This Friday, May 22, is Depeche Mode x New Order Night at Club Underground. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open and Larry G. and I will be on the decks all night. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and it’s 21+. The Grand Star is located in Chinatown’s Central Plaza, next to the Bruce Lee Statue.
Plus, Underground is doing two room parties for the next few weeks, with Darkwave Nite happening again on May 29 and Interpol Nite on June 5. Advance tickets are available now.
Shows
Dry Cleaning kicks off the holiday weekend on Thursday night at The Belasco, but, unfortunately, the show is already sold out. For those of you who are more on the darkwave side of the musical spectrum, Warfield (yeah, Justin Warfield from She Wants Revenge) and Sacred Skin are playing the Moroccan Lounge on Thursday night and there are still tickets available for that.
Happening throughout the weekend is Arroyo Secodelic at multiple venues in Highland Park. Check the website for the full line-up and schedule, but my personal picks would be Valgur at Cheerio Collective on Saturday, May 23, Juanita & Juan at Cheerio Collective on Sunday, May 24, and the Adolescents, Toys that Kill and Mermaid Island at the Lodge Room on Monday, May 24.
There are also still tickets available to catch Ultra Sunn at The Belasco on Saturday, May 23, with special guest Violet Chachki. And, on Sunday, you can catch Human Potential, who I interviewed here on Beatique not too long ago, at Scribble.
As for next week’s shows, the only one that I would recommend here is Isobel Campbell. The Scottish singer (and cellist) was part of Belle & Sebastian in the late 1990s and early 2000s and then collaborated with Mark Lanegan in the latter half of the ‘00s. The has also released six solo albums, the first two under the name The Gentle Waves. Campbell’s most recent album, Bow to Love, came out in 2024 and she’s playing the Lodge Room on Wednesday, May 27.
Clubs/DJ Events
There’s a free party happening at The Airliner on Thursday night that looks like a good time. Tiffany Roth of Midnight Magic will be spinning Italo disco, post-punk and boogie, alongside a live set from Muscle Memory and DJ set from Emmaharu.
Saturday, May 23, is Echo Park Pride. DJ Irene, who is a legit LA club legend, will be on the decks. Butchona will be DJing as well. In fact, the whole lineup looks pretty cool and it’s free. Celebrations start at noon and go until 9 p.m.
Sunday is Salt Box Sessions at Hello Stranger, which I definitely recommend checking out if you have an afternoon free. You’ll hear DJs, XL Middleton and Moniquea amongst them, playing tunes that you might not have heard before on wax and you can dig through the bins at Salt Box Records, which is conveniently located inside Hello Stranger.
Movies
There’s a new film adaptation of The Stranger, the Camus book that is somewhat required reading for fans of The Cure. It’s from France and has been playing at very few theaters in Los Angeles. I caught the film at Vidiots a couple weeks ago and it’s excellent. Directed by François Ozon, the adaptation is pretty close to the book, both in terms what was literally in the text and the discourse around it. Shot in black and white, it has the feel of a mid-20th century film, but it’s definitely a contemporary interpretation of Camus. Anyhow, The Stranger is playing at Lumiere Cinema in Beverly Hills through Thursday, May 21, so catch it while you can and stay through the credits.
Philosophical Research Society’s 7th House is getting all the trippy films for the series Out There: Far-Out Intergalactic Animation, which continues on Sunday, May 24. This week, they’re screening Son of the Stars, a late 1980s Romanian film that’s inspired by The Jungle Book, but takes place in space. I’ve seen the film and love psychedelic landscapes and the quirky character designs. Check it out if you’re free on Sunday evening.
Art
I’m adding an art section this week mostly to remind you that Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind is opening this weekend at The Broad. IDK about you, but I am really excited to see this. The show was organized in collaboration with London’s Tate Modern and it’s the first time ever that Yoko Ono will have a solo museum exhibition in Southern California. Included is work going back to the 1960s, like footage from Cut Piece, as well as installations from the 2000s. Anyhow, Music of the Mind is on view through October 11, so you don’t have to see it this weekend, but definitely plan to go at some point.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Follow on Instagram or sign up for the weekly, Beatique newsletter for updates on new stories and gigs.
Listen to the May 2026 edition of Beatique, featuring music from Sextile, Fcukers, Kneecap, Dry Cleaning, Fontaines D.C. and more.
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