Flower Power

West London dubstep crew Antisocial Entertainment present Break The Habit: a night of soulful, experimental dubstep and hip hop. The trio behind tonight are producers Quest and Silkie plus Rinse FM DJ Henry G. All have gained a reputation for pushing dubstep in new directions and showcasing the deep, the different, the special. Tonight is a chance

An excellent indie rock band that sounds not unlike a stripped down version of Pulled Apart by Horses, Dinosaur Pile Up is the lo-fi indie project of Mother Vulpine's Matt Bigland, who is based up in the indie pop capital of Leeds. Tonight see them bring their own particular brand of poppy fun to Club NME tonight, meaning that you finally have an e

It's techno, obviously, from the Noisy Neighbours crew. They come storming into 2009 with a twelve hour party (cripes), with none other than Kompakt's Maxime Dangles leading the pack and setting the pace. Birmingham's first lady of techno Rebekah (Criminal Records) is also playing - plus all your favourite DTS residents: Chris Stanford (Lost So

Live At The Chapel has been running on the first Saturday of the month since June 2007 when Simon Amstell, Russell Howard, Simon Munnery, and Steven K Amos put on a stonkingly good performance for its debut. The night is all about quality control, taking the best acts most comedy clubs have over the course of a year and putting them all togethe

There are some bands you watch. There are some bands you dance to, and there are bands like Throats that you hide from. Making a noise that sounds like you're watching Converge in crazy, messed up nightmare, these guys will seriously freak you out. Tonight they're playing a Holy Roar-sponsored show at the Old Blue Last alongside label-mates Bront

Brand new bi-monthly brought to you by Kid Fiesta of Bloom Fest fame. His aim is to fill the old skool house gap in the London club scene - he's already bagged some classic house pioneers from back in the day (including 808 State, Graeme Park and Altern8) as well as persuading two house legends to get involved: Terry Farley and Steve Proctor. The

'In the end, there can be only one!' Oh wait, sorry, that's a different Highlander. The one we're talking about here is contemporary artist Thomas Hylander and he's exhibiting his muted semi-abstract paintings at Vilma Gold this month. His work is solemn and potentially a little dreary, but there's so much going on in terms of texture that these p

You've rifled through your folks' ancient stack of vinyl and picked out the choice numbers. Your next step is to drag the whole lot down to Bar Vinyl every first Sunday of the month to give them an airing and see if they still make people dance.

A winning concoction of raffles, free snacks, buckaroo and a hearty reliving of the glory days.

Roll up, roll up! Gather all ye fans of comics, zines and off-key literature, for the annual Alternative Press Fair is convened once again at the St Aloysius Social Club in King's Cross. Spoonfed is a big fan of this stuff, having done a few comics in our youth and still harbouring long term ambitions to go back to the drawing board.

This is a great event both for established comics artists looking to swap ideas and comics wannabes. Learn about guerrilla printing and distribution methods, network with other artists and writers, and generally get inspired. The main pleasure is buying the rarest of rare comic rarities from the creators themselves. Some are even good!

An inventive bunch of kids from Hackney, Muarena Helena make a weird and wonderful sounding dream pop stew, that is somewhere between Ariel's Pink Graffiti, The Arcade Fire and Lou Reed.

Playing the Bull and Gate tonight, we'd recommend checking this lot out, they really are a bit of a hidden gem.

Top observational comic and TV panel show guest Michael McIntyre tests out some new material ahead of his forthcoming TV show and UK tour.

For a 'work in progress' night tickets are more expensive than usual at £12 but the price reflects just how popular this guy is, his anecdotes and observations on society's quirks are always spot on and he never fails to have the audience in hysterics.

A brand new play by Lena Farugia transports the audience to 1980s Paris, where we meet a dotty old woman living in a medicated haze, who is being closely guarded by her carers and appears to believe her dead husband is still with her.

Turns out, she's Wallis Simpson, the untitled divorcee whose love affair and subsequent marriage to Edward VIII precipitated the abdication crisis.

A good cast includes Patrick Ryecart (Doctor Who, Poirot) as the handsome prince.

Comedy Camp hosts some of the funniest people ever to lift up a microphone and talk into it, and that includes the Duke of Edinburgh, George Bush, and the Iraqi information minister during the Gulf war.

Held in the recently refurbished Barcode every Tuesday, it is a gay and straight-friendly club that has seen Jeff Innocent, Graham Norton, Scott Capurro, Stephen K Amos, Harry Hill and Al Murray perform here in the past. While it has a gay slant it aims to attract a mixed crowd as well as a mixed line-up and there is always a friendly vibe.

Tonight the sisters are doing it for themselves with last year's if.comedy 'Best Newcomer' Sarah Millican, razor-sharp comedienne Jo Caulfield and Aussie Anglophile Kitty Flanagan.

This is Music returns to the Old Blue Last for a free night of punk, pop and general rowdiness.

Headlining are the amazing You're Smiling Now But We'll All Turn Into Demons: a prog/punk act from Portsmouth who sound like King Crimson crossed with early Trail of the Dead. Also on the bill are art/noise terrorists Human Hair who are Henry from Lovvers' other band.

But before you even to get to that, they are kicking things off with a set from exciting new garage rockers Thee Fair-Ohs who sound like a sped-up version of White Denim. Should be awesome.

David Greig's latest play was a critical hit at last year's Edinburgh fringe and is one of three plays he has penned in the past 18 months. This is a subtle thriller about an Englishman out of his depth in the Middle East, which uses gentle humour and slow-building rapport rather than sudden shocks or radical plot twists.

Paul is in Syria to do a book deal. His contact is beautiful, mysterious Muna, whose ex-lovers and confidants skirt the action. She is at first amused and then attracted by this buffoonish Englishman whose words have the power to counter political extremism.

A simmering, measured look at cultural differences with war and suffering in the background, and witty, attractive human interest to the fore.

Wow! Some of these images are simply stunning. Crisp, cold and elegantly composed, Scarlett Hooft Graafland's recent photographic series is truly beautiful.

The Dutch artist spent four months living in Ingoolik in remote northern Canada and the results are on display this month at Michael Hoppen Gallery.

As well as looking fantastic, these images are also entertaining in a surreal and kind of stagey manner. A little like an arch take on Andy Goldworthy, this is nature, but artfully arranged.

Just when you're thinking there aren't enough female-heavy comedy nights out there, along comes one with a kick-ass name. Girls With Guns (that's right, big comedy guns!) is a new monthly night held in The Phoenix which aims to flip a regular bill on its head by having predominantly female line-ups.

As well as one token male slot, the nights will feature a mixture of female stand-up, music and variety acts with the main focus being on comedy.

Brand new monthly to the Russian Bar, Nature Or Nurture aims to provide the good people of London with a top-notch, mid-week shindig featuring cutting edge DJs and producers and all for under a fiver.

Room One is house: deep, tech, soul. Room Two: disco based.

This month it's the remarkable Terry Francis (Fabric resident), Gamal Kabar (Poker Flat) and The Pushamann.

Wouldn't it be great if people would stop trying to contextualise everything? Yes the economy's in a right old state, but we don't have to talk about it all the time. The best way to overcome a problem is to ignore it, right?

Nadine Feinson opined that a shift in emphasis towards the personal would mark art in 2009 and certainly this - Alex Echo's solo show at VINEspace - is an intensely personal project.

The exhibition divides into five chapters, with 27 paintings and 1 sculpture, and it's inspired by the artist's love of It's a Wonderful Life and his identification with Jimmy Stewart's role in it.

The iconic Chew The Fat! returns to Corsica Studios with a line-up that defines their sound.

Booty-basslines galore.

They welcome up-and-coming producer Fake Blood, the simply excellent Trevor Loveys and next generation four to the floor producer Foamo.

Naming your self after a Wire song is always a good way to make people take notice, but following it with jerk post punk that sounds like Gang of Four rocking out with Cabaret Voltaire is how to make your band the coolest in London.

Basically Ex Lion Tamers have done just that, and if you don't believe us, then you can see for yourself down at The Victoria tonight.

Them land at Whitechapel rave central the Rhythm Factory for a gigantic February edition.

This is the Brighton-based party starters third London touchdown and they've got the biggest line up to date. Ghetto house and bassline pioneer Baobinga brings the ghetto bass, Mumdance mashes up garage, bassline, funky, grime, electro, fidget, dubstep, house, techno and jungle (phew) into a huge, nutritious bin full of electronic, radio-active magic which will make you MOVE.

Danish DJ and producer Trentemoller has become one of the biggest names in electronic music over the last few years, with several critically acclaimed releases including his awesome debut album The Last Resort. Having performed with a live band on recent tours, he is now going back to basics with what should be a banging DJ set of minimal techno.

Another highlight should be Tel Aviv native Shlomi Aber, whose groovy electro-house has earned him a massive international reputation.

Did you know that the term hermaphrodite comes from the Greek myth of Hermaphroditus? He was turned into an androgynous being after rejecting the advances of the nymph Salmacis. At her wish, the gods blended their two bodies into one.

Hermaphroditus' parents were Hermes and Aphrodite, and so the hermaphrodite is male and female by both biology and etymology. Interesting huh?

Well, this month contemporary artist Maria von Köhler presents a site-specific installation at IMT that explores the concept of the hermaphrodite and its interest to artists throughout the ages.

Plex return with their first party of the year with an exclusive performance by the illusive and mysterious Dopplereffekt. They're a Detroit techno outfit who have never given an interview and very rarely perform live.

Thought to be composed of four individuals, the members hide behind German pseudonyms. Their music is heavily influenced by Kraftwerk and draws upon science, sex and politics as subject matter.

Planet Mu creator Mike Paradinas is also playing as µ-Ziq - a moniker he created in the '90s whilst producing for Richard D James' label Rephlex.

Ah look, zee Svedes are coming to London, wiz zer trëndy designer clözing and zer flowing blonde hairs. How åbsolutely super!

Since the mid '90s Sweden has emerged as something of a hotbed of contemporary fashion, with a swathe of young avant-garde designers displaying a relaxed calm elegance mixed with a more experimental edge.

Designers like Ann-Sofie Back are household names now, but London ought to pay more attention to people like Sandra Backlund, Helena Horstedt and Nakkna.

This exhibition at Zandra Rhodes' Fashion and Textile Museum promises to open our eyes to this exciting pool of talent.

Skål!

Lo-fi punk chicks Pens headline a show at the Old Blue Last. We've seen these ladies at various points over the last 6 months, and they rock out in a super fun if chaotic, we-look-like-we-don't-know-what-we're-doing way.

Support comes in the form of  Manor House based dance-punks Male Bonding and Dalston noise merchants Teeth.

Knock2Bag is now undoubtedly the best comedy night in Shepherd's Bush and regularly sells out each month.

Line-ups feature leading comedians on the circuit, if.comedy winners and tipped newcomers. What really makes it though, is the variety of acts that perform there; from sketches to music, poetry, magic and the downright weird (resident Brian Gittins is a must see), Knock2Bag always has a good balance to it.

Cheap Thai food is also available throughout the gig and if you're savvy you'll go for the noodles.

Emerging from the same experimental scene as Animal Collective and Black Dice, Brooklyn's Gang Gang Dance blends African rhythms, Middle Eastern dance music, industrial, noise, punk and more.

Today's skewed pop and eerie vocals are less chaotic than their earlier work, glistening with Arabian synth lines and delayed out shimmer guitar that harkens back to the likes of Liquid Liquid and The Konk.

Ooh, Planatacia x Abstractica. Are those real words, Standpoint? We think not. Nonetheless, making up words is an artist's (and indeed a gallery's) prerogative, so, hey, let 'em be.

This oddly entitled exhibition pits the works of two contemporary artists against each other and (in some ways) against the whole concept of modernism.

Scenario is the new hip hop party at Cargo.

If you still need convincing then recognize that it's by the crew that bought you Soundcrash, Loose Change and Red Alert.

The policy is to combine new talent with prolific, established artists.

Cultures clash in wartime Nigeria following the death of the King. His lead horseman swears to honour the Yoruba tradition by committing ritual suicide and following his master to the afterlife, but the British colonial powers don't tolerate such behaviour. And Elesin Oba is torn anyway,as he celebrates his forthcoming death by flirting with girls, feasting and dancing.

This remarkable play by Wole Soyinka examines the rights of a people to live and die as they please, and the very nature of existence. The whole is wrapped in a fascinating, beautifully realised African culture.