One of longest-running gigs in town, Moonshine deserves a pat on the back. Undoubtedly, one of the reasons behind its popularity is the music selection. You can expect to hear a variety of music, from ska (40 Winks who performed at Moonshine’s third anniversary) to modern rock (Moonshine favourites Tempered Mental). There is, of course, acoustic, heart-on-sleeve singer-songwriter material, the backbone of Moonshine.

As a classically trained vocalist and a qualified vocal coach, Noryn Aziz has impressive singing chops. She is known for her passion for jazz and contemporary pop. Drawing her inspiration from jazz greats of the past and the present day such as the incomparable “First Lady of Song” Ella Fitzgerald, Rachelle Ferrell, Jill Scott, and neo-soul chanteuse Erykah Badu also doesn’t hurt this promising young star.

From the land of Loch Ness monsters and haggis, come post-rock gods Mogwai. Fans of post-rock will skip this story entirely as attending the show is a no-brainer, but for those straddling the fence between attending or not, this story is for your benefit.

Did anyone tell William Hung that it’s possible to achieve extraordinary fame, respect and a mob of fans without being the butt of everyone’s jokes?

OK. So you missed the Australian indie rock band Van She at the Heineken Green Room party in November. You’re kicking yourself for missing another great gig. Fear not. This month you’ll have another band coming your way.

Prepare yourselves for a treat when Mamma Mia! debuts onstage in Kuala Lumpur this holiday season. Fall in love with the endearing characters and their comedic antics set to a Swedish smorgasbord of memorable ABBA hits like “Dancing Queen”, “Money, Money, Money”, “Super Trouper” and “Thank You For The Music” that will have you singing along—you know you want to!

As past Heineken Music Presents Impulse: A Junk Music Project had demonstrated, music and visuals go hand-in-hand. In August, we had Drip from the Philippines and new-found Malaysian duo Milli’z performing to the visuals of Altered Image and The Hoo. In November, the line-up is exploding in numbers and in talent.

The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2008/2009 concert season just keeps getting better, and thanks to the Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur and Embassy of Japan, this month sees the MPO hosting a two-day international jazz concert.

Hip hop gets some love this November with the first KL Hip Hop Festival. Organized by The Reach Event, the fest has been touted as a symposium for the who’s who in Asian hip hop, bringing together artistes from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore … even to as far as the United States. 

Remember the days of Super Mario Brothers or Galaga played on an old-school game console? Want to relive them in a thoroughly modern fashion? In November, local independent brands Bangkit and Weareenvy will be organizing Colourama, an event that’s fresh in concept but nostalgic in sentiment.

Before you start filling your diary out for this month, we suggest keeping 18 January free because the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) will be having its annual Open Day!

Klang Valley art enthusiasts are in for a treat this January. Gallerie Taksu is starting the New Year with their annual group art exhibition Locals Only.

The folks at Valentine Willie Fine Art (VWFA) are starting off the year with a bang! First, the Bangsar art gallery announced a re-branding of the gallery: new team, new logo and they'll be targetting a new audience of younger art collectors. Second, they welcomed two new galleries, from Indonesia and Philippines, into its family. Now, VWFA kicks off the Year of the Ox with their annual Headlights exhibition, which will provide the viewing public with a glimpse of VWFA’s exciting new programme.

In the wake of the successful 8 Ways to Lighten a School Bag which gave some insight into the Malaysian education system, Oh My God (OMG) is KLPac’s second Community Writing Project, and looks to bring another sensitive take on life in Malaysia to the stage. From the 8 Ways team, writer-director Mark Beau de Silva with the assistance of Juria Toramae, Oh My God (OMG) features Sukania Venugopal, Hanita Hanim Ismail, Farah Rani, Belinda Hon and Tuan Faisal.

Human relationships have their ups and downs no matter how hard one tries to keep up appearances. Straight from its sold-out Singapore run, a compelling new play called Gemuk Girls from the award-winning pairing of director Alvin Tan and playwright Haresh Sharma brings this issue to the stage, and explores its daily trials on an intimate level.

Published in 1843, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol remains one of the most popular Christmas stories of all time. KLPac is staging this production, based on John Mortimer's script, for the first time in Malaysia. Christopher Ling will direct.

This adaptation of the 1944 existentialist play, No Exit, tells the infamous story of Garcin, Inez, and Estelle, translated to fit the Malaysian context. The three characters find themselves in a place that apparently is hell. With only the three of them to keep each other company and time passing at an unquantifiable rate, they realise that the one thing worse than physical torture is mental torture.

Chitra is King Manipur’s only child, born a princess to the royal family. The sole heir to the throne, she is brought up no different from a male heir. In constant preparation to take up that role, she develops a manly quality only the bestowing of power and an overbearing father figure can accomplish. A logical, headstrong woman ready to take on a world of responsibility, she meets Arjuna and falls in love.

Bottom Top is an inspired comedy birthed by Mark Beau de Silva and Faridah Merican. Together, they are a creative powerhouse with numerous highly acclaimed plays and awards tucked securely under their belts. As if there is any more need to further sweeten the deal, Joe Hasham plays his hand as director.

You’re going to go wild for the Blonde Bombshells of 1943! This musical comedy with a UK cast is based on Alan Plater’s BAFTA award-winning BBC TV drama Last of the Blonde Bombshells starring Judi Dench.

Christine Manfield was once quoted to have said, “My philosophy of life and work is based on the premise that life is too short to eat bad food.” It is the very same pursuit of good food that has brought her the accolades and fame she enjoys today. In the circle of celebrity chefs, Manfield ranks high within its clique.

For those not in the know, molecular gastronomy is a way of preparing dishes using unusual techniques (cooking in very low or high temps, for example) and substances, like liquid nitrogen or sodium alginate. In a nutshell, science concepts practiced on everyday cooking.

Acclaimed Chef Tony Gao is here to serve up some yummy dishes.

Residents of Section 13 Petaling Jaya are finally getting what they deserve - a community centre brimming with cafes and restaurants in a neat package that is Jaya One.

Scandinavian cuisine is hard to come by even in this city that is overrun by pots and pots of local and international eateries. So when Hotel Equatorial decided to come up with their Scandinavian Gala Feast, we're almost certain we heard other food-lovers rejoice with us.

It's Malaysian movie mayhem this month! Here are our picks!

The 9th European Film Festival gives you a break from Hollywood this month. From 13-23 November, Golden Screen Cinemas in MidValley, 1 Utama and Pavilion are screening some films like those mentioned here, but be sure to check out the entire list on GSC’s website.

With the Harry Potter series approaching its end, the world needs another literary and movie franchise to obsess over. With that considered, the premiere of Twilight, the movie, seems perfectly timed.

Bangkok Dangerous is a remake of the 1999 flick by The Pang Brothers. Helmed by the same directors, their Hollywood version follows the original’s plot line closely except, they now have Nicolas Cage in the lead playing Joe, a hitman who wearily travels to Bangkok to methodically carry out four hits – all in a day’s work, really.

Fluffy pink comedies are not the stuff of great intellect, but they somehow have been dubbed to empower women anyway. So if you liked Legally Blonde, you should by right, get a kick out of House Bunny. And considering Anna Faris is blessed with the sole talent to satirize blond ambition, casting could not have been a more perfect choice.

Here at KLue, we’ve been following filmmaker Azharr Rudin’s career for a while now. Director of the well-received The Amber Sexalogy series of shorts, Azharr now moves on to the next logical step: his first feature-length film which will be shown at the GSC International Screens come 25 September. Entitled Punggok Rindukan Bulan (or This Longing), the film is about a young boy, Sidi (Saeful Nazhif Satria), and his father Adman (Sharonizam Noor) who are both struggling to cope with the sudden absence of their mother and wife (Maya Karin).

The theme for this year’s FreedomFilmFest is “Democratic Space – Making Room for Human Rights”, chosen to draw attention to the deteriorating state of state democracy. What is democracy? Where exactly are the democratic spaces in Malaysia? What can we do as citizens to reclaim these spaces? Where do the issues of culture, identity, race, religion and development fit in this abyss?

We caught up with Zachary Ong, the producer of The Value of My Sanity. Click to read what he had to say about learning curves, pushing creative boundaries, Yuna, Estrella and Otam!

Despite its name, the iconic '60s TV series Speed Racer has certainly taken its time to make its theatrical debut.

Looking for something different in the cinemas this month? You’re in luck.

Sister Bliss, known by her real name as Ayalah Bentovim, for many is synonymous with electronic house, trance and trip-hop fusion as part of the massive, arena-filling British band Faithless. She creates much of the electronic-heavy music for Faithless herself, yet a talented musician in her own right, the first lady of house music can play the piano, violin, saxophone and bass.

OK, hands up if you want to be out of the Klang Valley for New Year’s eve but can’t be bothered to book airplane tickets to somewhere that burns a hole in your pocket and requires you to be strapped in your seat for more than two hours. Jeebus, that’s a lot of hands. Well, we’ve found a perfect New Year’s party for you and your friends—the Siloso Beach Party at Sentosa. 

For a taste of what the newly refurbished Zouk Club KL has to offer, head on over for New Year's Eve, as the club opens all its six areas for one massive party.

Heineken presents JUICE DJ Quest is back and on the lookout once again for new blood in the world of turntablism. Last year’s event saw the crowning of DJ Nikki as Heineken’s first female champion, who won over Heineken music fans and music industry insiders despite heavy competition from a wide range of dance music disciplines. Though DJ Nikki went on to the regional finals, she lost the coveted title to the tirelessly inventive cut ‘n paste technique of Hong Kong’s DJ Forest.

Essentially a live act, Simian Mobile Disco are junkies for extended club wig-out sessions. Their faithfulness to their unique sound stems from a start creating strange electronic music in a spare room. With a mutual passion for music, Manchester University students, James Ford and James Anthony Shaw (Jas Shaw, to avoid confusion), brought the first incarnation of Simian Mobile Disco to life in the late 90s - then simply called Simian.

Pretty, pixie-faced Swede, Hanna Flemström, isn’t just known for her Nordic good looks; she also moonlights as DJ Stella Nutella. Her wanderlust will take her to Kuala Lumpur, where she will be launching Red Square, the club touted as KL’s first and only vodka bar. Named after Moscow’s famous city square, Red Square debuted in Jakarta as Asia’s first vodka bar and DJ Stella Nutella is the perfect introduction to Red Square’s chic concept.

So we all know everyone’s bummed about not having their dose of Twilight Actiongirl on Friday nights this month. But the city’s love for everything indie is in boom lately and with that comes another indie rock night that could satisfy you just the same.

Which is why we love new nights! Such as Freaklub, which is held at the just-as-new Cloth & Clef on the trendy street of Changkat Bukit Bintang.Hosted by DJs RaySoo and Tootekool (real name Sebastian Scholz), Freaklub can best be described as a jamming free-for-all.

Comprising of two DJs, Mairead Nash and Tabitha Denholm, these girls are (in)famous in London, especially in the city’s hipster scene. Think of them as the female version of our LapSap and Twilight Actiongirl nights combined. Both are former hosts of MTV UK’s NME Chart Show, ensuring that they know a thing or two about what’s hot and bubbling under in the music scene.

Paul van Dyk is, as you would probably know, big man on campus in the electronic music scene. He tops the pinnacle of every DJ list across the globe, he’s been Grammy nominated, he’s worked with the Pussycat Dolls, he’s currently ranked as the World’s number one DJ by DJ Magazine’s Top 100 DJs poll – his name resonates upon the mere mention of his preferred genre.

Although the Kancil Awards Festival, organized by the 4As, has been a regular fixture in the advertising industry for 30 years now, this year’s festival will debut an event that has the creatives in a-twitter. Introduced and held annually in Goa, India, Kyoorius Designyatra is a design and creativity conference which gathers some of today’s design leaders, professionals and students to share and exchange insights on the industry as well as to discuss new innovations and developments in the scene.

Travel shows are a dime in a dozen but The Hoppers & Ahli Muzik by Eightball Production is one that is done with a difference. This semi-reality travel show follows the chronicles of four lads as they make their way on a roadtrip across the Peninsular.

Cool T-shirts and awesome live bands aren’t just for KL-ites you know? That’s the message that Angkatan Baju Malaya is sending to those who don’t have the pleasure of living here.

Shoppers, get ready for a quirky, artsy fix. Kraftgrafik (who helps organise LapSap Junkyard sales) and +Wondermilk will be presenting Neue Format Design Mart.