Beatique

Beatique

  • The Writing Was on the Bathroom Wall

    ICE Out graffiti Chinatown Los Angeles 2026 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    ICE Out graffiti in Chinatown (Pic: Liz O.)

    The instructions were to share some good news. It was late afternoon on the Saturday after the election and I was in the Arts District at an event celebrating the late pop artist Corita Kent. The Good News booth was a kind of participatory, conceptual art project meant to prompt people to observe and practice gratitude. I stood at the side of the booth with a friend, looking at the messages people had already posted and wondering what else could be said. Plenty had already written some variation of the “blue tsunami” that hit the country on Tuesday night. Between Tuesday night and Saturday afternoon, that was overwhelmingly the vibe in L.A. 

    I don’t know if I’m all that surprised by the election results. Eventually, people start coming to their senses, right? And the writing had been on the bathroom walls for years. “Fuck Trump.” “Fuck ICE.” “Free Palestine.” The messages people send when they have more anonymity than social media offers are the ones that lead me to believe that even the most mild-mannered amongst us are royally pissed off right now and it’s not just a “gas is really expensive” thing. 

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  • New Fontaines D.C., Hercules and Love Affair + More of What You Heard at Underground

    Hercules and Love Affair Danseur album cover
    Cover art for Danseur by Hercules and Love Affair

    Played a last minute set at Underground on Friday night from around 11:45 until closing. Happy to see more people dancing to my favorite song on the new Hercules & Love Affair album, “Heaven,” which has Faris Badwan of The Horrors on vocals and my favorite new Fontaines D.C. tune, “Mimesis.” Even happier that someone requested The Watergirls “Whole of the Moon” cover, which probably will be my favorite dance tune of this year. Set list is below. 

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  • Clubs, Concerts and Cult Movie Screenings Happening in L.A. 11/05 -11/11/26

    View of Hill St. in Chinatown Los Angeles with Metro bus in front of a graffiti covered abandoned building (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    (Pic: Liz O.)

    This is just a quick update here with Los Angeles event recommendations for Thursday, November 5, through Wednesday, November 11. 

    Thursday, November 5

    It looks like there are still tickets available to see Kate Bollinger, performing from her new EP, Shop Girl, and other songs tonight, November 5, at 2220 Arts + Archives.  Also happening tonight is Dead City Punks’ record release show at 1720. Also on the bill are Problem (their final show), Mr. Radical, Battery Acid and Black Mold. It’s free, first-come-first-served, and starts at 7 p.m. 

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  • Boy Harsher, Fontaines D.C. and More of What You Heard at Club Underground’s Halloween Party

    Boy Harsher Get Mean album cover
    Get Mean by Boy Harsher is out now.

    Didn’t take pics last night at Club Underground’s Halloween party, but there were some killer costumes. (My favorite was the Black Knight, with a flesh wound, from The Holy Grail.) But, I did manage to keep track of my sets. First one was opening upstairs. Second was downstairs from midnight to close. Tunes are listed below. New-ish stuff (past two years) links back to other mentions here. That’s it for now. Happy Halloween!

    Oh, and if you want actual spooky tunes today, check out this year’s Halloween edition of DJ Hoseh’s Dublab show, Version Sounds, with guest DJ sets from yours truly.

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  • Club Underground’s Halloween Party + More Happening in L.A. 10/29-11/04

    This Friday, October 30, is Club Underground’s Halloween party at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown. Both floors of the venue will be open, with Larry G., Filthy Rich and me, Liz O., on the decks from 9:30 p.m. until close. Tickets are going fast, so you might want to head over to Dice or Eventbrite and get yours in advance. See you on the dance floor this Friday night!

    There’s a ton happening this weekend, and early next week too, but these are my best recommendations. 

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  • Bizou to Play EP Release Show at Gold-Diggers on November 3

    Bizou press photo Ben Thomas
    Bizou (Photo: Ben Thomas)

    It’s not too often that the members of L.A.-based Bizou can convene on stage. “Honestly, getting everyone together to commit to a single date is kind of a miracle. The stars have to align,” says singer Marisa Prietto. “It’s frustrating, planning everyone’s schedule, but when it happens, it’s so euphoric.” For Angelenos, your next chance to check out the locals is November 3 at Gold-Diggers, where they’ll headline, with support from Landroid and Nightjacket. 

    The show comes just a little over a month after the release of Bizou’s new EP, Widow, which itself was a long time in the making. It makes sense when you realize how many other projects that members of Bizou have going. Prietto plays with Glaare and Some Ember. Josiah Mazzaschi, best known for band Light FM, is also part of the electro-punk outfit Child Seat and records other artists at his studio, The Cave. Meanwhile, Nicole Fiorentino has been on the road with Garbage.

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  • Digger, The Avalanches and Absurd Advertising

    Sydney Sweeney Novig ad in downtown Los Angeles (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    It’s totally not gambling. Not at all. (Pic: Liz O.)

    Sydney Sweeney and her football boobs flash across a digital billboard advertising something that’s totally not a gambling site across the street from the arena where the Lakers, Kings and Sparks all play. We had just seen Digger at the L.A. Live Regal, a weekday afternoon screening to a crowd of, maybe, 10 people. The movie skewers corporate America to the extent that you might leave thinking that its status as a box office bomb is a part of a conspiracy.

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  • The Avalanches and More of What You Heard at Club Underground 10/23/26

    The Avalanches No Bad Memories album cover
    Cover of No Bad Memories by The Avalanches

    I’ve been trying to write about No Bad Memories, the new album from The Avalanches, for days now, but haven’t had a chance to finish that. In the meantime, you should know that it’s 100% one of those albums that you need to listen to from start to finish in one session, like Since I Left You. However, I did pull one song to fit into last night’s set at Club Underground. It is now Saturday morning and I still have that song stuck in my head. It haunted my dreams last night. Does that count as a recommendation?

    Anyhow, the set list is below. Songs from the past year or two are in bold and link back to other mentions on this blog. 

    And don’t snooze on getting your tickets for Underground’s Halloween Party. It’s next Friday, October 30, at the Grand Star in Chinatown. Both floors of the club will be open. Tickets are on sale now. 

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  • Halloween Parties, Chelsea Wolfe + More Happening in L.A. This Weekend

    Albert Reyes Haunted House at Eastern Projects (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    Albert Reyes’ Macabre haunted house at Eastern Projects in Chinatown. (Pic: Liz O.)

    Update (10/22): Turns out that I will be DJing at Club Underground this week. Catch me playing indie, post-punk, Britpop, electro, synthpop and more all night at Grand Star Jazz Club from 9:30 p.m. until last call. Advance tickets are available now.

    If you’re in Chinatown this weekend, definitely stop by Eastern Projects to check out Albert Reyes’ current exhibition, Macabre. The centerpiece is the super creepy haunted house that he used to build in his backyard every year. Plus, you’ll see art from 80 artists in the show. It’s a lot. I walked through the gallery last week, but definitely plan to drop by again for another look. Eastern Projects is open from Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. and it’s located on the bottom level of the Blossom apartment building on Broadway and College. 

    Also, if you haven’t seen The Devils on the big screen yet, you still have a few more days to catch it in theaters, as it looks like some spots, including the Regal LA Live and Laemmle’s NoHo 7, will continue screenings into next week. I had seen the movie before the re-release, but watching the director’s cut (finally!) In a movie theater is a completely different experience. I had the movie so stuck in my head afterwards that I had to write about it. And, if Digger is playing anywhere near you, go see that too. It looks like it will be at Landmark Sunset and Laemmle Glendale into next week. The reviews are wrong and the whole “this movie is a bomb,” angle is stupid, but I’ll write more about that later. Go see it for yourself. 

    As for DJ gigs, I’m off this week, but will be back at Club Underground on Friday, October 30, for this year’s Halloween Party. Tickets are on sale now. 

    Here are my recommendations for this weekend and early next week. 

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  • The Devils You Know

    Downtown Los Angeles No Kings march October 17 2026 photo Liz Ohanesian
    No Kings at Los Angeles City Hall 10/17/26 (Pic: Liz O.)

    There are no fewer than three songs from the new Fontaines D.C. album running through my head right now. “Mimesis” is my favorite. It’s the one that is now a part of my DJ sets. Someone at Underground last night mentioned that it’s her favorite on the album too. At least, I think that’s what she said. It’s hard to hear when I’m DJing. Then there’s “Tongue,” the one some people on Reddit thing is too weird to be a single, which is a completely incorrect assessment, and “Intimate,” the apocalyptic closer.  Maybe I shouldn’t have listened to Dopamine Chamber so many times in a span of 24 hours, but I couldn’t help myself. I gorged on an album and now I’m paying the price with a very messy, and relentless, triple-song earworm that has followed me to yoga class and then the library on this Saturday afternoon. 

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