This Friday, May 16, is The Smiths Nite at Club Underground. Larry G., Rose Knows and I will be playing a mix of The Smiths, Morrissey and Johnny Marr, plus the indie, Britpop and post-punk bands they inspired over at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown. Advance tickets are available now, so click this link to get yours. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and it’s 21+.
Grand Star Jazz Club is located at 943 N. Broadway, inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza, right next to the Bruce Lee statue.
As for the rest of the weekend/early next week, here’s what I recommend.
Ora the Molecule is the Italo disco-influenced stage persona of Norwegian artist Nora Schjelderup. Her recently released sophomore album, Dance Therapy, is quickly becoming a part of my regular rotation home, particularly the song “Nobody Cares,” which you’ll probably in my sets soon. On Thursday night, Ora the Molecule plays El Cid and I’m pretty excited about this show. Tickets are available now on Dice.
And, yes, Cruel World is happening on Saturday, but I retired from festivals after EDC 2016 and, tbh, the idea of a gothapalooza happening outside, in daylight, is pretty close to my idea of hell. So, no I won’t be there. If you probably are going, I will recommend that you catch Midge Ure (of Visage and Ultravox), even though he’s playing at 2 p.m. I’ve seen Ure play before (in a proper club, at night) and he’s fantastic.
Also happening on Saturday is Clockshop’s Community & Unity People’s Kite Festival. This is a free, afternoon event at L.A. State Historic Park with art workshops, music and a kite-making competition. It’s a great event that’s gotten quite popular over the past few years. Parking can be a total pain the ass, though, so take Metro if you can. The park is right next to the Chinatown stop on the A Line. If you live closer to a Metrolink station than L.A. Metro, a good option is to take the train to Union Station, where you can transfer to the A Line. Metrolink has $10 day passes on the weekends.
This weekend is also the L.A. Art Book Fair at ArtCenter in Pasadena. I’ve attended L.A. Art Book Fair previously and it’s a great way to find the kinds of books and indie publications that often get buried in the algorithm and don’t necessarily make it onto bookstore shelves. The book fair gets really busy, though, so reserve a ticket in advance, even if you’re planning to go on Sunday, when there’s no cover. Also, note that this year’s event is at ArtCenter’s South Campus on Raymond, which is right by Metro’s Fillmore A Line station.
For events happening next week, check out my Coming Soon listings for Discover Los Angeles.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs or listen to the latest Beatique Mix. Follow on Instagram or Bluesky for more updates.
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