11 fabulous things to do this week

Your weekly forecast of the capital's best events

Happy New Year, Beijing! If you're still feeling a bit tuckered out from last weekend's New Year's Eve shenanigans, ease yourself into the week (and 2018) with another glut of brilliant events going down in the capital. It's 2018, get your year started off on the right foot and see what's up!

TUESDAY

Jersey Boys

Tianqiao Performing Arts Centre. Dec 30-Jan 7. 299-1,299RMB

Winner of four Tony awards including Best Musical, Jersey Boys tells the story of the rise, and eventual break-up, of pop superstars Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Moving and insightful, this slickly-produced musical features the best songs from The Four Seasons' extensive catalogue of relentlessly catchy and infectious hits.

WEDNESDAY

Don Diablo

Sir Teen. Wed 3. 200RMB

After releasing a series of Beatport hits ('On My Mind', 'Universe', 'Chemicals'), plus remixes for Rihanna, Coldplay and The Chainsmokers last year, Dutch DJ, singer and musician Don Diablo was ranked number 11 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs list last year, nabbing the title of 'Highest Future House' DJ in the process.

Ensiferum

Yugong Yishan. Wed 3. 360RMB; 280RMB (presale)

Finnish folk-metal band Ensiferum – whose name means 'sword bearing' – deliver their epic mix of folk and melodic death metal on their latest China tour courtesy of Painkiller.

THURSDAY

RTÉ Concert Orchestra

NCPA. Thu 4. 180-880RMB

The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of two full-time professional orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Join the ensemble as they perform everything from Strauss' Overture Die Fledermaus, Irish classics such as 'Finnegan's Wake' and 'An Cuilin', as well as Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings suite.

Joe Nice

Dada. Thu 4. Tickets tbc

Touted as the first DJ to play dubstep in the US, veteran DJ Joe Nice has been DJing for over 20 years and is also the founder of Gourmet Beats, the record label bringing the freshest cut dub-plates from top-notch dubstep producers in the game.

FRIDAY

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

In cinemas around Beijing on Fri 5

One of 2018’s most anticipated films of the year, Star Wars: The Last Jedi races into Beijing cinemas on January 5. The follow-up to 2015’s The Force Awakens, this thrilling instalment of the epic space opera sees Rey attempt to recruit a disillusioned Luke Skywalker to the Resistance in a bid to defeat Kylo Ren and the First Order.

Mando Diao

Yugong Yishan. Fri 5. 300RMB; 240RMB (presale)

Maybe you've never heard of them, but Mando Diao, who hail from Borlänge in Sweden, are pretty well-known in their homeland. Their 2013 album Infruset went four times platinum, topped the Swedish album charts for 17 weeks and produced an eponymous single that lingered on the charts for 167 weeks, 86 of those at number one. Their sound borrows from classic rock acts such as The Kinks, Beatles and Rolling Stones, they just put out a new record in spring 2017, and this is their first China tour in a decade.

Vasily Petrenko and London Philharmonic Orchestra

NCPA. Fri 5. 380-1,680RMB

Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko leads the distinguished London Philharmonic Orchestra in a programme that features Berlioz's Overture to Béatrice et Bénédict, Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's iconic piece Scheherazade.

SATURDAY

Danny Avila

Sir Teen. Jan 6. Tickets tbc

After dropping off the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs list in 2016, Spanish house producer Danny Avila made a massive leap back onto the chart in 2017, re-entering at number 52 after a particularly jam-packed 12 months, during which he signed an international deal with Sony Music and collaborated with Aussie duo Nervo.

Hutong Heroes Vol. 4

US-China Comedy Center. Sat 6. 50RMB

On Saturday, embrace your inner hutong hoodrat with Comedy Club China at the US-China Comedy Center. Beijing's most adorable one-named comedian Lee hosts a night of big laughs in this cozy venue for the first stand-up show of 2018.

SUNDAY

The Chameleons

Yugong Yishan. Sun 7. 180RMB; 150RMB (presale)

Billed by their China promoter as 'the greatest band you have never heard of', Manchester post-punk act The Chameleons were originally active between 1981 and 1987, before falling apart in acrimony. They've since kissed and made up for a number of reunion tours and shows based around the central duo of Mark Burgess and John Lever – this being one of the latest.

For more crackin' things to do this week, hit 'Read more'.

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