Editor’s Note: Welcome to V3 Weekend, Vanyaland‘s guide to help you sort out your weekend entertainment with curated selections and recommendations across our three pillars of Music, Comedy, and Film/TV. It’s what you should know about, where you need to be, and where you’ll be going, with us riding shotgun along the way.
Music: Freezepop at ManRay
It’s been (another) fun week down at ManRay. The Cambridge alternative nightclub launched its Karaoke Noir series on Monday, which is exactly what it sounds like, and now tonight (January 26) it welcomes Freezepop to perform live and show off new techno album FOG at DJ James 808’s excellent indie-electro dance night Automatique!. We showcased the beat on FOG a few weeks back when it first hit the streams, as the veteran Boston electronic-pop group rang in the New Year in glittery, strobe-lit fashion with what they described as a “shock drop.” And now FOG hits the clubs: Automatique! will spin the record in its entirety early on, and then Freezepop will play a short live set as the dance party gets rolling. Should be (another) fun Friday night in Central Square.
FREEZEPOP AT AUTOMATIQUE! AT MANRAY, 40 Prospect St. in Cambridge, MA :: 9 p.m., 19-plus, $12 before 10 p.m. and $15 after :: Facebook event page :: Venue page
Comedy: Josh Gondelman at Off Cabot
And speaking of Friday night fun, remember when we all used to catch Josh Gondelman performing at The Gas at Great Scott? That was a time! The Stoneham native has done some pretty awesome stuff since then, as the author, comedy writer, producer, and stand-up comedian has lent his talents to the likes of Desus & Mero and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. This weekend, he’s back in the area for two nights of shows (January 26 and 27) at Off Cabot in Beverly. Here’s Mic’d Up with the word: “The quintessential nice guy of the stand-up universe returns home for the weekend. Of course you’ll see some top quality footwear and a contagious smile, but you’ll also hear a dangerously sharp new slate of jokes and stories from Gondelman that will make you wonder where he gets all that energy to bring us through his artistically rich comedic mind.”
JOSH GONDELMAN :: Friday, January 26 and Saturday, January 27 at Off Cabot, 9 Wallis St. in Beverly, MA :: 5:30 and 8 p.m., $33 :: Advance tickets
Film/TV: ‘Stop Making Sense’ at The Brattle
Stop Making Sense has been back in both the news and theaters lately, and for good reason. Jonathan Demme’s 1983 Talking Heads concert film, considered by many to be the greatest in the genre, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a special 4K restoration from A24, and the members of the influential New York band have even come together to celebrate it. On Saturday (January 27), it hits The Brattle in Cambridge for a special screening as part of the A24 Monthly Residency. Here’s the word: “Stop Making Sense dynamically captures the legendary Talking Heads at the peak of their powers. This incredible film creates a kind of time-travel magic, transporting the viewer back in time to Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December of 1983 to watch the band perform some of their most memorable songs.” Watch out, indeed.
‘STOP MAKING SENSE’ :: Saturday, January 27 at The Brattle, 40 Brattle St. in Cambridge, MA :: 10 p.m., $14.50 :: Advance tickets and info