage act. The Alex Sipiagin Quintet, scheduled to perform at 10pm on January 27, will train more than 100 jazz students from around the world. Each of the five members from the award-winning group will give clinics to attendees, focusing on each musician’s strengths and musicality. There are also group classes and, of course, the famous jam sessions.

On the final day of jazz camp, students receive a certificate of completion signed by each instructor.

Speaking of his experience last year, TIJC 2018 jazz camper Us Nattakit said: “It was a great for me to have a chance to exchange ideas with Will Vinson (TIJC 2018 artist) and he inspired me a lot. He told me that what we really need is to be ‘musical’ because we’re making music not math and it changed my mind forever.”

TIJC 2019’s concerts will be played over three stages. The oval stage features morning-to-evening musical performances by local and international entertainers beginning at 10am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Acts include The DC Jazz Collective, a combo from the Washington, DC area, joining together to serve as ambassadors of DC’s jazz community. The combo includes busy performers and composers from the thriving DC jazz scene, including Lionel Lyles (sax), Oren Levine (keys), Evan Samuels (guitar), Percy White (bass), and Will Stephens (drums). Another performer is award-winning jazz saxophonist Shai Golan, an Israeli national currently dividing his time between New York and Los Angeles who has performed alongside many of jazz music’s biggest names.

The auditorium stage, otherwise known as Mahidol University’s MACM performance hall, serves as the venue for some of TIJC’s most exciting performances as well as for jazz enthusiasts to expand their musical knowledge and understanding with some best-known players from around the globe. TIJC invites all featured performers to give workshops for any and all conference goers, both in Thai and English.

Another anticipated feature on this stage is the TIJC Solo Competition, which is divided into two categories  – junior (under 22) and open (any age). The competition is open to all melodic instruments and challengers of any nationality.

Ari Hoenig

The main stage is the crown jewel performance venue of TIJC and shows begin at sunset. The world’s best jazz artists headline this outdoor bandstand. Featured artists include The Omer Avital Quintet, The Trionauts, the Abdon Alcaraz Trio, Polycat, Asia 7 featuring Rasmee, and of course, the Alex Sipiagin Quintet with trumpeter Alex Sipiagin.

Bangkok Swing x Dixieology

Sipiagin’s unique style, mellow flavour, and aggressively complex technique make him one of today’s leading jazz men. He is accompanied by a five-piece band, including impressive jazz-rock guitarist, David Gilmore and in-demand bassist, Scott Colley. Also sharing the stage is renowned drummer Ari Hoenig, famous for using Metric Modulation in his playing style, as well as excellent pianist, John Escreet.

Patcharapong Band

In addition to his quintet teaching at the TIJC Jazz Camp, Sipiagin will perform two different concerts. For the first show on January 26, he will join the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra for a night of jazz classics. The following day, Sipiagin will take the TIJC main stage along with his quintet to perform original music and arrangements. Jazz fans, and especially trumpet enthusiasts, should not miss this concert.

The Omer Avital Quintet will take the stage under the Israeli-born and Brooklyn-based leader, a master of various rhythmic and harmonic vocabularies underpinning two centuries of hardcore jazz express. The virtuoso bassist joined TIJC once before as a sideman to pianist Aaron Goldberg back in 2010.

Polycat

Avital is also joined by saxophonist Asaf Yuria who began playing at local clubs in Tel Aviv as a teenager and by high school was performing with Israel’s finest musicians. Also on saxophone is Alexander Levin who joined the quintet at age 20. Avital first heard Levin when he was in the Israeli Army and was so impressed by his playing, he sponsored him to the US. His pianist, Eden Ladin is a quiet force of harmonic complexity and lyricism while playing with a sensitivity that has earned him recognition from music’s prestigious publications and institutions, and collaborations with a large range of artists. Finally, Israeli drummer Ofri Nehemya, aged just 24, has been sharing the stage with the jazz world’s greats.

This year’s performance lineup is testament to the mission of the Thailand International Jazz Conference. More than ever before, TIJC will introduce a myriad of new Thai jazz artists ranging from traditional styles, to progressive groups, and to bands that fuse the sound of Thai traditional with modern jazz and reflect the growing jazz community here in Thailand, but also for all of Southeast Asia.

David Parente is a lecturer of jazz drumset and percussion at the College of Music, Mahidol University and one of committee members for Thailand International Jazz Conference 2019.

All that jazz

– Thailand International Jazz Conference 2019 will take place at Mahidol University from January 2527, from 10am to 11pm.

– Tickets are Bt3,000 for three-day conference pass (all events), Bt500 for a one-day clinic pass, and Bt800 for a one-day performance pass available at Thai Ticket Major counters and online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com and at the Prince Mahidol Hall ticket office. Call (02) 849 65656 extension 6604, 6609.

– For more information, visit https://www.Music.Mahidol.ac.th/tijc/index.html.

Filming the music video was challenging for Tor, James, Captain, Third, Porche, Jackie, JJ, Ice and Ryu as they had to work against the clock so the production team could capture the nuances and variations of natural light. And it was windy up on the glass tray too – scary when you’re standing 310 metres in the air.

Now the band is setting off on a Thailand tour dubbed “Route to Destinations” performing at The Mall Khorat on February 2 then going on to Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport on February 16 and Central Festival Hat Yai on February 23.

View the music video at youtube.com/4NOLOGUE. Follow the updated information about 9×9’s “Thailand Tour: Route to the Destination” at IG: 9by9th_official.

Time to welcome the pig

Southeast Life Insurance joins up with Mono Group for the first concert to welcome the Year of the Golden Pig at Stage 1 of Mono 29 Studio on Chaiyaphruek Road on February 2 at 5.

The concert features Thanida “Da Endorphine” Thamwimon and Pongkool “Pop” Suebsung. Admission is free for customers of the Southeast Life Insurance. Just call 1726.

Girls, girls, girls

Napassorn “New” Phoothornjai and Piyanut “Jew” Suajongproo, known as vocal duo New-Jew, are the first artists to take part in GMM Grammy’s new project, “Hall of Fan: Sunday Evening Concert” in collaboration with Thai Life Insurance, which will held on the last Sunday of the month for a oneyear period.

This first episode, taking place on January 27 at GMM Live House, is on the theme, “Dance Celebration” and will see New-Jew performing alongside Triumphs Kingdom.

Tickets cost Bt399 through the app The Concert. To download it, go to http://onelink.to/rm94xg (iOS and Android). For more information, follow Facebook/HallOfFan.

Thai classics come to life

Dnu Huntrakul and the Mai Thai Orchestra present a new concert series, “Mai Thai Introduces Thai Classics”, at the small hall of Thailand Cultural Centre on January 26 at 4.30pm and again on April 7 and June 2.

The series opens with the Thai classic, “Khaek Sarai”, “Ruean Phae” and “Yard Petch” as well as Dnu’s new songs “Ong Kattiya” and “Srang Krung” plus some Western classics.

Tickets cost from Bt500 to Bt1,500 at Thai Ticket Major. Call (02) 262 3456 or visit http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

Bird flies in

Superstar Thongchai “Bird” McIntyre will be back on stage with “2019 The Return of BBB #11: Dream Journey Restage” at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani, on March 23 at 7pm and March 24 at 3pm.

Bird’s comeback “Dream Journey” last year was a huge success thanks to splendid production and special guests such as Pop and Oat, Taew Natapohn, Prang Kannarun, Kat-Nat-Jintara, and BNK48.

Tickets cost from Bt1,500 to Bt6,000 at Thai Ticket Major.

The four lovely stars known collectively as Blackpink – usually stylised as BLACKPINK – launched a major charm offensive at Impact Arena last weekend as they kicked off their 2019 world tour.

Thailand was given the privilege of being the first country to enjoy the “Blackpink in Your Area” tour, much to the delight of fans, whose response was so overwhelming that one more round had to be added to the original back-to-back shows. All three concerts sold out, making Blackpink the first girl group to fill Impact Arena for three consecutive nights.

The four hot singers of Blackpink are raised up to the stage for the opening number.

The group’s supporters, known as Blinks – also stylised in all capitals –didn’t want to blink even once inside the concert hall because the performances by the group’s four members Rose, Lisa, Jennie, and Jisoo were simply too amazing to miss.

Screams echoed across the hall the minute Blackpink, which debuted in 2016, rose on mechanical platforms to the stage in glittering pink costumes to perform their mega-hit “DduDu DduDu”. Complemented by stunning light shows, the artists’ signature shooting dance moves for this song won big wows and had fans shouting for more. The girls then segued into “Forever Young” before officially greeting their fans in Thai and English. Lisa was the exception here. Born and raised in Thailand until her early teens, Lisa spoke Thai on stage to the loud cheers of fans. At the time of the concert, Lisa was not only the most followed female celeb in South Korea but also the most followed Thai on Instagram.

Greetings over, the girls took a seat and crooned “Stay” as fans waved the official Blackpink light sticks – “Pyong Bong” – across the hall. Next, the singers moved to the front part of the stage and sang “Whistle”.

Dressed in pink, Lisa, Jennie, Rose and Jisoo move closer to the audience for ‘Stay’.

A video clip then appeared on the giant screens and showed that the group has fans all over the world, which explains why this tour isn’t limited to Asia but also takes in North America, Europe and Australia.

The girls then took it in turns to perform solo. Jisoo was first up, appearing on stage on a pile of glittering balls that kept moving towards the fans as she sang “Clarity”. Lisa was next, performing sexy dances to the tunes of “Take Me” and “Swalla”. She made her every move eloquent, alluring, and powerful and matched it with facial expressions that had the crowd swooning. By the time her set ended, no one doubted that Lisa is one of the world’s best dancers – slithering, twerking and hitting the floor with her hand with professional aplomb.

Blackpink pile on the allure as they perform “Whistle”.

Some girls might have hesitated about putting on a show after Lisa’s fantastic performance but Rose had no trouble wowing the audience with her powerful vocals on “Let it be”, “You and I” and “Only look at me”. Jennie was the last to go and attired in a gorgeous red dress, she put on a breathtaking performance of “Solo”.

The ladies then handed over to their backing group Band Six as they left the stage to prepare for the next part of the show.

Returning to the stage, they delivered “So hot”, “Look at me” and “Playing with Fire” then introduced each musician to the audience and chatted with fans.

Lisa told the crowd that she had taken her band mates to a weekend market but failed to secure a discount, even after making repeated requests to a vendor. “But when Jennie asked for a discount in Thai, her request was honoured,” the Thai singer said, drawing laughter from the audience. Lisa asked couples in the hall to identify themselves and Jisoo timidly and jokingly suggested Lisa was her mate. And Rose did her best to sing the Thai song “Bao Bao” with the audience happily helping her to complete it.

Tracks “Really” and “See U Later” followed before the screens lit up again, this time showing the four girls with KIA cars. By the time the clip ended with the car leaving a trail reading BP (short for Blackpink) on screen, the four singers were on back on stage in sexy black attire for “16 shots”.

The four singers make some sexy moves while singing ‘Playing with Fire’.

Rose then told the fans that there were just two songs left and she wanted to take the opportunity to thank them for their support. Lisa then asked Blinks to please stand by her band no matter what, tacitly reminding fans of the #RespectLisa campaign that recently started online amid reports of discrimination against her. Jennie quickly said, “We will take care of her” as Jisoo rushed to embrace her.

Closing out the show with the dance number “Boombayah” before crooning “As if it’s your last” , they exited the stage but were soon back for an encore, choosing to perform “DduDu Ddu_Du alongside their music label’s mascot Krunk then sitting down for a rendition of “Stay”.

And even though the concert had already run for more than two hours, most fans were left wishing that it would go on for much, much longer.

The rising American singer, songwriter and producer, whose real name is Claire Cottrill, kicks off the Asian leg of the tour in Tokyo on March 6 and performs in Seoul and the Philippines before landing at Bangkok’s Nakarin Space on March 15.

The American electropop wonder, who has now turned 20, rose to prominence in late 2017 when “Pretty Girl” went viral on YouTube, amassing over 23 million views.

Signing with Fader Magazine’s inhouse label, she released her debut EP “Diary 001” last May, showcasing her ability to blend playful synths and hypnotic nonchalance into something that is both instantly relatable and irresistibly charming. No surprise that the movie and TV syncs have followed, with Clairo’s music featured on HBO’s “Ballers” series and “Heaven” selected as the lead track in the critically acclaimed, comingofage film “Skate Kitchen”.

Tickets cost Bt1,400 are now on sale at http://www.Ticketmelon.com/VIJI/CLAIRO and by calling (02) 026 3068.

 The singer and songwriter is known for numerous massive hits, such as this year’s “New Light”, “Gravity”, “Love on the Weekend”, “Heartbreak Warfare”, “Daughters”, “Waiting on the World to Change” and “Your Body is a Wonderland”. The upcoming concert will feature songs spanning Mayer’s entire recording career. There will be no opening act.

Mayer’s last album, 2017’s “The Search for Everything” was his seventh studio album. He has won seven Grammy awards and has earned a record seven US No 1s on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart and 25 entries on the Hot Rock Songs chart, the most for any solo artist.

In 2018, he released the Gold-certified “New Light,” while working on his eighth solo album.

Ticket prices start at Bt2,000 and will go on sale at 10am on Saturday, January 26.

Live Nation BEC-Tero members can be the first to secure tickets during the pre-sale beginning at 10am on Friday January 25 at all ThaiTicketMajor outlets and via http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

WJSN, also known as Cosmic Girls, has a lot to say about love with its new track “La La Love.”

“This is our first release of the year, and as the new year comes with a lot of expectations and love, our new song is full of love and fluttering feelings,” said Eunseo during the group’s media showcase for its new album in Seoul on Tuesday.

“We’ve been very busy lately, as we had to prepare for the new album and attend award shows at the same time. But we feel so proud of it,” Exy added.

The track, which fronts the act’s sixth EP, “WJ Stay,” touches on various complicated aspects of love as the bandmates sing about cherishing moments with their loved ones as if capturing them in photos. It features 10 of the band’s 13 members. The group’s three Chinese members, Cheng Xiao, Mei Qui and Xuan Yi, are currently absent, as they are pursuing individual activities.

Built around string and retro sounds, “La La Love”, created by the Full8loom team, who also worked on the act’s previous single “Save Me, Save You,” veers toward the act’s signature saccharine sound with a slight touch of dreamy electro pop.

“While we used to showcase our powerful and charismatic sides in our previous album, we tried to focus on our bright sides,” Dayoung said.

The music video of the song, shot against the backdrop of a festive carnival, also overflows with vibrant colours and magical elements.

The seventrack album includes “You Got”, “Star”. “Memories”, “Cantabile”, “12 O’clock” and “Ujung”.

All of the songs feature Exy, the team’s rapper, as a cowriter, while Dawon was credited as both composer and writer in “Ujung,” a sweet rhythmandblues number dedicated to the act’s fan base Ujung.

After debuting in February 2016 with the double singles “Mo Mo Mo” and “Catch Me”, Cosmic Girls gained international following with their girlish image and distinct concepts.

In October last year, the group saw its first win on a music show, on SBS MTV’s “The Show”, with its hit “Save Me, Save You” from its fifth EP, “WJ Please.”

Asked about the group’s New Year’s resolutions and goals, Yeonjung said, “We would like to become a triplecrown winner on music shows with ‘La La Love’.”

Exy added, “I have a very good feeling about this year. This year, I’d like to have more chances to meet our global fans and hold another solo concert.”