No DJ gigs for me this weekend, but I have some LA clubs, concert and movie recommendations for you, including Art Brut, Strange Boutique and The Cribs live, the Quay Brothers and rare Soviet animation in theaters and more. Keep reading for the details. (And, in case you’re wondering, my next gig is Friday, May 1 at Klub Nocturno.)
Concerts
This weekend’s big show is Lily Allen playing West End Girl at The Orpheum on Saturday and Sunday. It is what I would consider sold out. In other words, there are still resale tickets available via Ticketmaster, but they start at over $200 a pop. Meh, it’s not the only show happening this weekend.
Art Brut is back and playing their 2005 debut Bang Bang Rock & Roll, plus other tunes, at The Lodge Room on Thursday, April 23, and Friday, April 24. Sunday Mourners opens on Thursday and The Blushes are the support band for Friday.
If you’re into shoegaze and dreampop, though, I recommend going to see Strange Boutique at Gold-Diggers on Thursday. They came out of the D.C. punk scene and were initially active between the late 1980s and mid 1990s. They reconvened a few years and have been releasing new music, including last year’s full-length album Let the Lonely Heart Sing. See Night is opening. This should be a good show and tickets are under $30 on Dice.
The Cribs, whose new album, Selling a Vibe, is really good, are playing The Echoplex with Fake Fruit opening on Friday night and there are still tickets available. On Saturday, April 25, Male Tears and Scimitar are playing for the debut of Harness at Pacific Electric in Chinatown. If you haven’t been to the new venue before, read my take on it.
Clubs/Parties
Club Underground is happening this Friday at the Grand Star Jazz Club with Larry G. on the decks all night. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m., so you can still stop by for a Britpop fix after seeing Art Brut or The Cribs.
If you’re a house-head looking for a day party, head to Jungle in Hollywood on Saturday afternoon/evening, where Colette, Dayhota, DJ Dazy and Lushbunny are playing from 4 – 9 p.m.
This is also the last weekend to check out Cumbia de mi Tierra, an archival exhibition of posters, album covers and other art and ephemera related to cumbia, at Human Resources in Chinatown. Friday evening will be the Queer Cumbia Dance Party at the exhibition. Dance class is at 6:30 p.m. and the party, with Butchona on the decks, is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday is the closing party from 4 – 9 p.m.with performances from Cali All-Stars, Rafael Pamatz and Tropical San Pancho, plus DJs Ritmo Santanero, Discos Rolas and Mas Exitos. There will also be a record store pop-up from Innovation Records and Discos Rolas.
Movies
On Sunday, April 26, there are two screenings happening that look super cool. Brain Dead is showing a program of films from stop-motion masters the Quay Brothers on 35 mm, including In Absentia, The Comb and Street of Crocodiles, plus Christopher Nolan’s 2015 film Quay.
Over at Philosophical Research Society on the same night, 7th House’s series Out There: Far-Out Intergalactic Animation continues with the L.A. Premiere of rare Soviet sci-fi works. The screening includes feature film The Mystery of the Third Planet, directed by Roman Kachanov in 1981, as well as two shorts from Vladimir Tarasov, “The Return” (1980) and “The Pass” (1988).
Opening at multiple theaters for a limited engagement on April 29 is Power to the People, the concert film with John Lennon and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, live in New York City in 1972. See the Power to the People website for the full list of theaters, which includes Alamo Drafthouse, Regal LA Live, AMC Burbank 16, Laemmle’s NoHo 7 and lots more.
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 Beatique, April 2026 on Mixcloud, featuring music from Slayyyter, Kneecap, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Armand Van Helden and more.
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