Flower Power

Annual fund-raising comedy night at the Comedy Store which contributes towards the Beating Bowel Cancer charity.

The evening boasts some of Britain's best comic talent, including Paul Thorne, Time Out Award Winner Paul Tonkinson, if.comedy nominee Mike Wozniak, Laughing Horse New Act of the Year 2007 Daniel Rigby, and Will Smith, winner of Time Out's Award for Outstanding Achievement.

A typically weird yet effortlessly charming indie/folk outfit from Montreal, Wolf Parade make indie rock that is sort of like The Mountain Goats jamming with the seven dwarfs from Snow White.

Enjoying a wave of critically acclaimed sophomore release At Mt Zoomer, it seems that these guys are fast on the way towards being the bands that finally comes good on the promise that has been shown by Canada's avant garde indie scene.

Comedian, actor, writer, presenter and general all-rounder Alexei Sayle will be reading from his new book Mister Roberts.

Inventive, darkly funny, thoughtful and full of glorious one-liners, Mister Roberts is both an original coming-of-age story and an unusual take on the corrupting influence of power.

Poejazzi - the spoken word and live music feast - is back with another lyrical, jazz-laced marathon.

Tonight's show includes Luke 'Skywalker' Wright - a poet who's assault on contemporary culture references such disasters as the Ikea riot. He's the man behind Aisle 16: a collective of writers who have created some of the most ground-breaking poetry shows in the UK.

Ayanna Witter-Johnson is back again this month after her dazzling show at previous Poejazzi plus flamenco don Clark Berger and MC Excentral Tempest.

He's done it again. Matthew Bourne's reinvention of Tim Burton's tragic hero Edward Scissorhands was a huge critical and commercial hit on Broadway, and arrives this winter as a festive treat for London. Dark, delightful and a great alternative to a saccharine panto, this is another triumph from the world's most commercially savvy ballet producer.

Bourne has left in some elements, like Danny Elfman's haunting theme music, and the set design and costumes homage to Burton's dark vision, but what Bourne has added in, is an array of expressive ensemble pieces and duets that tell the story in an entirely new, but equally heart-rending way.

A smash hit show with real heart arrives in London in time to rescue us from Christmas schmaltz. Recommended.

Get Happy aims to provide a relaxed, fun and intimate atmosphere for their comedy nights. Line-ups are assorted from new comedians to more established acts and range from classic stand-up to alternative comedy. They also put on games, competitions and prizes not to mention the ever popular Helium Theatre.

This particular one is located upstairs in The Castle pub (right next to Farringdon station) which is open until midnight. You can also play a quick game of space invaders or pool if you get there early.

Tonight top raconteur Stewart Lee is headlining, supported by this year's Chortle 'Best Newcomer' nominee Nat Luurtsema and many more.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery's brilliant children's fable about a pilot crash landing in the desert, who is befriended by a boy from another planet, is many discerning readers' favourite children's book. It finally receives the musical treatment in a charming adaptation by Anthony Clark, with music from Mark Vibrans.

A thinking parent's choice for a family outing completely free of Christmas schmaltz. The oddity of the Prince and his quirky charm make this a haunting, memorable story and whether or not your young one is already a fan of the book, the show promises to delight.

Multi award-winning Scotsman Phil Kay brings his special brand of no hands, no stabilisers comedy to the Soho Theatre. You never know what you're going to get with a Kay set due to his love of improvisation but one thing's for sure, it won't be dull.

Nominated for a Perrier Award in 1993,  he is a firm favourite at the Edinburgh Festival, where yearly he performs to sell-out audiences.

One of the bands that made SST Records a towering force in the US underground, The Meat Puppets are at ULU tonight to perform the entire of their much loved 1984 album 'Meat Puppets II'.

Considered (rightly) as an all time classic, this album was one of the first records that took hardcore in more experimental directions, a strict no-no at the time and one that led to Nirvana's 'Nevermind', Fugazi's Repeater and The Refused 'Shape of Punk to Come'.

To compliment Gasworks' current exhibition of home-made art/music contraptions by Felix Thorn, the gallery is tonight hosting some experimental DJ shenanigans.

There's sets from Paul B Davis and the ever-bizarre Leila, so be prepared for a challenging mix of light projections, pre-programmed art-noise and all manner of other haphazard electronic jiggery-pokery.

The great Cargo giveaway involves free entry, free stuff and some drinks specials. (You didn't think they'd give those away did you?)

Fair play to Cargo, they keep things reasonably priced and the line ups for these free nights manages to be both off-centre and entertaining.

Heading up tonight is the remarkable Death Set - Australian experimental electronica - plus tech-electro outfit Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and the Free Fridays DJ team.

Tonight looks simply spectacular.

Mixmag really pulled it out of the bag for their last Egg party and tonight they've gone one step beyond by booking the world's most exciting dance act: Justice.

Not only that, Chase and Status will be demonstrating why they are considered one of the finest dnb acts in the land, Caspa and Rusko will be vibrating the dubstep room and Stuart Price produced vocal talent FrankMusik will be doing a live set.

Yee-haa.

With a set designed by Insekt Circus and a live dance performance from flapper girls par excellence The Bees Knees, this production of the Edinburgh fringe sensation has added oomph. Mind you, the show itself is pretty superb, blending animation and live action to tell a series of grotesque and unhappily ending stories.

1927 have a unique and horrifying take on vaudeville, using brilliant visual effects and physical comedy to relay a visually fascinating but stomach-turning collection of cautionary tales. Happy endings, there are none, but this is a stunning, occasionally hilarious show.

A perfect alternative to the Christmas heart-warmer, this montage will make your blood run cold, but should put a smile across the face of anyone even reasonably twisted.

At first glance Portland might just be a place that's full of gas stations and trees, but scratch away the surface and you'll find a rich vein of awesome music that starts somewhere around the Wipers and winds its way through the years as far as self-referencing Roxy Music aficionados Hockey, who are in London on the back of their feel good indie rocker 'Song Away'.

Well shiver me timbers, The End is turning 13. And because it's closing in January, this is The Club's final birthday. You know what that means?

A balls-to-the-wall super hard-hitting night of unparalleled filth and senseless debauchery! My favourite.

Sven Vath is headlining - which is reason enough to join the queue with the rest of clubbing London. And of course there's Layo and Bushwacka! and business pal Mr C.

This will rock.

Advance tickets are sold out obviously, so get there super early and have some fun in the queue.

'In the red corner, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee, and full-time moustache wearer, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Josef Staaaaaaaliiiiiiiiin!'

'And in the white corner, it's the mythical, present-bearing, elf-befriending, reindeer-riding, heavyweight champion of Christmas, Santa 'Father Chistmas' Claaaaaaaauuuuuus!'

'Let's get ready to RUMBLE!'

What? No idea pal. But this December the National Army Museum is hosting something called Santa vs Stalin Weekend. Sounds like fun, and probably a lot more educational than we've just made out...

A showcase gig for the former Dayarmond Edison frontman who spent a few years away from the limelight, making weird post-folk in a log cabin in the woods.

Brilliant music, and a surprisingly engaging stage presence for someone who gave up all human contact quite happily for over a year.

The Residents are perhaps one of bizarrest shapes to litter the punk landscape.

Cloaking their identity in eyeball heads, tuxedos and top hats, the band are a riddle of Sphinx like proportions, whilst their fiery mix of garage, pop and art pre-dated the No Wave movement by something like 10 years.

Gouranga are 3 years into the game of throwing delicious parties in both Leeds and London. Tonight they have stepped up their game by combining chief wrong 'un Mr NastyDirty Tim Sheridan and London's latest and most exciting venue - the Lightbox in Vauxhall.

Jimminy Crickets this looks good!  For starters it's a show  celebrating all things rational and scientific, debunking Winterval myths spouted by religious ninnies by way of comedy and song. 

Rather than talking of Jesus's birth, acclaimed science author Simon Singh will talk about the birth of the universe. Instead of talking about Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, Bad Science Columnist Ben Goldacre will talk of alternative medicine and charlatans.

An essential guide to the best parties this New Year from Lowri, from fancy dress block parties via old-skool blowouts to chic techno fiestas. Don't miss out.

Guess what? According to some experimental pop is going to be the sound of 2009, so to break you in gently New York's incredible Animal Collective are playing a couple of dates around London.

Another coup for the Lyric as they secure the UK premiere of this unlikely Broadway smash about adolescent boys in a German boarding school. And we do mean unlikely.