Hot Tuna Bar – Live Music On Walking Street
There is no shortage of things to do in Pattaya during the evenings, that is for sure. One of the things that my group of friends and I like to enjoy is listing to live music. Pattaya has a number of live music bars, some good and some – not so much. I’ve been on a quest to find the best live music venues in Pattaya. One of the first places to come to mind is Hot Tuna Bar on Walking Street.
When you tell friends to meet you at Hot Tuna Bar on Walking Street, it can sometimes cause confusion. It turns out there are a number of Hot Tuna Bars and even some bars that have been misidentified as a Hot Tuna Bar because they are next door to one. My Way Bar comes to mind as an example. Which if you go there, you’ll be seeing ladyboy’s not live music.
The Hot Tuna Bar we are talking about here is located right across the street from the Roxy and Insomnia night club. It is an open-air bar with plenty of seating and a stage for the band up front. It is a great venue for listing to live music in Pattaya and a place my friends and I have been to on numerous occasions.
The thing about live music venues is it doesn’t matter how nice the place is, it matters what kind of bands the bar can attract. I like classic rock as well as modern hits (though I prefer classic rock), so if you show me a band that can do covers of those well, I’m in. The few times I’ve been to Hot Tuna Bar I’ve not been disappointed.
They have a good house band that do a great job. You’ll get covers of the likes of AC/DC, Eagles, Guns N’ Roses, The Doors, and many more. They are a Thai band, which can often be hit or miss on the vocals, but I think these guys do a really good job all things considered.
Here is them doing a little AC/DC Whole Lotta Rosie cover. OK they don’t sound like AC/DC but not bad. Sing it with me – Got A Whole Lotta Losie…. yeah Brian Johnson is having nightmares and Bon Scott is rolling in his grave as you play this. But come on, this is Thailand.
Hot Tuna gets some other bands in to perform, some are better than others as you might expect. Lam Morrison kicks ass on the guitar, but I don’t recall much in the way of vocals. Other singers just murder the lyrics. But hey, they sing much better in English than I ever will in Thai, so good on them. Plus, I kind of like hearing our classic rock sung with a Thai accent, reminds me where I am and adds to the atmosphere.
Though I do wish they would get a website or Facebook page to let customers know what bands are playing when. But then again this is Pattaya, and most of their customers probably just wander in off Walking Street when they hear the music.
The seating inside Hot Tuna is a combination of tables up front and bench seating in back. There is plenty of space to hold a fair sized crowed. The last couple times I’ve been there it has been a relatively packed house, but we still managed to get a seat without much trouble.
If you are looking for a good live music bar in Pattaya, I would definitely recommend Hot Tuna. I’m going to try and check out some other establishments in the near future and report back.
If you have any suggestions or want to share you favorite places to listen to some live music in Pattaya, where that is on Walking Street or somewhere else about town, share them in the comments below.
Location: Walking Street, Pattaya.
Hours: 9PM – 5AM
Map:
