20 things to do this weekend

Saturday

Unleash your riot-grrrl...

The latest in an occasional concert series organised by Metropolis arts editor Dan Grunebaum, 'Rock Chick's Revenge (Rock Gods Must Die)' (to give it its full name) invites five female-focused acts to do their thing, although they're going to have a hard time competing with the evening's special guests, Blue Man Group. Yeah, those guys. That's not to say that the rest of the lineup doesn't look intriguing, ranging as it does from the ass-kicking rock of Nagoya's Jonny and The Cold Tommy to Elsie's deadpan industrial-electro diva schtick. What's more, all proceeds will be going to support the quake relief work of Peace Boat. For full event details, click here

Raise your glasses...

It's the highlight of the year for Tokyo's hop heads: an afternoon of hardcore tasting, with over 100 varieties of craft beer on offer and the kinds of crowds you might expect on the Yamanote line during rush hour. In a break from the norm, this year's Great Japan Beer Festival also has a charitable bent, which is to say that ¥100 of each ticket will be donated to the Japan Red Cross Society; otherwise, it looks set to be business as usual. Once you've paid the admission price, you're free to drink all the beer you can stomach for the next three-and-a-half hours, though bear in mind that you'll be supping it from a 50ml tasting glass each time. For full event details, click here

Tune in, freak out...

There can't be many bands who command such a fervent overseas following yet inspire so little interest in their home country as Acid Mothers Temple. The group recently completed a 31-date tour of the US and Canada, which leader Makoto Kawabata immediately followed up with another Stateside tour, this time in a duo with former Afrirampo drummer Pikachu. This, from a band who play in Tokyo about three times a year, if even that. It isn't hard to understand the appeal that Acid Mothers have for an overseas audience: their shaggy psychedelic rock owes a massive debt to the music of the original LSD generation, even if Kawabata conjures sounds from his guitar that Hendrix himself couldn't have fathomed. For full event details, click here

Listen to some planetary sounds...

Sometime author Yuka Goto sets up shop at Hiromart Gallery this June, displaying acrylic painting as part of her latest show, Planet Sounds. The artist is known for her Seigitai books, a three-part manga series that's slightly less polished than other such work and, in our opinion, a tad more interesting for it. While the paintings on show at Hiromart are not identical to the work in Seigitai, there's enough of a similarity to please ardent fans. The exhibition opens today, and there's a reception from 6pm. For full event details, click here

Hit the mountains...

Like an amuse bouche for the summer festival season, Taico Club descends on the mountainside Kodama no Mori in Nagano Prefecture each June for a good-natured night of techno, electronica and jam band action. This year's line-up is as diverse as ever, and features a number of familiar faces including Icelandic post-rock group Mum and the ubiquitous Takkyu Ishino. Some odd timetabling decisions mean that Cyclo.'s abstract electronica and Tyondai Braxton's 21st century prog rock get prime-time slots, while you'll have to stay up very late if you want to catch glo-fi darling Toro Y Moi. For full event details, click here

Hit the beach...

After the Chemical Brothers got a ho-hum reception last year, Big Beach Festival has brought back the man who started it all: Norman 'Fatboy Slim' Cook. There'll also be DJ turns from Carl Cox, Steve Lawler and Seth Troxler, plus an array of reliable Japanese talent including Dexpistols and Tomyuki 'Fantastic Plastic Machine' Tanaka. Just make sure you're ready for the rude shock of the early closing time. For full event details, click here

Hit the after-party...

When Big Beach wraps up, it'll probably leave a good few thousand revelers baying for more. Never fear: things will be continuing until dawn at a few official parties around town. The largest one is at Womb, where Carl Cox tops the bill, with Seth Troxler and Satoshi Otsuki in support. That's a tempting lineup, regardless of whether you schlupped it out to Makuhari for the main event, although there'll be a ¥1,000 discount on the door for anyone who did. For full event details, click here

Get in the house...

While some producers steer clear of the pop mainstream for fear of sullying their 'underground' credentials, Quentin Harris doesn't have any such qualms. The Detroit-raised, New York-based house producer made his name with a remix of Donnie's 'Cloud 9', and has since reworked everyone from Justin Timberlake to Coldplay to Hikaru Utada – all the while keeping his feet in the 'serious' house and gay club scenes. For full event details, click here