Before he was huge on the small screen as Hodor on HBO's Game of Thrones, Kristian Nairn was just a huge dude who was also very big on the Northern Irish deep house scene as a DJ with some serious chops. These days he's reprising that role on tour, including a stop here in San Francisco with a show at Mezzanine on August 12.

Nairn has taken the stage with the likes of Scissor Sisters, Mylo, Calvin Harris and Alphabeat, doing a residency for more than a decade at the Irish destination venue Kremlin. And at least here in the States, Nairn's name and renown have only grown thanks to the runaway popularity of Game of Thrones and his own character's dramatic story arc.The last time he was in the Bay he also played, following the red carpet premiere of last season's show, but that was at 1015 Folsom.

Wired caught a show last year and wrote that, "Nairn’s particular style of progressive house may fold in a few dialogue samples of his character — and at one point the music dropped out to leave only a chiptune variation of the Game Of Thrones title theme — but mostly he’s just lost in the trance of a continually pulsating rhythm." Cool.

Judging by the interest I'm seeing on Facebook, these tickets won't last long — and they definitely won't be holding them for you at the door.

By the way, the show is GOT costumes encouraged, and no whitewalkers plz.

Related: Photos: A 'Game Of Thrones' Premiere Fit For A Lannister

Last night Mezzanine was serving sold-out RuPaul realness with the premiere party for the eighth season of cult-favorite show Rupaul's Drag Race.

Season Six winner Bianca Del Rio was on hand along with competition newcomers Acid Betty, Bob The Drag Queen, Chi Chi DeVayne, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Dax ExclamationPoint, Derrick Barry, Kim Chi, Laila McQueen, Naomi Smalls, Naysha Lopez, Robbie Turner, and Thorgy Thorr.

Here's SF queen and Season 5 contestant Honey Mahogany (right) posing with Del Rio (left), The Lady Hyde, and Ongina.

The scene on the red carpet and onstage at Mezzanine looked a little something like this.

For the rest of you fans, RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8 premieres on Monday, March 7th at 9:00 p.m. on Logo. Check out the trailer, if you'd like:

Related: Queens Of The 'Imperial Court': Rediscovered Photos From '70s SF Drag Balls

I can't recall the last time a French pop band gained as much traction in the U.S. as Yelle, the 15-year-old trio who made their first splash with the single "Je Veux te Voir" in 2005. Now, on their way down south for Coachella, Yelle is doing a single show tonight at Mezzanine, showcasing their new album, and a catalog of music that's still pretty new to American audiences via some widely spread remixes on Spotify and elsewhere.

Their latest, Complètement Fou (Completely Crazy), adds even more dancier elements to their already aggressively poppy sound that's compatible with the likes of Calvin Harris, Scissor Sisters, Betty Who, and Robyn. (Arguably, Yelle may have gotten some of their first exposure stateside via their cover of Robyn's "Who That Girl," translated to French as "Qui Est Cette Fille.") And in their review of Complètement Fou, Paste Magazine quipped, "Like the K-Pop superstars of today or the ‘90s swinging pop of Pizzicato Five, you don’t need to be bilingual to enjoy the hell out of Yelle."

Tickets for tonight's show are still available, and $25 advance.

Oh yes. The brilliant Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, stars and co-creators of IFC's hit Portlandia, are coming to town as part of a quick, six-liberal-city tour called Portlandia: The Tour. They'll be performing live music, chatting up the audience, and showing sneak peek clips from Season 2, which premieres in January. (Above is one such clip, titled "Sanitation Twins." Remember, fingernails and eggshells go in the cobalt recycling bin!)

The show happens at Mezzanine on December 30, a.k.a. New Year's Eve Eve, and tickets go on sale tomorrow.

Most excitingly, guest stars this upcoming season include Penny Marshall, Jack McBrayer (30 Rock), Tim Robbins, Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig and musicians Steve Jones (guitarist, Sex Pistols), and Johnny Marr (guitarist, The Smiths).

We are ecstatic that Tim and Eric will be performing (they really do an awesome show -- great job, guys), along with Bob Odenkirk and Michael Showalter. A comedy-packed night, for sure. Zach Rogue of Rogue Wave is also performing.

And here's our giveaway: The fifth commenter on this post will be the lucky winner of two tickets to Sunday's show. Please tell us who you're most excited to see and why. You must be 21 to enter. If you are the fifth commenter, please check your email. You will be notified by the end of the day tomorrow, if not by 5 p.m. today.

SF Sketchfest's "Fresh Faces of Comedy" | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.) | Mezzanine, 444 Jessie Street @ Mint, SF | 21+ | $25, buy tickets

Image credit: Sonic Living