CABARET: Maison du Chien
Back for its third pop-up season, the crazy kooky doggie-themed Maison du Chien – a night of cabaret and burlesque curated by variety show clever clogs Medium Rare – takes up residence once again in the Notting Hill branch of Bumpkin’s intimate and cosy top floor Attic space. Just to give you an idea; opera, ballet, hula, crooner, ventriloquist, magic, tragic and acrobatic are all on the menu, as are Doggie cocktails from 7.30pm and on the food front a new English tapas menu by ex-River Cafe chef Rory Spowers. If you do want to eat you need to book a table in advance by calling 020 7243 9818. Dinner from 8pm.

MUSIC: Pippa Marias at Koko
What is it about Swedish electro pop? Catchy, melodic, sweetly melancholic – we just can’t get enough. See the Scandic musical alchemy in action with Gothenberg-bred but Dalston based quartet Pippa Marias headlining Club NME to celebrate the launch of their debut single ‘Shoot Me Down’ on this year’s rare palindromic Friday (that’s 11.11.11, people) with the track becoming available at exactly 11.11am that morning – kinda sweet, huh? Dance pop with a cutting edge; bank them now – they’re set to be big come 2012 – as it’s oh-so satisfying to say you saw them way back when.

PARTY: Le Baron at Embassy
Paris–flavoured deliciously chic debauchery lands in London this week with the opening of Le Baron in London’s refurbed Embassy club. A constant draw for the A-listers who know how to party, plus live and DJ sets from music glitterati you definitely do want to see – Beth Ditto, Mark Ronson, Sebastian Tellier and Bjork – we’ve got high hopes for the London version (and cannot wait to go!). Tuesday nights are karaoke for musicians and the rest live shows from emerging and established acts plus DJ acts. For an invite email or try your luck on the door. No website info as part of its under-the-radar policy but check out Le Baron’s Twitter for a taster.

PARTY: Plump DJs at XOYO
Electro pioneers Plump DJs, aka Lee Reus and Andy Gardner, return this Saturday to XOYO (if you haven’t been yet, shame on you, it’s a hop and a skip from Old Street roundabout) with more of their party-hard vibes. With their fresh take on electro and recent remixes for the likes of Mark Ronson (him again!), Deadmau5 and Fenech Soler, it’s set to be a bass-strong, drum-heavy night. Supporting acts come in the form of C.R.S.T, Wafa and Mistamen, as well as duo Hot City (see their warm-up mix here) from whom you can expect a garage-influenced set with playful synths and euphoric vocals.

ART: George Condo at the Hayward Gallery
New York based artist George Condo’s mid career retrospective landed in London last month for the rest of the year (next stop Frankfurt) with a provocative and satirical body of work that takes inspiration from American caricature, European history portraits and Greek mythology. Counting Will Self and Kanye West as fans (he designs album covers for West) Condo describes his portraits as ‘…hideous and yet so utterly real’ and has done nine of the Queen alone in his weirdly kooky Looney Tunes style. Go get your head in a spin.

PARTY: Walk The Night at London Fields
Having cut its teeth across a number of London venues since 2006 with sets from the likes of Metronomy, Mystery Jets and The Oscillation, the once-monthly Walk The Night and its two hosts/residents (Alex Egan and Benedict Bull – formerly Skull Juice DJ duo) have built up a loyal following of musos and music insiders. This Sunday they re-surface at London Fields pub with a full nine hours to play with – expect a dance crazy journey through dub, afrobeat, electro-techno, batty bass and house. Don’t stop till you drop.