The one night in Bangkok refrain has been amended thanks to an increasingly paternal government – save hotels and three special zones, things shut down at midnight. Sukumvhit Soi 11 houses the Q Bar (Sukumvhit Soi 11) where beau-monde beauties pepper a crowd of bar girls and boozy expats, and BED Supperclub (see Where to Eat). There is feral dancing to be done at Lucifer Club (96/4-5 Sukhumvit Soi 23, +6622613007) and visiting DJs at fabulously kitsch disco Narcissus (112 Sukhumvit Soi 23, +6622584805). A worldly brand of sophistication – with a members-only entry policy, though exceptions are made – has arrived in the form of moody, dark and cocktail-fueled partying at Met Bar.

For venue hopping, Silom Soi 4 and the Ekamai and Thonglor areas are chock full of tiny lounges and whisky bars.

Live music is mostly cover-oriented. Jazz infuses Brown Sugar (231/20 Thanon Sarasin, +66225018256) and blues is best experienced at Saxophone (3/8 Thanon Phayathai, Victory Monument, +6622465472). For the Thai country-infused ‘Songs-For-Life’ protest sounds, sample Baan Mai Daeng Saad Saengdeun (24 Yasoob Soi 2, Thanon Viphavadi Rangsit, +6626915347) with Fong Nam’s fusion of all Thai modern and folk music, which makes cavernous Tawandang German Brewhouse (462/61 Thanon Narathiwat Ratchanakharin, +66267811145) unforgettable.

Katoey (ladyboy) cabarets are also legendary, with Calypso (Asia Hotel, Thanon Phyathai, +66221689378) renowned among straights, though it is inferior to the midnight show at Freeman Dance Arena (60/18-21 Thanon Silom, +6626308033), a gay disco between the twin gay bar strips of Silom Sois 2 and 4, where the lead venues are, respectively, DJ Station (+6622664029) and Telephone (+6622343279).

The hottest Thai bar is ICQ (Thanon Kamphaengphet, +6622724775) while Babylon (34 Soi Nanta, Sathorn Soi 1, +6626797984/5) is the most opulent of Bangkok’s saunas and world famous.

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