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Dengue Fever
at Sneaky Dee’s (431 College), midnight.
Who: This Los Angeles-based Khmer rock band has thrillingly updated the swinging 60s Cambodian club sound with a contemporary alt-rock twist.
Why: Because Chhom Nimol, the group’s Cambodian emigré ringer of a singer, is among the most captivating performers working today. Period. And this will be your first chance to hear the funky-fresh songs from their awesome new Venus On Earth (M80) disc.
Buzz factor: Retail giant Amazon named Dengue Fever’s previous album, Escape From The Dragon House, the number-one international disc of 2005, and critics from Pitchfork, the New York Times, Spin, Los Angeles Times and the BBC haven’t stopped raving about them since. A contribution to the soundtrack of Jim Jarmusch’s cult hit Broken Flowers was a great set-up for Venus On Earth, and their new documentary film, Sleepwalking Through The Mekong, currently on the festival circuit, should further raise the group’s growing global profile.