Poodle skirts and mohawks aren’t the most natural pairing, fashion-wise, but that seems to be the only appropriate garb for rosesmp.com’s February Hop at Broken City this Friday, February 26. With music from Fist City, Jeremy Clarkson, The Poly Shores and Les Dragues Mothers, it’ll be more lo-fi skronk than twist-and-shout, but a pre-music screening of John Waters’s Hairspray gives an idea of the demented ’50s vibe that the rosesmp crew is aiming for. Plus, the $5 ticket includes free mac ’n’ cheese, which people tell me is something of a selling feature.

If Easy Mac isn’t your thing, you could always skip the Hop and head for Library Voices at SAIT’s Gateway. Regina’s poppiest octet will be arriving fresh from a trio of shows at the Saskatchewan Olympic Pavilion in Vancouver, so feel free to hit them up for the inside dirt on this year’s games.

On Saturday, February 27, The Palomino will be celebrating a different kind of athlete when Bigfoot Rocketship and The Blacktop 5 team up for a roller derby fundraiser. The girl-fightingest sport on wheels got a profile boost from last year’s Drew Barrymore-helmed Whip It, but that doesn’t mean Calgary’s B-52 Bellas don’t need your support. Hey, it’s more fun to watch than speed skating.

Saturday also has The Abramson Singers head to The Marquee Room. Featuring Leah Abramson of Dyad and a trio of Vancouver pinch-hitters (including Shecky Forme’s Dan Gaucher on drums), the Singers specialize in lush, multi-part vocal harmonies and sombre, folk-influenced backdrops. Given that the album features Abramson’s multi-tracked vocals, it’ll be interesting to see how the sound translates live, but it’s a safe bet that “haunting” will be an appropriate word.

Sticking to the low-key side, Sunday, February 28 will see the second instalment of the Shot at the Dark music series at Cantos. This month, the series shines a spotlight on piano chanteuse Lauren Mann and acoustic duo Sable Island — it’ll be an intimate way to end the month.

Rounding off the week, there’ll be two shows vying for your attention on Wednesday, March 3. Criminally underappreciated prog-poppers Bend Sinister will be at Broken City, boggling minds with its technically adept and ridiculously catchy hooks, while DJ Champion will bring his francophone dance party to the Gateway. Whichever you choose, you’re in for a good time.