After a December relaunch that was the nightlife equivalent of a 100m false start, Souk relaunches for real tonight. Former Brown’s, Frank’s Place, Pavillion, Paddy O’Shea’s and Danger Doyle’s manager Glenn Phelan has brought his experience on board as a consultant; he hints that the new-look Souk will take Beijingers of a few years’ standing will back to the 2006 glory days of Brown’s – bar-top dancing and all. There’s an open bar from 8-10pm.

Hotpot at Punk will be busy as always tonight (from 10pm), as DJ Wordy spins everything in his record bag. Over at Suzie Wong’s, it’s Open House from 9pm tomorrow night. That means house music and beautiful people. See what they did there? If you’re thinking of going and expect to get a table, Suzie recommends that you get on the phone and book one. There’s also a Saturday showdown at Obiwan, as the Funk*Fever and Beats Royale crews lock horns for a night of funk, hip-hop and more (from 10pm). You might as well sleep by Xihai and hang around until 4pm the next day, when Mei Wenti returns with Reggae Sunday.
 

As well as Souk's revival, the new year has brought a few new openings so far, including the following in Sanlitun:

Club LeZazou: Sanlitun Village’s first club, Le ZaZou has a lounge room fit for live jazz and slow drinking, as well as a separate club room. The club has a bit of a Suzie Wong’s feel, though the dance floor is on the small side. We’re waiting to see what kind of events and promotions they’re going to offer to fill the place up.

Tryst: Manager Sean Duff is something of a legend in these parts, partly for the celebrity he earned as a weatherman on CCTV-9 a few years back. Some know him simply as “The Weatherman.” Duff has now opened his own bar, Tryst, in a tiny space next to Alameda that was once a café. You can go with a friend – but not more than about five, or you’ll be fighting for seats, and there’s no room for fighting in this bar. There are decent cocktails, including one invented by Luga (I didn’t try this one, so no comment). A typewriter sits on the bar, presumably to save on the Wi-Fi costs, so you don’t need to bring your laptop. They’ll also have food available soon.

Lantern: Acupuncture’s club held its official launch party two weeks ago – tonight crew member X.L.F. is in charge of the decks.

We’ve also spotted two new live music venues in recent weeks – The One and Mako. Look out for reviews of both in the new issue of The Beijinger, out next week. The former is on the East Fourth Ring Road, the latter in Shuangjing, both far from Beijing’s rock ‘n’ roll heartlands. Nobody’s going to be wandering out on impulse to see what’s going on at these venues, but it’d be a shame if they go unused, as both are large, well-equipped spaces, holding around 500 each. If they can consistently book decent acts, Beijing’s portfolio of mid-sized venues will be all the richer for it. Hell, Shuangjing might just become the new hub of Beijing punk.