*** Lots to get into this weekend at Beijing's dive bars, dance clubs, brew pubs, and super remote art galleries... GO: ***

FRIDAY

Take a field trip out to the east fifth ring tonight for the opening of Star Gallery's new exhibit, Tianzhuo's Acid Club. That's a solo show for painter and installation artist Chen Tianzhuo, his first since returning from 7 years of study in London. Tonight's opening reception features fractured dance music from Shadowplay, the new party/promotion platform previously known as "those French guys with good taste in electronic music who seem to go to every show." I think the main DJ involved used to run with the old White Rabbit crew, so you can expect quality tunes from that set. The party's being sponsored by Vice, so you can also look forward to free booze and early-30s dudes with cameras hoping to catch something scandalous to send back to the mothership. 9pm start. Star Gallery is located in something called C5 Qikeshu Creative Park, which is southeast of 798 on a blank grid of Google Maps. You'll find it, I'm sure. *** Passphrase Agentur 2nd Anniversary @ Lantern For more after-hours oonce, swing by Lantern for techno and house promoter Passphrase Agentur's second anniversary bash. DJs include Weng Weng, X.L.F., FuNN, Youga, PAK, and a grip more. Lantern is your primary destination for actually decent music in a Gongti club setting, and Passphrase has been an integral part of its programming DNA. Should be a good one if you're trying to shake the work week away until after sunrise. Free before midnight, then 50rmb. ***

SATURDAY

Remember the first time one of your cool hutong friends said, "Have you heard there's a new microbrew bar off Nanluoguxiang?" and you said, "Yeah the beer is pretty good but the owner is kind of a dick"? Man, feels like yesterday. But it's actually been three years. Great Leap's original Doujiao Hutong location is celebrating their third birthday tomorrow, and as you can imagine, there will be drinking involved. Three tiers of drinking, in fact. There's the All-You-Can-Drink Challenge, which is 300rmb for unlimited beer. You can email RSVP your way into The Karl Long Challenge, where you pay 300rmb and have to drink Great Leap's full menu of thirteen beers, visit both of their locations, and remove your shirt at some point (if you're a dude) for the chance to win… a free t-shirt. Sure, why not. Then at the bottom rung there's the Pace Yourself Challenge: "Come by either GLB location and celebrate with a few beers, food and good friends." Hmm, that sounds more like an "eat and drink our normal menu at standard prices" challenge. Pshaw. The celebrations run all day at both the Doujiao and Xinzhong Jie location. Get sloppy, Beijing. *** John Duva @ School Speaking of sloppy, you can get your beer punk fix on Saturday night at School Bar. Garage quartet John Duva from Åre, Sweden is sweeping through, joined by local degenerates Diders and The Flyx. Should be a fun one for fans of casually assembled three-chord jams. 50rmb, 9:30pm start. ***

SUNDAY

Local post-rock dudes Illness Sickness, aka Beijing's best rock band with a cello, officially release their debut, self-titled EP on Sunday at Mao. They're pretty proud of this one, and will peddle it around greater China over the next month with shows in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Changsha, Wuhan, and Shanghai. But they're dropping it here first. Get a taste of Illness Sickness and Sunday's openers, CAssette and 16mins, over at this week's MP3 Monday. 60rmb, 8:30pm start. *** That's it for now, freaks. Come check us out on Monday at Dada when we keep the Halloween pre-game train rolling with a screening of Kubrick's claustrophobic 1980 masterpiece The Shining, because all work and no play...