Whoever talked about the northeast being dead after 10pm, are you smoking crack? I stayed for a while in sisaket and buriram, both places were packed every night of the week. The bars and clubs were full until 4am. Mostly with underage looking kids wayyy more drunk than they should be.

It felt almost like being back in the UK.

Never visited issan but from what you describe it seems the closing hours are way more lax compared to bkk. In bkk most of them probably close at midnight to 2 am with only a few spots open till 4-5am.

Morlam is great Thai music - and i live in the north !