First Time at a Listening Bar

15 Jan, 2026

One day while idly browsing Facebook (an activity that should place me on some type of list) I saw an ad for a a "listening bar" called Freaking Out the Neighborhood. I'd later learned that's a Mac DeMarco song, but I digress. The bar is in walking distance from BTS Thonglor. It seemed interesting. They play vinyl records with great sound system, and you sip on "affordable" drinks. Last night after about a month of contemplation I finally visited.

The road to the bar was treacherous. Yes, it's within walking distance from the train, but you also have to walk into a dark street with no sidewalk and lots of cargo truck passing by. One 18-wheel truck carrying concrete cylinders passed me and it sounded like a sonic boom. The bar itself is also firmly within residential area (this is Thailand so you can legally do this) and I got barked at by housedogs on my way.

But I made it to the bar. First thought: it's very small. 2 4-seat tables and a counter bar. Second thought: it's very dark. The last time I was at a bar was in the before time when Covid wasn't a thing, and that bar was significantly brighter (it's a rooftop jazz bar if that means anything). The bartender light up the scented candle in front of me using a blowtorch as I squinted trying to read the menu. This is where I realize I've made a grave mistake. All the mixed drinks are 400 baht and above, which for context the minimum wage for a college graduate in Bangkok is roughly 500 baht per day. We're in Thonglor, what else did I expect? At the end I ordered a bottle of Castown craft cola for 170. I could have (and have¹) ordered that same cola from Shopee for 50, but that's the price of going to a bar to listen to great music.

Third, and the most pressing thought: other people came in pair or group and they were talking. Most of the chatters are in foreign language, but there's a group of Thais at one of the two tables. There's a card in front of me that said "please keep your conversation at a low volume" in handwritten font. I might've been the only person to respect that card. I tried to focus on the music, but I was flanked by an Indonesian couple and a white-guy-Asian-girl pair. And they're all talking so loudly. Maybe it's the size of the bar which was smaller than my open plan teuk taew (mixed-use row building, a common sight across Thailand) home that amplified the noises.

As for the music, it was a psych night that night. When I arrived they're playing Landowner - Escape the Compound. It was decent but I hadn't listened to it from start to finish so I can't comment much about it.

Then they played Ash Ra Tempel - Join Inn. I hadn't thought about Ash Ra Tempel since 2017 (I just checked my RYM) so it's nice to hear them again. The album is a pleasant listen. I used to be quite into that Berlin School, psychedelic synth sort of sound and this album is a blend of that and the more guitar-y Krautrock style.

After that, they put on Animal Collective - Time Skiffs. I don't really care about this album. It's fine but nothing stuck with me. I've always thought AC is overrated especially Merriweather Post Pavilion. Back in the days that album would get posted all the time in my corner of the internet. I was more into more hard electronic music at the time (as in, music that's purely electronic — long, looping techno tracks. Barely if any vocal samples), so I disliked any quirky "synthpop" project that I deemed not trve electronic as a result. That was irrational and stupid of me, but my opinion on AC still stands.

Finally, the "headliner" album of the night: Black Midi - Schlagenheim. I came to listen to this album specifically. I had been meaning to check out more of the Windmill scene music, and the death of Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin (RIP) prompted me to actually do so. This album is wonderful. It's 43 minutes of noisy and energetic guitar work in weird, varied time signature, occasionally punctured by soft spoken word. It's loud and just so sick. It makes me glad I completely missed the Windmill scene hype until now because I saw a bunch of people on RYM comment boxes complaining about all Windmill scene bands sounding the same and I just don't have that same fatigue. I think I'll check out more of Black Midi's stuff after this.

I left after that album. They put on Lalalar - Bi Cinnete Bakar as I left. It's a Turkish psych record. Sounded pretty cool but I only heard one song. It's 10 PM and I wanted to get home before Midnight. On my way home I stopped at Don Quixote (yes, the same Donki as in Yakuza games. They actually play the song IRL) and got 50% off assorted salmon sushi. It was fine.

Overall I'd say my experience at the listening bar has been decent. The music played were all pretty great (my dislike for Animal Collective aside). However the noise of other people talking really dampened the listening experience quite a lot. If I ever stop by again I might have to bring a friend or two to feel less sandwiched between other chatters.

#music