Live music in Chiang Mai
The music scene in Chiang Mai is surprisingly good for a city that gets billed as ‘provincial’ or even ‘backwater’. In fact, Chiang Mai’s rustic charms are a little misleading. This is, after all, one of the biggest cities in Thailand, and while it may not have a ramped up nightlife to rival Bangkok’s, it still teems with cosmopolitan energy.
Spend one night out in Chiang Mai and you’ll instantly see the appeal. The city centre is as lively as it is compact, making for easy connections (on foot or by tuk-tuk) from one happening venue to the next. If you plan things right, you can easily take in two or three sets of live music (in as many venues) in the course of an evening.
The top-end hotels in Chiang Mai, most of which are in the Night Bazaar district, all have their own lounges featuring live bands that play jazz, pop and light rock on a regular basis. Some of these bands are great; others will do in a pinch. The trick is to ask around first. In either event, the real pleasure of listening to live music in Chiang Mai is getting out of the hotel and into the streets.
A tour of the local music scene starts on the Ping River. A row of rambling old wooden buildings have been renovated and converted into restaurants and bars. Most start the music at around 19:30 and segue into excellent house bands later in the evening. These are polished groups that play to mixed crowds of expats and Thais. Come early on weekends and holidays to get a table overlooking the river.
From here it’s a short ride (or a rousing walk) to the city centre where the music starts later and lasts into the early morning hours. Little no-frills bars along the moat foster varying degrees of style and atmosphere. Thai cover bands are popular with locals, but aren’t as much of a draw for tourists. The real pleasure of the old city is the occasional overlooked hideaway.
For more style, charter transport west of the old city to Nimmanhaemen Road. Bars here ooze with bohemian flavour. A few of these are outstanding and attract as much attention for their live bands as for their creative menus and bold décor.
The only damper on the Chiang Mai music scene is a restrictive government mandate that requires venues to close their doors at midnight. A few have permission to stay open until 02:00. Little or no enforcement means most bars can get away with staying open later than they’re supposed to, and the bands play on.
Here is a list of some of the best live music venues in Chiang Mai:
La Brasserie is a popular riverside bar featuring a heady mix of classic rock and blues music. The owner is a musician himself, and it’s a special treat when he takes to the stage to play some of his own material. You never known when the mood will strike.
Drunken Flower has long been the queen of Nimmenhaemen’s bohemian bar scene and enjoys a devout following of expats and well-off Thais. It’s tucked into a side alley and offers mixed indoor and garden seating. Thai folk bands play on the weekends.
One of the best-known (and longest-running) establishments on the Ping River is Riverside Bar and Restaurant. Music starts after sunset, and by 21:00 house bands have taken the stage at both ends of the building. It’s worth getting a table and ordering from the menu.
To really explore Chiang Mai’s jazz scene, look no further than North Gate Jazz co-op. This funky three-walled venue is inside the northern flank of the moat next to Chang Puak Gate. Local bands rotate in and out on a nightly basis, with an open-mic night on Tuesdays. The emphasis is on improvisational (often experimental) jazz.
Good View is another riverside bar and restaurant. It’s newer and flashier than Riverside but doesn’t have permanent house bands. When a good band’s on stage, Good View is definitely worth the visit.
Another highlight of Nimmanhaemen Road is La Gritta in the Amari Hotel. Come on Saturday nights for live jazz.
The UN Irish Pub in the centre of the old city is more a bar than a music venue, but bands and solo acts play on Tuesdays and Fridays. This is a good place to hear Western musicians.
Heaven Beach is a magnet for backpackers and Marley-esque Thais clinging to what’s left of the bloc of Rasta bars behind the UN Irish Pub. Local bands play Thai pop and Rasta covers once or twice per week.
Warm Up is one Chiang Mai’s most popular clubs, especially with students from Chiang Mai University. It’s another asset of Nimmenhaemen Road and regularly hosts bands covering the latest, most popular Thai music.
For more on nightlife in Chiang Mai.
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