Calypso
ceiling. Strategically placed structures, great for resting an elbow or a drink, dot the open-plan dance floor, surrounded by plush sofas and stools. It’s a beautiful building but the toilets lack a little finesse.
คลับ คัลเจอร์ ถ. ศรีอยุธยา
Narz
NARZ (map D3) 112 Sukhumvit Soi 23 | BTS Asok, MRT Sukhumvit | 02-664-0373 | www.narzbangkok.com | 8pm-2am Narcissus has been a club fixture for 17 years, but its latest three-storied incarnation,The Narz Project, brings new energy to the complex. Located on a side street just off Sukhumvit Soi 23, hiphop lovers, techno heads and live band followers can now party all under one roof – albeit a huge one. Resident DJs spin the latest in dance and electronic in the ground level’s Narcissus Bangkok. On the second, Narz Zealot playsrap music and R&B. Rightly placed on the third floor is the ear-drum bursting Narz Ripper, which hosts a number of local Thai bands throughout the week. Crowds can be thin.
นาร์ส สุขุมวิท ซ.23
CLUB CULTURE (map C3) Sri Ayutthaya Rd (opp. Siam City Hotel) | BTS Phaya Thai | 08-9497-8422 | www.club-culture-bkk.com | Tue-Sun 8pm-2am | B400 (incl. 2 drinks) This modish 1,000-capacity club attracts a cross-cultural mix of trendy Thais and expats and the diversity is mirrored in the music policy. They promote new talent, while also bringing in the big guns, ensuring an eclectic roster of breakbeat, electronica, trance, indie rock, drum ‘n’ bass and house music. Climb carpeted steps, pass through a curtained stairwell and you’ll enter a space where chandeliers and Thai wood carvings hang from the bangkok 101
THE CLUB (map A2-3) 123 Khao San Rd, Taladyod, Phranakorn | 02-629-1010 | www.theclubkhaosan.com | free The walk-in crowd of young Thais and backpackers will be amazed to find they’ve entered a castle on Khao San Road. The spiral staircase to the central DJ platform and sky-high windows give a fairy-tale vibe that would make Rapunzel want to let her hair down and hang loose. Music-wise, it’s a loud, banging house with a B300-500 entry fee for special events from psy-trance to breakbeat to global DJs. Ladies’ night on Thursdays treats the crowd to live percussion, while a saxophonist jazzes it up on Fridays.The drink prices are kind to your wallet and dancers entertain on Friday and Saturday nights. The Club aims to raise the stakes on the Khao San strip with plans for an outdoor monitor that will stream live action from the naughty goings-on inside. เดอะ คลับ ถ. ข้าวสาร 808 (map D3) RCA, block C | 02-203-1043 | MRT Pra ram 9 | www.808bangkok.com | 9am-late This slick nightclub – all imposing red lighting, exposed brick and steel-cladding – has been a hit with clubbers ever since it landed on RCA (p.93) in ’07. The reason: the line-up. Grandmaster Flash, James Lavelle and Derrick May to name but a few global DJ giants, have all rocked this postindustrial warehouse, aided in no small part by the ear-drum/body/tablerattling sound-system (watch that drink dance!). Head up to the balcony for a comfy leather perch, or gyrate with the diehards on the dancefloor. Entrance prices vary depending on who is gracing the decks that night.
เอท โอ เอท อาร์ซีเอ บลอกซี nightlife
Cabarets MAMBO (map C4) 59/28 Rama 3 Rd | 02-294-7381-2 | show time 7:15pm, 8:30pm, 10pm (please reserve for 10pm) | B800, VIP B1,000 The mother of Bangkok drag cabarets, tongue-in-cheek Mambo is still going strong, thanks to its fab ensemble of the city’s most glam kathoey giving their all amid rather drab décor. The very popular show is somewhat mainstreamy, but its professionalism keeps you entertained. The gals are so good they’ve even toured London. Be prepared for mimed pop tunes, Broadway evergreens, glitz and big, big melodrama.
แมมโบ ถ.พระราม3
CALYPSO (map C3) Asia Hotel | 296 Phaya Thai Rd | 02-216-8937| daily 8:15pm & 9:45pm | www.calypsocabaret.com | B1,000 (includes 1 drink) Bangkok’s biggest drag show cabaret features more than 50 kathoey (ladyboys) in a gender-bending and dazzling show twice a night. The show’s a rollercoaster of fun: envisage Madonna and Marilyn mimes, Nippon kitsch and the Paris Folies. Their Spice Girls are frighteningly good. Calypso offers an intriguing blend of the comic, the sexy and the bizarre. Don’t be afraid to take the kids along.
คาลิปโซ่ รร.เอเชีย ถ. พญาไท
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