LA's clubland remains driven by the see-and-be-seen crowd, tabloid-friendly celebs and the oh-so-pretty boys and girls who love them. If your name's not down, to quote the old song, you're not coming in.

However, there is plenty to cherish outside the paparazzi-packed hot spots, in venues that don't encourage quite the same level of exclusivity. In Hollywood, Avalon (1735 N Vine Street, CA 90028, +1-323 462 8900, www.avalonhollywood.com) books a ton of big-name DJs, especially for Saturday's Avaland sessions, while the regular Giant nights at the Vanguard (6021 Hollywood Boulevard, CA 90028, +1-323 463 3331, www.giantclub.com) also deliver on a grand scale. And Circus (6655 Santa Monica Boulevard, CA 90038, +1-323 462 1291, www.circusdisco.com) offers a slew of party-hearty gay nights, offering an alternative to the pink nightlife at West Hollywood joints such as Rage (8911 Santa Monica Boulevard, CA 90069, +1-310 652 2814, www.ragewesthollywood.com).

The variety of live music on offer is also pretty wide. Largo (432 N Fairfax Avenue, CA 90036, +1-323 852 1073, www.largo-la.com) offers an enviable array of singer-songwritery types; the House of Blues in West Hollywood (8430 W Sunset Boulevard, CA 90069, +1-323 848 5100, www.hob.com) packs in biggish acts and superstars playing undercover; and Spaceland (1717 Silver Lake Boulevard, CA 90026, +1-323 661 4380, www.clubspaceland.com) is one of several east-side clubs that welcome indie up-and-comers and alt-rock veterans.

[top]