Tag Archives: Club Underground

The Playlist

“Don’t Forget the Songs That Made You Smile”: Liz O.’s Smiths Nite Setlist for Underground, 5/16/25

Smiths Nite at Club Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club on May 16, 2025
View from the DJ booth Smiths Nite at Club Underground 5/16/25

For the record, The Smiths are my favorite band and have been since I was 12. And, yet, I’ve never played an all-Smiths-related set before last night. It was Club Underground’s Smiths Nite and Rose Knows and I DJed in the theme room for the two-room event at the Grand Star. It was hard! Seriously, I *still* have The Smiths catalog committed to memory and this was easily the hardest set I’ve ever played. It’s one of those things where, at 10 p.m., you think there aren’t enough songs to fill a whole night and at 12 p.m., you realize you might get to half of what you wanted to play. 

“Don’t forget the songs that made you smile/And the songs that made you cry.” (Rubber Ring)

At least “Rubber Ring” made it into the set. And “What She Said.” 

Anyhow, thanks to everyone who hit the dance floor last night. You can catch Rose Knows for her Smiths Night at Cha Cha Cha Lounge this Thursday, May 22. Larry G. is at Grand Star Jazz Club for Club Underground every Friday night. IDK when I’m playing next, so just follow me on Instagram or check here on Wednesdays. My set list is below. 

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Happening in L.A.

The Smiths Nite at Club Underground + More Happening in L.A. This Weekend

The Smiths Nite at Club Underground in Los Angeles at Grand Star Jazz Club on May 16, 2025 with DJs Larry G., Liz O. and Rose Knows

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. 

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Happening in L.A.

Depeche Mode x New Order Night at Underground and More Happening This Weekend in L.A.

Flyer for Depeche Mode x New Order Night at Club Underground on Friday, April 18, 2025 with DJs Larry G., Liz O. and Rose Knows

This Friday is Depeche Mode x New Order night at Club Underground and I’ll be back on the decks with Larry G. and special guest Rose Knows. Both floors of the Grand Star Jazz Club will be open and, in addition to a motherload of Depeche Mode and New Order hits and deep cuts, we’ll be playing indie, Britpop, new wave, darkwave, electro and more. Click on this link to get discount, advance tickets now. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, April 18 and it’s 21+. The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway, inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza, right next to the Bruce Lee statue. See you on the dance floor!

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The Playlist

Marianne Faithfull and Everything Else You Heard at Underground on January 31, 2025

Cover of Marianne Faithfull's self-titled 1965 debut album
Cover of Marianne Faithfull’s self-titled 1965 debut album

A couple people asked about the last song at Underground last night. It was “As Tears Go By,” the 1964 single from Marianne Faithfull, who died on Thursday at the age of 78. Since none of us have the same timeline, I’m not going to assume that anyone reading this saw the same glut of posts about her that I did, or is immediately familiar with the singer at all. So, for background, read this obituary from the BBC. 

Marianne Faithfull had a rough ride through pop stardom (here’s a gift link to an NYT story that explains more), but she persevered over and over again. She was legit cool. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote “As Tears Go By,” her first hit, but she also wrote with them and is said to have influenced multiple Rolling Stones songs. Her career revival album, Broken English, was post-punk and post-disco and influential on subsequent generations of musicians, as well as club DJs. Later on, she would collaborate with the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Blur, Nick Cave and others. She’s part of a generation of nonconformist musicians who really set the stage for what we now know as alternative or indie music and it’s no exaggeration to say that there are loads of musicians (especially women, especially women who resist stereotypically feminine branding) whose names you wouldn’t know if it weren’t for her.

Anyhow, here’s last night’s set list, which begins and ends with Marianne Faithfull. 

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Happening in L.A.

David Lynch Movie Screenings and More Happening in L.A. from January 30 – February 5

Eraserhead movie poster

Mulholland Drive! Lost Highway! Eraserhead! There are a lot of David Lynch screenings happening through greater Los Angeles this week and, as of Wednesday night, a handful of them still have tickets available. I did the digging for you and added the screenings that weren’t sold out to the list.

Elsewhere, there are some worthwhile local shows happening in L.A. Dildox plays Damaged Disco at Gold-Diggers tonight. Big Black Delta is at the same venue on Friday, while Pearl and the Oysters are at Alex’s Bar. On Monday, Total Pleasure kicks off their February residency at Zebulon on Monday night. For DJ-driven events, Saturday night is Boombox’s annual tribute to J Dilla, which is always a big night, and Junior Sanchez heads to Clinic Wednesdays on February 5. But, that’s not all, keep reading for more. 

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Happening in L.A.

Club Underground’s Bowie Night, Klub Nocturno and More Happening in L.A. This Week

Club Underground Bowie Night January 10, 2025 Grand Star Jazz Club Los Angeles DJ Larry G and DJ Liz O


It’s David Bowie’s birthday, which means that Friday night, January 10, will be Club Underground’s annual Bowie night. Both floors of the Grand Star will be open so ready for some sound and vision with Larry G. and me in the DJ booths and Miho ready to make you up like Aladdin Sane. Underground’s Bowie Nights do sell out, so click on this link to get your tickets asap. 

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The Playlist

The 40-Year-Old Song of 2024 and More From Underground’s New Year’s Eve Party

Dancing to Bronski Beat "Smalltown Boy" at Grand Star Jazz Club in Los Angeles for Club Underground's New Year's Eve party. (Photo: Liz O.)
Dancing to “Smalltown Boy” at Club Underground’s New Year’s Eve party.

By now, you’ve probably read, and argued with, more Best of 2024 lists than you can recall, but I’m here to tell you now, on the first day of 2025, that the real song of the year was a 40-year-old Bronski Beat club hit whose viral success probably wasn’t as organic as reported. (Seriously, people just happened to ask their parents how to dance to “Smalltown Boy” right at the time of the song’s 40th anniversary and not, like, when it appeared in Euphoria? And there just happened to be contemporary club remixes ready to be released in the aftermath of its success on TikTok?)

But, even if the song’s resurgence was a total marketing ploy, it worked. On the hottest nights of the summer, I would hear people scream for “Smalltown Boy” as they threw their hands in the air and danced with sweat dripping from their faces. After the summer faded, the song’s popularity dipped only slightly. On New Year’s Eve, it still hyped up the Underground crowd. But, to be fair, “Smalltown Boy” is one of those songs that never quite dropped off L.A. club playlists— like “Living on Video” or “Send Me an Angel”—  the whole viral thing just gave it an extra kick.  

Anyhow, thanks to everyone who made it out to Club Underground’s New Year’s Eve party last night. Scroll down to see what I played. Next gig for me is David Bowie night at Club Underground on Friday, January 10. David Bowie night is a biggie, and it has sold out before, so click on this link to get your tickets as soon as possible. 

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Happening in L.A.

Happening in L.A.: Thursday, December 12 – Wednesday, December 18

Club Underground Grand Star Jazz Club Chinatown Liz O. Friday the 13th darkwave birthday party

I’ll be back at Underground with Larry G. this week. Join us at Grand Star Jazz Club for a special Friday the 13th edition of Club Underground. It’s darkwave night and my birthday party, so don’t miss out on this one. Advance tickets for Underground on Friday the 13th are available now and, while you’re at it, click here to pick up tickets for Underground’s New Year’s Eve bash. 

“What else is happening this week?,” you (didn’t) ask. Well, here’s the lowdown. Saturday night is going to be a busy one this week. Cut Chemist, one of L.A.’s very best DJs, and friends are playing at Lodge Room. Lara Sarkissian, an amazing producer who merges both modern electronic and traditional Armenian music, is playing live at Sooki Studio in Frogtown to celebrate the release of her debut full-length, Remnants. Plus, later in the evening French pop soirée Décadanse is happening downstairs at the Grand Star, while goth night Disintegration goes down upstairs. 

Sunday is the annual Depeche Mode Convention at Avalon, which is always a good time filled with DJs, tribute bands, contests and host Richard Blade. This year, Devotional and Blasphemous Rumors are playing live and the DJ lineup includes Alex Transistor, Larry G., Protokall and Dark Chrystal. It’s also an all ages event. On Monday, Museum of Home Video, the fantastic found footage livestream, will be at Vidiots, where IVOR hosts “A Holly Jolly Dollython” filled with music videos, live clips and TV performances. Check out the trailer to see what’s in store. There’s a lot more happening in L.A. this week too, so check out the list below. 

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Underground on November 29, 2024

Club Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club on Friday, November 29, 2024
Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club 11/29/24 (Pic: Liz O.)

The first surprise of the night was playing Underground, which, as always, was a blast. The second was when my husband I realized that Ryo (@human_revo), who has been documenting his cycling journey across the U.S., was in Chinatown. In a joint effort, we invited him and his crew to Underground and they stopped by for a bit. The cross-country journey ends in Santa Monica today and I highly recommend watching along if/when they’re live. It’s so inspirational. 

Anyhow, here’s the set list from last night. I’ll be back at Underground for my Friday the 13th darkewave birthday bash (click for tix) and will be playing there New Year’s Eve. (Click here for NYE tickets.) Tonight is Nocturno with Depresion Post Mortem playing live. The party is already sold out, but if you have tickets, I’ll see you in the new wave vs. darkwave room. 

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Club Underground’s Halloween Party on 10/25/24

Club Underground Halloween Party at Grand Star Jazz Club in Los Angeles on October 25, 2024 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
The crowd at Club Underground’s Halloween party on 10/25/24 dancing to Robyn “Dancing on My Own”

It’s hard to describe the energy at Club Underground’s Halloween party last night. It wasn’t just the holiday vibes in the air. Right before the party started, Freddie Freeman hit a grand slam in the 10th inning of the first game of the World Series, a dramatic victory for the Dodgers. And Underground happens to be at the Grand Star in Chinatown, just downhill from Dodger Stadium. So, in addition to the very local regular crowd, where you can safely assume there are plenty of Dodger fans, there were people who came by after the game. Someone in line showed me video he took of the reaction to Freeman’s grand slam in the crowd. There were people screaming and hugging each other, with sprays of beer that looked like rain falling over the scene. It looked wild. 

All that excitement helped set the mood for the night. I’ll write more after this I wrap up this weekend’s DJ gigs (I’m at Slipper Clutch for Dolce Vita tonight and The Mermaid for Splash Sundays tomorrow), but I will say that the costumes were great, the crowd was amazing and the vibe persisted until closing time. The set list is below. Don’t forget to get tickets for next Friday at Club Underground. It’s the release party for The Cure’s new album, Songs of a Lost World, and there are some really awesome giveaways. Click here to pick up your tix now. 

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