Two worthy San Diego groups stop in Philadelphia this week: the Joan Jett-loving, Fall-sounding (mostly) all-gal Peppermints (at the Pontiac Grille midnight tonight, 304 South St., 215-925-4053), and post-punk wonders Go Go Go Airheart (with Need New Body and the Apes, 6 p.m. Tuesday at La Tazza, 108 Chestnut St. $8, all ages, www.r5productions.com). At press time, a later, 21+ show at another venue was in the works.
Former Adverts leader TV Smith, who once howled through such '77 anthems as "One Chord Wonders," makes a rare U.S. appearance on Sunday at the Pontiac with FOD side project Fux and Attila the Stockbroker.
Secret Cinema kicks off its French Pop Minifest with a showing of Godard's "Masculine-Feminine" and "All the Boys Are Called Patrick" (8 p.m. tomorrow at the International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-895-6575, $5, www.voicenet.
com/~jschwart).
O Mighty Isis, Darling Comet and the Sparklers (9:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Khyber, $7) help remember the late rocker/activist Sara Weaver, who died last month of leukemia.
"Down and Out With the Dolls," a faux documentary on the all-female band the Paper Dolls, premieres at the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival on Saturday and Wednesday (www.phillyfests.com), and an after-party is planned at Tritone (9 p.m. Sunday, 1508 South St., $7) with the Ben Edwards Trio, Jen Hess, Terri Drag Queen of the Blues and others.
Guided by Voices returns to form with "Universal Truths and Cycles," a much-needed throwback to the group's mid-'90s "Bee Thousand" heyday (8 p.m. Sunday, Theater of the Living Arts, 334 South St., 215-922-1011, $16.50 in advance, $17.50 day of show). Opening is Superdrag, one of the few noteworthy survivors of the alt-rock one-hit wonders.
DJ Shadow, who will forever change the way we think about "Tubular Bells," is at the Theater of the Living Arts on Monday (8 p.m., $20 in advance, $22 day of show). *
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