I have mixed feelings about opera. I love the ‘hit’ songs but 4 hours spent on rather austere seating can test anyone’s love of singing peasants. That’s why a new opera at Theater Rigiblick by London’s The Opera Group, Babur in London, could lure me back. Set in contemporary London, it follows four men and women as they prepare to carry out a terrorist attack. As their mission draws closer the ghost of Babur, the first Mughal emperor and poet, visits and confronts them. The piece uses the contemporary Indian poetry of Jeet Thayil and original music by Edward Rushton. This is opera as documentary and all the more powerful for it.
Thursday/Friday 8 pm, Theater Rigiblick

Pile of Books is a great independent English bookshop. What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in charm, and the owner, Daniel, is always ready to offer a suggestion if you get blinded by browsing-mania. This Friday, Nashville singer/songwriter John Francis will be playing at the store. He mixes Americana, country and folk into a heady brew and with the intimate surroundings of books and wooden shelves should turn this into an intense evening of music.
Friday 8 pm, Pile of Books, Zentralstrasse 16, 8003

As Abart slowly begins to wind down, they are putting on a few late Friday night specials, where the headlining act gets to rock out around midnight. This Friday, is a night of post-rock shenanigans with Swiss band Leech headlining and bringing with them their epic maelstrom of instrumental sound that is sure to vibrate your most secret places. Kid Ikarus, also from Switzerland and German band, Long Distance Calling, offer support with their own beautiful musical chaos.
Friday 9pm, Abart

When Amboss Rampe put on a night called Do What Ya Like, they ain’t kidding. For starters you can warm up with a little game of funky ping-pong, and then just to show you can make spectacular moves without a bat in your hand, you can head to the party where djs Nicola Kazimir, Joe Bless and, of course, resident djs lobi rodio and kelstroem will play anything from boogie and disco to house and hiphop. 
Friday 9 pm, Amboss Rampe

Iceland seems to be a place that inspires music that is ethereal but still able to grab you by the ear and insist on being listened to. Sigur Rós and Björk are maybe the most well known examples but Ólafur Arnalds should be next on your ‘Icelandic artists I should know’ list. He plays live at Moods this Saturday with songs that are mostly built around almost classical piano motifs, that then expand and swell as electronica and subtle drum patterns engulf you in their warm embrace. This is music to sooth the savage breast and make a Saturday night feel like a Sunday morning.
Saturday 9:30 pm, Moods