A crowd protests against Trump’s strike on Venezuela on a rainy Saturday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles. (Pic: Liz O.)
The most smartly dressed protester at Pershing Square on Saturday afternoon was the person in a Tyrannosaurus Rex suit, an inflatable blue number with a red pattern winding down the back. I can only imagine that this person emerged from the protest much less drenched than the rest of us. Umbrellas, hoodies and hats were only somewhat useful as the rain grew heavier through the afternoon. In the end, it took hours in front of the heater to mostly-dry the wide legs of my black jeans. But, the minor inconvenience was worth it to be part of the crowd chanting “No war on Venezuela.”
L.A. River after the rain. January 1, 2026 (Pic: Liz O.)
As usual, one of my New Year resolutions was to spend less time scrolling. And, also as usual, I failed sometime during the morning of January 1. By lunch, I was still in my pajamas, sitting on the sofa with my eyes darting back and forth between devices. On my phone, I tapped through the New Year’s Eve stories of virtually everyone I know. On my laptop, I hate read an op-ed in the billionaire-owned L.A. Times about why taxing the rich is bad and felt no remorse for using a paywall remover to do it. And I did all this while watching the Rose Parade, plus an hour’s worth of cartoons. Then I figured I should cosplay an adult, so I put on real world clothes, sat back on the couch and watched General Hospital. It was a repeat of the final episode with Luke Spencer played in memory of the actor Anthony Geary, who recently died, so I kind of had to watch it.
View from the stage upstairs at Grand Star Jazz Club for Club Underground’s New Year’s Eve Party 2025/26 (Pic: Liz O.)
Last night, my friend asked if I had a song for the new year. I didn’t. I thought about it, though, and answered Kneecap “H.O.O.D.,” more for the band than for the specific song. They’re the group I would consider the MVP of 2025, one that has had a lot of bullshit thrown their way just for speaking out against the genocide that so much of the world has watched transpire on their phones. Yet, they’ve stuck to their principles and refuse to be silenced. They’re the real deal in a time of fakers and I appreciate that so much. That’s the kind of energy we need this year.
Anyhow, I played upstairs at the Grand Star for Underground’s New Year’s Eve party. Super cool crowd. Thank you all for being there, especially on a rainy L.A. night. It was great to overhear someone in the crowd saying, “I love this song…it’s Confidence Man” when “Gossip” came on. Even better to hear from people who came up to the booth because you were excited to hear “Juicebox” or “¿Porqué te vas?” or some other song that I can’t recall right now. Hope to see more of all of you in 2026. Set list is below. The 2025 songs link to other mentions on this blog.
HLLLYH plays The Smell’s 28th Anniversary party on Friday, January 2, 2026. (Photo: Liz O.)
If your New Year’s Resolution is to get out of the house more often, you might as well start now because there are some very cool events happening in Los Angeles for this first weekend of 2026, including The Smell’s weekend-long anniversary bash, the L.A. Fights Back benefit show with Sextile, Automatic and Choir Boy, a David Bowie-themed skate party, film tributes to Bowie, David Lynch, Rob Reiner and Udo Kier, plus lots more. Keep reading for the breakdown.
If you’re ever like, “I can’t find the Grand Star!” just look for Bruce Lee. (Pic: Liz O. 12/26/25)
Last night at Underground might have been the first time ever that I’ve played “Friday I’m in Love” at a club. The reason is that, yesterday, news broke that Perry Bamonte of The Cure died. He had been playing with the band live in recent years and is in The Show of a Lost World (a terrific concert film that you really must see). However, his tenure with the band in the studio was from 1992-2004, so any song I played in tribute would likely have to come from Wish and, really, it would have to be “Friday I’m in Love.” That’s just how it works out.
Anyhow, the Christmas storm finally ended right before the club opened and it was great to see people out and about. Thanks so much for dancing last night. Club Underground is on Wednesday next week for New Year’s Eve. Both floors of the Grand Star will be open. Larry G. and I are on the decks all night. It will be a good time. NYE at Underground always sells out, so be sure to get your tickets in advance.
Next Wednesday is New Year’s Eve and both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open for Club Underground’s last bash of 2025. Larry G. and I will be your DJs, playing the best indie, darkwave, new wave, post-punk, Britpop and more. If you’ve been to an Underground NYE party before, you know it’s a blast and that it also sells out. Head over to Club Underground’s website now and get your tickets before they’re gone.
Us L.A. lifers know that Christmas week is a notoriously slow one as far as nightlife is concerned. But, there are still a few things happening that I want to shout out, so keep reading.
View from the DJ booth in the new wave/darkwave room at Klub Nocturno on 12/20/25
I’m writing this on Sunday morning and the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, so IDK what to say except that last night at Klub Nocturno was a vibe. I DJed alongside Milagro in new wave/darkwave room. Played a few of my favorite tunes from this year, like “Women Respond to Bass” by Sextile, “Catch and Release” from Alice Glass, Pixel Grip’s “Reason to Stay” and “Everything We Thought We Knew” by N8NOFACE. People danced. Good times were had. Anyhow, set list is below. The newer songs (past year or so) are in bold and link to other mentions here on the blog. Wishing you all happy holidays!
This Saturday, December 20, Klub Nocturno is back at Catch One for a full venue takeover, meaning that there will be five rooms of dancing for you and your friends. I’ll be playing in the new wave vs. darkwave room this time around. This is an 18+ event and tickets are available now on Dice. Nocturno’s Xmas parties usually sell out in advance, so the sooner you get yours, the better. I’ll see you on the dance floor this Saturday night and maybe you’ll hear something off my Top 10 Bangers for 2025 too.
Keep reading if you want my recommendations for concerts, clubs and movie screenings happening in Los Angeles between Thursday, December 18, and Wednesday, December 24.
Want to guess where Sextile’s album, Yes, Please, landed on this best of 2025 list?
To be honest, the album I listened to the most in 2025 was actually my top pick from last year, Romance by Fontaines D.C. I also spent far too much time listening to two 2024 albums that I didn’t hear until this year, Fine Art by Kneecap and Humble As the Sun by Bob Vylan. We spend a lot of time putting together our year-end lists, but the truth is that time is irrelevant. The right album will hit you when you need to hear it and that could be on the day it’s released or five years later.
Still, I think we should shout out stellar new albums, lest we collectively fall deeper into an algorithmically-induced nostalgia hole. And there was a lot of fantastic music released this year, much more than what’s included on this list. I doubt I heard more than the smallest fraction of good shit released in 2025. So, consider this just the start of a list that will never really be complete.
I used to think that the 21st century didn’t really begin until 9/11, that this was the one event that set the course for the years to follow. Now, I’m willing to admit that I was wrong. Maybe, the 21st century actually began at the end of 1999 with the WTO protests. In late November of the final year of the ‘90s, some 40,000 people hit the streets of Seattle to shut down the World Trade Organization’s conference in the city. They were people from varying backgrounds, including environmental activists, union members and farmers. Those of us who remember the protests only from watching the news may hazily recall reports of “blah blah blah anarchists, blah blah blah Starbucks.” However, a new documentary, WTO/99, drops viewers in the middle of the scene for four days of protests and, in the process, tells a very different story.
