Club Underground brings a dose of post-punk Manchester to Los Angeles on Friday, August 9 with a Joy Division x The Smiths dance party with DJs Larry G. and Liz O. (that’s me) at Grand Star Jazz Club. Both floors of the venue will be open, so you can expect a mix of hits and deep cuts from the Mancunian icons as well as your favorite Underground indie, Britpop, post-punk, darkwave and new wave jams. Plus, there will be a giveaway for tickets to this year’s The Smiths/Morrissey Convention at Avalon on August 25.
This Friday, I’m back at Club Underground with Larry G. for Yeah Yeah Yeahs x Siouxsie Nite. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open and tickets are available now. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and it’s 21+. Find the Grand Star at 943 N. Broadway inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza next to the Bruce Lee statue.
As for the rest of the weekend and into next week, your options include Pearl and the Oysters’s free show at Levitt Pavilion on Saturday. Also happening Saturday is Razorcake’s annual chili cook-off at Footsies and Décadanse’s tribute to Francoise Hardy at the Grand Star. On Monday, Ed Harcourt is playing at The Stowaway, which is a very intimate venue. Tuesday night, my favorite Schwarzenegger movie, The Running Man, screens at Vidiots in Eagle Rock. There’s plenty more happening in L.A. too. Check out the list below.
The scene at Grand Star Jazz Club for Decadanse x Underground on July 5, 2024
Decadanse x Underground was such a great time and I’m happy to have been a part of it. DJs Pierrot and Fifi LaRoux played French pop on vinyl downstairs. Larry G. and I brought the indie vibes upstairs. We switched off on the controllers about every half hour or so.
“Amour Ex Machina,” from L’Impratrice’s new album, Pulsar, did pretty well for my first time playing it out. “Digitalism in Cairo,” the Digitalism track that samples “Fire in Cairo” by the Cure, made a reappearance after many years. People probably don’t recall it was a big track back in the ‘00s.
Anyhow, I’ll be back at Underground next Friday, July 12, for Siouxsie x Yeah Yeah Yeahs Nite. Tickets are already available on Restless Nites, Dice and Eventbrite.
Check out my set list from Decadanse x Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club on July 5, 2024.
This is going to be a whirlwind of a weekend. I’m playing four gigs in the next seven days and hope to see a few you out at least one of them. Friday night is Decadanse x Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club with Larry G. and me playing all your Underground favorites and Decadanse DJs Pierrot and Fifi LaRoux bring French heat to the dance floor. Tickets are available through Eventbrite or Dice.
On Saturday, I’ll be playing records for Malvada’s party at Bigfoot Lodge in Los Feliz with DJ Felix. Sunday is the first anniversary party for Disco Matinee over at Grand Star and Tuesday I’ll be joining David Christian for Dolce Vita’s ‘80s night Splash over at The Mermaid. Details for all those gigs, plus a handful of recommendations for the rest of the week, are listed below.
Thursday, July 4
4th of July Block Party w/Healing Gems, Tropo Magica, Grupo Soñador & more @Gloria Molina Grand Park
200 N. Grand Ave., DTLA 90012; 4 p.m.; All ages; No cover
96 Tears w/perksandkisses @ Grand Star Jazz Club
943 N. Broadway, Chinatown 90012; 9:30 p.m.; 21+; Get tickets
Subtract on the Pier 9 Year Anniversary @ Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier
15 39th Place, Long Beach 90803; 1 p.m.; 21+ ; Get tickets
Dávila 666, Self Improvement, Op-Ed, Space Horse @ The Paramount
2708 E. Cesar E. Chavez, Boyle Heights 90033; 8 p.m.; All ages; Get tickets
Friday, July 5
Decadanse x Underground w/Fifi LaRoux, Larry G., Liz O., PierrotGrand Star Jazz Club
943 N. Broadway, Chinatown 90012; 9:30 p.m.; 21+; Get tickets
Saturday, July 6
DJ Felix, Liz O. @ Bigfoot Lodge
3172 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Feliz 90039; 10 p.m.; 21+; No cover
Sunday, July 7
Disco Matinee 1st Anniversary Party w/Liz O. and Jus’ B @ Grand Star Jazz Club
943 N. Broadway, Chinatown 90012; 3 p.m.; 21+; $5 at the door, RSVP on Instagram or Facebook for free entry before 4 p.m.
Monday, July 8
Izzy Outerspace, Essencer, Ter, Voice on Tape @ Genghis Cohen
740 N. Fairfax, Hollywood 90046; 7 p.m.; 18+; Get tickets
Tuesday, July 9
Splash w/David Christian, Liz O. @ The Mermaid
428 E. 2nd St., Little Tokyo 90012; 8 p.m.; 21+; No cover
Wednesday, July 10
The Future Is Female: L.A. Filmmaker Screening @ Vidiots
4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock 90041; 7:30 p.m.; Get tickets
I forgot to take pics last night at Underground. It happens. But, it was another fun night on Friday, the memories of which become hazy after playing music for four hours. I do, however, recall that I really like the way Actors latest single, “In Real Life,” sounds with Roxy Music’s song “More Than This.” It makes sense in my head because Actors always sounded less like a “darkwave” or “postpunk” band to me and more like people who have listened to a lot of Roxy Music, Bowie, Japan and Duran Duran. But, that doesn’t mean that two songs will go well together and I never know for sure until I try it.
(Just in case you’re wondering, all my sets are improvised, but, when you’ve been DJing since you were 18 and you’re now a far cry from that, you have a good feel for which songs go together and which ones don’t.)
Also new to my set is “Hechizos” by Glass Spells, which you might have heard me play on Dublab last week. If not, you can click on this link to the archive of the show. Glass Spells are from San Diego and are currently on tour, but, unfortunately, don’t have an L.A. date. However, they will be at the Observatory in Santa Ana on July 17. Check Glass Spells’ website for other upcoming tour dates. The other new addition to my set is Boy Harsher’s remix of Chelsea Wolfe’s song “House of Self-Undoing,” which I love. Anyhow, here’s the set list.
The scene just before midnight on the dance floor at Club Underground. May 31, 2024. (Pic: Liz O.)
I’m not one for nostalgia, but ‘00s Nite at Club Underground on May 31 did make me feel a bit wistful for the final decade of life untethered to phones and social media and streaming platforms. I wouldn’t say the ‘00s were a particularly great decade (like I’ve written before, it wasn’t), but it was nice to not be connected to everyone, everywhere, all the time.
In keeping with this week’s theme at Underground, I busted out one of my favorite mashups, which I had downloaded and burned to a CD for gigs back in the ‘00s, and ended the night with the song that was my closer in the earliest years of that decade. Keep reading for the set list.
I’ll be heading back to the DJ booth at Underground on Friday, May 31 for 2000s Nite. Head down to Grand Star Jazz Club to hit the dance for all your favorite jams from the likes of White Stripes, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, Ladytron, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Miss Kittin and the Hacker, Peaches and so many more.
Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and it’s 21+. Grand Star Jazz Club is at 943 N. Broadway inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza, next to the Bruce Lee Statue. Both street and lot parking are available in the neighborhood and the venue is across Broadway from Metro’s A Line stop in Chinatown. Tickets are available now on Eventbrite and Dice.
I took a photo while I was DJing and then remembered why I don’t take photos when I DJ.
Thanks to Larry G. for having me back at Underground on Friday night and for everyone who showed up and hit the dance floor. Some notes on last night’s set: I played the newest additions to my virtual crates really early, so you probably didn’t hear them. Mostly, I wanted to see what “Cadenas de la Infancia” and “I Forget” sounded like in a club. I might stick with them. I might not, but both Mueran Humano’s album, Reemplazante, and Jaako Eino Kalevi’s album, Chaos Magic, have been playing on repeat at home and I absolutely recommend getting both.
This Friday, April 12, is The Strokes Nite at Club Underground and I’ll be DJing alongside Larry G. for it. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open, so you’ll get a good dose of hits and deep cuts from The Strokes, as well as all your Underground favorites. The party starts at 9:30 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m.
Tickets are available now on both Dice and Eventbrite, so scoop up yours now.
The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway in Chinatown’s Central Plaza. Both street and lot parking is available and the venue is a short walk from Metro’s A Line station in Chinatown. This is a 21+ event.
