As the world's showbiz capital, Los Angeles attracts both new and established talent, across the fields of cabaret, jazz, rock and blues and country and western. Nightclubs around town offer a mix of live bands and recorded music, and the city is home to some of the most vibrant comedy clubs in the USA.

Sunset Boulevard (with its famous ‘Sunset Strip') still boasts some of the city's most famous clubs but is by no means the only hotspot. Other good nightlife areas are Santa Monica, especially along Third Street Promenade; Hollywood and West Hollywood, the latter a centre for gay nightlife. Pine Avenue in Long Beach and Pasadena's Old Town also have a good number of jazz clubs and other night spots. Admission prices for clubs and live music vary widely according to the entertainment. Entertainment listings can be found in LA Weekly (website: www.laweekly.com), a free paper distributed around town. Because of LA liquor laws, bars stop serving at 0200. The minimum drinking age is 21 years. Anyone who looks under 40 years old should carry photo ID - it's probable that you'll have to show it on the door. There is no smoking inside any public place in Los Angeles and this includes bars and nightclubs. However, many do offer outdoor areas where smoking is permitted.

Bars: Starting with the Sunset Strip, the Rainbow Bar & Grill, 90015 Sunset Boulevard, attracts the music industry and is known as the hair-metal drinking spot of the 1980s. The SkyBar, at the Philippe Starck-designed Mondrian Hotel, 8440 Sunset Boulevard, may be trading on its reputation for attracting LA's beautiful people, but it still has a great view and the same air of glamour that pervades the whole hotel chain. Occupying a former nursing home at 8300 Sunset Boulevard, the hotel bar of the Standard is less exclusive than Skybar, but equally popular. Still on the Strip, make sure you stop off at the Sunset Tour Hotel. In this splendid 1920s building at number 8358, the authentic art deco lounge bar extends out into the pool area complete with statues of pink flamingos. The Cat'N Fiddle is an English-style bar with courtyard and fountain, at 6530 Sunset Boulevard. Two other good choices are Spider Club at 1737 Vine Street and the Velvet Margarita Cantina, a late night trendy Mexican lounge, 1612 North Cahuenga Boulevard, both in Hollywood.

For LA gay life, try any bar along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, including the reliable Gold Coast at number 8228, or the crazy Fubar at number 7994, with drag queens and bingo nights. The biggest are probably Rage at number 8911, Circus Disco at 6655 (website: www.circusdisco.com), and Micky's at 8857. In this boys' paradise, there is a haven for lesbians at Palms, 8572 Santa Monica (website: www.thepalmsbar.com). For a mixed, hipper crowd, try Akbar, 4356 West Sunset Boulevard (website: www.akbarsilverlake.com) or here, 696 North Robertson Boulevard (website: www.herelounge.com).

The Observation Bar, aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, is an art deco joy - a great place for a romantic martini while the sun sets. In the same area, the Rock Bottom Brewery, 1 Pine Avenue, is a good place to try handmade beers brewed on the premises. Downtown, the best views of the skyscrapers can be had from the revolving cocktail bar, BonaVista at Westin Bonaventure Hotel, 404 South Figueroa Street. With souvenir glasses, floor to ceiling windows and piped music, it's all very 1980s but hard to beat. Also Downtown, The Roof Bar at The Standard, 550 South Flower Street, is a very stylish place to check out the skyline.

Clubs: Serious clubbers will find the LA scene a little on the soft side compared to NYC and London (the 0200 curfew doesn't help), and the emphasis tends to be on looking cool and spending large, rather than dancing hard to name DJs. For serious style, long queues and sexy moves (including semi-naked dancers on glass-encased podiums), try Deep, 1707 Vine Street, on the corner of Hollywood and Vine Streets (website: www.deep-la.com). Area, 643 North La Cienega Boulevard is a swish joint with banquette seating and a spacious dancefloor. The infamous Viper Room, 8852 Sunset Boulevard (website: www.viperroom.com), owned by Johnny Depp, is a small, dark, hip hangout for rock musicians and groupies, although its club nights tend to be more funk and disco.

In Santa Monica, Gotham Hall, 1431 Third Street Promenade (website: www.gothamhall.com), with its clubby look and bustling billiards hall, is populated by pretty boys and girls. The sophisticated Club Cohiba, 110 East Broadway (website: www.cohibalongbeach.com), Long Beach, features a cigar and billiard room, a Martini lounge and a rooftop terrace. Swing-dancing is making a comeback in LA and the Derby, 4500 Los Feliz Boulevard, is the best place to jive - also featured in the film Swingers.

A former 1920s speakeasy Boardner's, 1652 North Cherokee Avenue, Hollywood (website: www.boardners.com), is home to the B52 Club where dancers grind to everything from goth to funk to erotica. Run by the same man (Ivan Kane) as Deep is Forty Deuce, 5574 Melrose Avenue (website: www.fortydeuce.com), a sultry cabaret-style lounge-bar, complete with burlesque. A bit further out in Santa Monica, but equally good, is The Space, at 2020 Wilshire Boulevard.

Comedy: The Comedy Store, 8433 West Sunset Boulevard (website: www.thecomedystore.com), is a good starting point as it features three rooms, which offer a variety of acts, from mainstream to fledgling. In the past, it has seen the arrival of people like Robin Williams, David Letterman, Whoopi Goldberg and Gary Shandling. The Laugh Factory, 8001 West Sunset Boulevard (website: www.laughfactory.com), is a smaller venue where you may see famous names, like Neal Brennan or Rodney Dangerfield, testing out their routines. Groundlings 7307 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood (website: www.groundlings.com) is another premier venue where several Saturday Night Live members (Laraine Newman for example) got their start.

Live Music: The House of Blues, 8430 West Sunset Boulevard (website: www.hob.com), features not just top blues performers, but everything from heavy metal to hip hop and folk music. Harvelle's, 1432 Fourth Street, in Santa Monica (website: www.harvelles.com) is another good spot for blues.

Top jazz entertainers perform at the packed Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 West Sunset Boulevard (website: www.catalinajazzclub.com). Booking is essential. Another good spot, the Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Boulevard in Culver City (website: www.jazzbakery.com), offers up world-class music most nights of the week. For something a little quirky, head to The Dresden, all white leather upholstery and cork walls, at 1760 North Vermont Avenue (website: www.thedresden.com). Resident jazz performers Marty and Elayne attract a mix of in-the-know movie buffs (the lounge featured in Swingers) and fans who just appreciate the music and cocktails.

Two venerable rock clubs, hosting fairly mainstream acts, are The Roxy (website: http://theroxyonsunset.com) and Whisky A Go-Go (website: www.whiskyagogo.com) at 9009 and 8901 West Sunset Boulevard. The Staples Center, 1111 South Figueroa Street (website: www.staplescenter.com), is the venue for mega-concerts and events such as the Grammy Awards. Located nearby is the 7,100-seater NOKIA Theatre, 777 Chick Hearn Court (website: www.nokiatheatrelalive.com), which also hosts well-known bands and award shows. The Cowboy Palace, 21635 Devonshire Street, Chatsworth (website: www.cowboypalace.com) is the undisputed king of the city's country music clubs, and patrons can even sing up for lessons to keep up with the latest dance crazes.

© 2006 Columbus Travel Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer

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