Here’s the rundown on what’s happening in L.A. this week. I kept the list at under $35 this time around to include Fat Beats 30th anniversary at Avalon, which has a pretty awesome lineup. When I checked on Thursday morning, Ticketmaster had a BOGO sale going for Soft Kill at The Regent on Saturday night. The Paranoias, Professor Galactico show at The Paramount on Saturday is actually free if you’re over 21, but it looks like you still have to reserve a spot on Dice. 

Keep reading for the full list. And for more events, check out my nightlife roundups for Discover Los Angeles. 

I’ll be back in the DJ booth next weekend to play Club Underground on Friday, August 30 and the Indie vs. ‘80s room at Nocturno on Saturday, August 31. As far as this weekend goes, I’ve listed concerts, DJ events and movie screenings happening in L.A.

There are a few things to note about this list. If you want to see Nuovo Testamento at Lodge Room on Saturday, August 24, get your tickets as soon as possible because there is a low ticket alert for this show. If you’re in the mood to check out an up-and-coming band, I recommend Thee Heart Tones at The Paramount on Friday, August 23. I picked up the “No Longer Mine”/“Cry My Tears” away 45 at Going Underground earlier this month and it’s great. Plus, the show is celebrating the South Bay band’s debut full-length, Forever & Ever, which is also out this Friday. For The Smiths fans reading this, don’t forget that Sunday is the the annual Smiths/Morrissey convention is coming up on Sunday at Avalon. It’s always a fun event with tribute bands and DJs. This year’s event includes guest DJ Boz Boorer and, if you want to try your luck at winning a pair of tickets, there will be a giveaway at Underground’s ‘80s Nite on Friday. 

Keep reading for more of what’s happening in L.A. this weekend and early next week. 

This Sunday, August 18, is Disco Matinee at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown. Join Jus’ B and me for an afternoon of disco, funk, dance punk, Italo and HiNRG from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Discount, advance tickets are available now on Restless Nites.

Click here for Disco Matinee tickets.

The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza, next to the Bruce Lee statue. There is both street and lot parking in the neighborhood and the venue is located right across Broadway from Metro’s A Line stop in Chinatown. Cover will be $8 at the door (cash or Venmo) and it’s a 21+ party.

Keep reading to see more of what’s happening in L.A. between Thursday, August 15 and Wednesday, August 21.

This Saturday night, July 27, I’ll be DJing in the new wave vs. darkwave room for Nocturno at Catch One. Elsewhere in the club, you’ll find Rock en Español vs. Cumbia, Corrido Night and Sad Bunny Night. Nocturno is always a blast and it’s a really good option if you’re going out with friends who have different tastes in music, so make plans and get your tickets now. (Click here to buy yours.) The address is 4067 W. Pico Blvd. in Arlington Heights. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, and is 21+. 

Here’s what else is happening in L.A. 

I’ve been juggling deadlines for the past IDK how long, so this is just a really quick post to let you know what’s happening in L.A. if you’re not stuck working or whatever. There is probably stuff missing, but that happens. Apologies in advance.

A few notes about this list. Most of the events are under $35, at least before fees. On the higher end of the spectrum are Fuck on the Beach at the Regent on Saturday night, which I feel the need to mention on account of the fact that I saw them play at the Cobalt Cafe (IYKYK) a gazillion years ago, and Sister Nancy at The Mayan on Sunday. The one legit high-priced ticket is the 24 hour movie marathon at Gardena Cinema, which I figure is justifiable on account of it being a literal day of movies, which would probably be a lot more if you tried to buy tickets for 24-hours worth of individual screenings.

I also added a couple weekday afternoon movie screenings to the list for those whose days off fall during the week. I’ll try to add more stuff like this in the future, although it seems to be getting harder and harder to find anything worthwhile happening on weekdays, which reminds me of the *long* lists of rants I’ve been meaning to write, some of which you may have seen referenced in my Instagram stories lately.

Tl;dr: Liz O. has a lot of complaints, but there’s a list of stuff happening in L.A. too, so let’s get to the list.

It’s a good week for movies in L.A. You’ve got two nights of Bruce LaBruce screenings at 2220 Arts + Archives, The Living End (with Gregg Araki in the house) at Academy Museum on Thursday and, one of my personal favorites, Liquid Sky at Gardena Cinema on Friday. 

Also on Friday, Vidiots is screening Out of the Blue, the 1980 Dennis Hopper starring Linda Manz as a troubled punk rock teen. The movie is the source of the “Kill All Hippies” sample in the Primal Scream song of the same name. And, not to spoil anything, but it has one of the most disturbing endings I’ve ever seen in a movie. You’ve been warned. 

There are also some worthwhile shows happening on the lower side of the ticket price spectrum, including Hunx & His Punx at Lodge Room next Wednesday night. At the time of writing this, tickets were still available for that show. As always, there are loads of DJ nights happening— certainly more than I’ve been able to keep track of on socials this week— so take some time to check out those if you can too. Keep reading to see what’s happening in L.A. between June 27 and July 3. 

(And, in case you were wondering, my next gig is Friday, July 5 at Grand Star Jazz Club for Décadanse x Underground. Click on this link for more details.)