Can't Miss It: Thursday

DOESN'T NEED REHAB: What is it with these British girls and the soul music? Perhaps it's the coal-dusted air of industrializing Britain that gives their voices those deliciously bluesy twangs. Whatever the case, Scout Niblett is a vocally talented indie-pop chanteuse from Portland by-way-of-England who's playing the Tractor tonight. If you haven't heard her, the soul-thing is not the only thing she does--she's got a great vocal range and seems more influenced by P.J. Harvey than any other vocalist, though musically she counts grunge rock as her pedigree and has worked with legendary producer Steve Albini. She appears with TacocaT and Triumph of Lethergy Skinned Alive to Death.

9 p.m. // Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave NW // $8, 21+

TRAGICALLY HIP: Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet is a supremely under-appreciated film; it suffered both from the perception that it was nothing but a hipster update, as well as DiCaprio backlash. But appreciated in its own right, it's a visually arresting film that captures the urgency of the story in a meaningful way for contemporary audiences. And tonight, Central Cinema has had the great idea of pairing it with an equally classic (if far worse) adaptation: Tromeo and Juliet, courtesy of the ridiculously schlocky Troma studios.

7 p.m. (Luhrman) & 9:30 p.m. (Troma) // Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave. // $6, 21+ after 9:30 p.m.

MINIMALIST: The House on Mango Street is the sort of novel that proves that simplicity and brevity can be more powerful and affecting that all the clever literary devices and high-brow concepts than all the McSweeneyites of the world can manage. Published 25 years ago, Sandra Cisneros' short book of a child's experiences in an immigrant neighborhood in Chicago has emerged as a modern classic through its elegant prose and emotional power. Cisneros appears tonight at Town Hall to discuss the novel a quarter-century on.

7 p.m. // Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave. // free!