Two new bars from industry old-hands have opened up in the bustling Thonglor-Ekkamai area. The hip team behind Cosmic Café and Sonic just launched a new bar and restaurant called Moose up on the second floor of Y50 (Ekkamai Soi 21, Bangkok). They’ve said it will be more of a restaurant than Sonic (that means no room for dancing), but since they kicked off with a gig from Yellow Fang on Christmas Eve, to be followed by an acoustic set from Pae Arak on Feb 2, we expect it to be another great place to catch live music on the weekend. Over on Thonglor, the Mellow team just crossed the road to open the new 3-story bar and restaurant Bad Motel (next to J-Avenue, Thonglor. 02-712-7288). Expect a chilled out ambiance with electronic tunes and delicious dishes.  

In other news, Q Bar Bangkok (Sukhumvit Soi 11) just opened a visually arresting new bar right next door. Set in a revamped abandoned space, Le Derriere is a luxuriously fitted-out art nouveau absinth bar complete with velvet couches and dark-wooden lounge tables that offers both indoor and outdoor drinking. Beyond the bare-brick façade, the place has all the hallmarks of a exclusive club room. Cop a feel at www.facebook.com/LeDerriereQBarBangkok