Bangkok Rocks: our rough guide to the Khrung Thep underground

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Where to hear sublime subterranean sounds in Bangkok

By Rocco Universal

After what felt like an eternity of housebound frustration, Bangkok's once vibrant nightlife landscape is finally easing itself into a timely resurrection. After months of restrictions, nightclubs, bars and entertainment venues are once again allowed to (legally) serve alcohol and accommodate dancers until (relatively) late into the night. The capital's nightspots had officially been forced to remain closed for various stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, with the most recent round of restrictions stretching back as far as March 2021. The ground level story was a little different than the word from on high, however, with cash-strapped venues circumnavigating the rules by serving food to re-open as faux-restaurants. By and large, the local police (or 'boys in brown' as they're not-so-lovingly referred to by locals) were happy enough to turn a blind eye in exchange for tea money, allowing many of the city's popular haunts to resume trading – albeit with tightly enforced closing times and occasional shakedowns.

Once known as a 24-hour metropolis, restrictions on Bangkok nightlife preceded the corona tidal wave, with the military-backed government – ushered in following the 2014 coup and in power, in one form or another, ever since – have long been at pains to clean up Thailand's reputation as a haven for hedonism. Even before 2019, venues that previously stayed open until dawn had been required to close by 2 am, and that statutory home time stubbornly persists at all but the most aberrant of hot spots.

What with arbitrary rules, bung-hungry police, and a transient customer base, you've long needed a stern backbone to even contemplate operating in Krung Thep's after-dark hospitality sector. With that in mind, it's a pretty safe bet the city's intrepid club and bar owners will find a way to keep the party in approximately full swing regardless of what the authorities throw at them. While it would be difficult to argue against the notion that the majority of Bangkok's tourist-themed nighttime venues are positioned at the x-rated and of the entertainments spectrum, there is beyond doubt a good deal more to its nocturnal map than the neon-lit sleaze of Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza and the rest.

Pandemic notwithstanding, clubbing enthusiasts have long been able to enjoy a nuanced selection of sounds and scenes spread across a scattering of underground venues. From immaculately polished glamour clubs to uncompromising dive bars, for those who know where to look, there's something to please even the most demanding of music lovers in the hidden streets of the steamy metropolis.

The entertainment hub of Thong Lo in downtown Bangkok continues to provide the bulk of the action, with the majority of worthwhile venues positioned in and around the area's traffic-clogged roads and dimly lit sois. If it's unfettered sub-culture you're after, the most fascinating after-dark adventures are to be found among the grassroots of the city's subterranean music community. Small bar-cum-clubs provide a home for innumerable crews and enthusiasts to showcase their diligently-mined audio treasures, with the compact spaces they provide lending themselves well to intimate and authentic party experiences. Recently rescued from the jaws of closure by a group of music-obsessed friends, 12x12 continues to be a favourite for hip locals and worldly ex-pats. Its unassuming exterior and residential setting belie the Aladdin's cave of urban art and sonic delight found inside, and the Japanese vinyl bar influence of its founder and previous owner – Okinawan entrepreneur and local legend, Hiroshi Matsui – makes its alluring presence felt despite the new owners' multi-national backgrounds.

Not too far away in terms of distance or intention, UV-adorned Studio Lam is another iconic and long-running destination for lovers of the esoteric. Roots reggae and Thai molam meet techno, house, drum & bass and global grooves as the loveable dive bar plays host to eclectic local crews and occasional international guests. Don't let the leviathan speaker stack fool you, though, sound levels are kept at sensible levels to avoid confrontation with the neighbours (and resulting visits from the po-po),

Smaller still, but no less inviting, vinyl-centric bars like FKA Black Amber are the place to be for the most serious of diggers, music connoisseurs, and those with a taste for fine liquor. Imagined as a 'whiskey bar on Saturn', high-quality drinks are served alongside weird and wonderful sounds plucked from rarefied vinyl racks – journeying through Detroit techno, abstract disco, electro, alternative rock and far beyond.

Heading away from the modernist mayhem of Thong Lo, the charming old town neighbourhood of Talad Noi is well worth a visit for anyone willing to veer off-piste, with the polychromatic cocktail heaven of Tropic City serving as a luminous, Tiki-themed outlier. Hawaiian shirt-clad bar staff mix mouth-watering cocktails as cutting-edge tracks echo from the speakers, with the venue's laid-back environment and on-point concept making it one of the region's most celebrated destination bars. Nearby, nestled among a row of dusty Thai-Chinese townhouses you'll find the offbeat chic and audiophile sounds of Biscuit Bar & Restaurant. Small but gorgeously formed, the charming venue serves delectable cuisine as vinyl selectors provide the sparkling soundtrack.

Elsewhere – perched on the edge of Bangkok's Sathorn business district – the cosy neighbourhood of Suan Phlu boasts one of Bangkok's most endearing haunts. The delightfully eccentric and art-filled interior of Smalls Bar provides fertile ground for in-the-know resident jocks to spin a cerebral selection of jazz, funk, and vintage grooves. Previously beloved as the local home of after-hours happenings, the bar has suffered as a result of the earlier closing times, but its distinct beatnik magic ensures its popularity remains intact.

Ironically, the pandemic era spawned a handful of intriguing newcomers to the Thai capital's events map, providing exciting new ground for local collectives to bloom from. Moored on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, the Bangkok Island party boat is proving a hit with locals, presenting a dizzying selection of styles and genres – from Balkan folk and Afrobeat to disco-house and balls-out '90s cheese. Diving to the murkiest of depths, Never Normal is the home for the grubbiest of aberrant sonic textures, where saucer-eyed seekers dance themselves into oblivion as moody techno and bass-heavy rhythms blast from the speakers.

While not blessed with a particularly impressive inventory of large-capacity clubs, main room partying is still possible, and Thong Lo once again provides the home. Located deep in the hubbub, BEAM was opened in 2016 and rightly billed as the city's premium clubbing benchmark. With its state of the art sound system, minimalist interior and prime location, it contains all imaginable rave requisites, but Bangkok's notoriously fickle punters can make footfall difficult to predict. Having previously welcomed underground dance luminaries including Derrick May, TOKiMONSTA, Peggy Gou, Soul Clap and more, the need to balance the books necessitated a subtle shift in music policy over time, with more commercially-minded protagonists eventually ushered in to help drive up revenue. Niche sounds still find room though, with committed local jocks permeating the line-up and a quality-led selection of international bookings set to resume once the industry reaches full stride.

Similar in size but a few degrees sexier in tone, the opium den-themed Sing Sing Theatre sees carefully attired revellers strut their collective stuff to sounds ranging in tone from accessible house and techno to commercial hip hop and r&b. Popular with well-heeled ex-pats, glamour pussies, models and wide-eyed tourists, the stroll past the immaculately-groomed revellers congregating in the always busy courtyard should give you some idea of what to expect inside. Local party-starters and a sprinkling of jet-setting international guests take the controls as the generally packed dancefloor gently sways below, with the adjoining Iron Balls Gin Parlour ready to take care of any overspill – with a slightly deeper soundtrack and home-distilled gin-centric drinks menu.

The venues themselves aren't the only indicators of good-timing in town, with the mind-boggling number of locally-operating DJ collectives often dictating the quality of any given night out. Names such as More Rice, Unst, Giant Swing, Sabai Sabai Soundsystem, and Music Makes Me High are among those to keep an eye out for, while UK rave staple Transport and home-grown outfit Karma Klique frequently unearth hidden spaces, into which some of the most memorable party moments you're likely to experience in the land of smiles are injected.

Finally, weekending beyond the city limits for just a two-hour drive out of town, the jewel in Thailand's subcultural crown, Wonderfruit, has just announced the first-phase line-up of its first full-blown festival since 2019, taking place from 15th – 18th December 2022. The boutique festival is unrivalled inside the country in terms of curation and production quality, attracting kaleidoscopic crowds of in-the-know revellers to its manicured home in The Fields of Siam Country Club. Colourful flags, spellbinding light shows and imaginative installations provide a backdrop from where an internationally-led line-up of cutting-edge artists, bands and DJs whip up a (dust) storm.

The idyllic backdrop and elegantly-frazzled atmosphere make for an unforgettable festival experience, with Wonderfruit comfortably going toe-to-toe with similarly sized international jamborees. Though incredibly popular, the spacious setting ensures it never feels unpleasantly crowded, while sensational food stalls, and on-site camping – not to mention the cleanest festival toilets you're ever likely to deposit your bio-waste in to – help contribute to a most agreeable alfresco adventure. If previous episodes are anything to go on, all stylistic boxes are likely to be ticked in one form or another – with the likes of Goldie, Nightmares On Wax, Craig Richards and Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy among those to have graced the stage.

The heralding of the festival along with the forthcoming relaxation of restrictions – both for incoming tourists and venues – help generate a palpable sense that the worst of the pandemic is finally behind us here in Bangkok. Clubs, bars, venues and promoters are ready with open arms to welcome back crowds, poised to play their respective parts to further enhance the city's reputation as a clued-up hive of club-rooted entertainment.