Friday, September 25, is The Cure Nite at Club Underground with Larry G. and I DJing. Both floors of the Grand Star Jazz Clubwill be open, with one floor dedicated The Cure and the other to a mix of indie, Britpop, post-punk, new wave, darkwave, synthpop, etc. Advance tickets are available now and it’s 21+. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m., so if you’re going to the sold out Fontaines D.C. show at Hollywood Forever, stop by afterwards to hit the dance floor. For those of you who haven’t been to Underground before, the Grand Star is located in Chinatown’s Central Plaza, right next to the Bruce Lee statue.
As for the rest of this weekend, and early next week, here are my recommendations.
Ongoing:
If you’re planning to go to the newLucas Museum of Narrative Art soon, take my advice and give yourself a lot of time. For my regular job, I went to a preview a few weeks ago and was able to get through maybe a little more than half of the museum in a couple hours. Even then, I felt like I had to skim through a bunch of it, which is why I’m waiting to go again before I write about it here. It’s massive and there’s a lot to see.
Opening on September 25 isLuminosities of the Inner Eye, a new exhibition fromNora Keyes, atLast Projects. Nora, who I interviewed here last year, has been active in L.A.’s underground music and art world for years. She’s been in loads of bands, from the Centimeters to Elf Freedom to her current Italo disco project Tinglez. The show at Last Projects, which focuses on her painting collages, runs through October 23, so check it out when you’re in the vicinity of Lincoln Heights.
Thursday, September 24
Lots of concerts happening on Thursday, including Tricky at The Bellwether, Kruder and Dorfmeister at The Novo and Laurie Anderson at The Orpheum. Oh, yeah, and Robyn plays her second night at the Forum, this time with Romy and Zhala opening. What I’m most interested in seeing, though, is the 4K restoration of 1971 counterculture animated film Tiki Tiki, which is happening at Philosophical Research Society.
Saturday, September 26
horsegiirL is at WePlay Studios in Inglewood on Saturday, September 26. Ticket prices are on the steeper side (in fact, they’re comparable in price to tickets for Robyn, with horsegiirL opening, at the Forum on 9/22), but if you can swing it, this should be cool. Sebastien Tellier, who’s latest album, Kiss the Beast, is solid, stops by The Belasco on Saturday night as well. The budget-friendly Saturday night show is The Monolaters at 2220 Arts + Archives. The long-running L.A. band is very DIY, always puts on an interesting show and they’re celebrating the release of a new album. Plus, tickets are under $20.
Also, for all the Dolly Parton fans and/or disgruntled workers out there, 9 to 5 is playing at Gardena Cinema on Saturday.
Sunday, September 27
Another splurge-price event is the Day Trip finale on Sunday, September, with Armand Van Helden on the decks. He’s a killer DJ and I’m a huge fan of his ‘90s remixes in particular, but $70+ is kind of steep for a day party by my standards. Maybe you’re cool with that. If so, go have fun and tell me about it. Also happening on Sunday are Tove Lo at the Greek , Brujeria at The Paramount (tickets cheaper than a secondhand band t-shirt) and Mariachi Meets the Smiths at the Ford. Again, though, I think the coolest thing happening on Sunday night is over at Philosophical Research Society, where they’ll be holding the U.S. premiere of the restoration of Karel Zeman’s A Thousand and One Nights. The 1974 Czech animated film hasn’t been screened in L.A. in 25 years.
Monday, September 28
Jack White at the Palladium is essentially sold out. So is Beth Orton at the Troubadour. There are still tickets, though, to see Sleep at The Wiltern on Monday, September 28.
Tuesday, September 29
It’s not quite October, but it’s close enough forVidiots to breakout one of the best Vampire movies of the 21st century, Only Lovers Left Alive, on Tuesday, September 29. Prepare to lineup if you want to see this because online tickets are gone.
Wednesday, September 30
Chat Pile programmed a few nights of films at Brain Dead, Starting with the John Carpenter classic Escape from L.A. on Wednesday, September 30. Check outBrain Dead’s website for the rest of the lineup, which also includes Teen Witch on October 1.
Also on September 30 is Night Out at LACMA, where you can catch the latest exhibitions for free with an RSVP. Starts at 7 p.m.
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 September, 2026 edition of Beatique, which also features music from Olivia Rodrigo, ear, Purity Ring, Brigette Calls Me Baby, Slayyyter and more.
More:
Who Are Moomin and Why Are They on So Much Stuff?
From The Centimeters to Elf Freedom: The Musical Evolution of Nora Keyes