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: Casket Rats at The Middle East
Last weekend we spent three days taking the MBTA Red Line to Harvard Square, and walking across the Charles to hit Boston Calling in Allston. On Saturday (June 1), we’re flipping the route, meeting up with some Boston vermin and reversing course down Mass. Ave. back into Cambridge to raise a fist and a glass with Casket Rats at The Middle East. And the Black Thunder Evangelists has simple invitation for the city’s rock and roll brigade as they prep the party with Apollyon and Zero Survive: “For the Rockers, for the Bangers, for the Punks, for the Skins, for the Sinners, for the Slaves, for the Motherfuckers, for the Outlaws, for the Kids.” That means you. Word on the street is that new Casket Rats rippers should surfaces at some point this year, maybe even this summer, following up Keith Bennett and the boy’s 2022 EP. Line up for the Rats and get ya-self a taste.
CASKET RATS, APOLLYON, ZERO SURVIVE :: Saturday, June 1 at The Middle East, 472 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, MA :: 7 p.m., all ages, $15 :: Event info :: Advance tickets
Comedy: Desi Banks at The Wilbur
Way back in December, while distracted by holiday specials and yule-tide laughter, we tried to warn ya about Desi Banks‘ arrival in Boston this weekend. Now the Atlanta comedian, podcaster, and actor is in town to hit The Wilbur on Saturday (June 1), bringing some of that Southern flair to New England for the latest stop on his Purple Chaser Tour. Here’s what comedy editor Jason Greenough had to say about it: “After a highly-successful and extensive 51-city tour this past year, Banks continues his ascent in the comedy game with a one-night stop at The Wilbur… When he isn’t selling out clubs all over the country, or growing his already significant social media presence, Banks has also made strides in his acting career with roles in a number of projects, including the indie-horror film, Haunted Trail, which can be seen on BET+ and Amazon Prime Video.”
DESI BANKS :: Saturday, June 1 at The Wilbur :: 246 Tremont St. in Boston, MA :: 7 p.m., $41 to $81 :: Event info :: Advance tickets
Film/TV: ‘Black Tight Killers’ at The Somerville Theatre
A few V3 Weekends ago we admitted that while Nick Johnston’s Vanyaland film reviews are true must-read deep dives that dissect every meaningful part of a movie, our hype train in this section is pretty much summed up by a simple “Oh shit, that looks cool!” And that’s our reaction to see The Somerville Theatre showing Yasuharu Hasebe’s 1966 Japanese action thriller Black Tight Killers on Saturday (June 1) for a midnight screening. Here’s the word from the cinema: “Welcome to your new favorite pop-art explosion. Stewardess Yoriko is kidnapped by a team of deadly female assassins who use vinyl records as weapons. Now, it’s up to photographer Hondo to uncover the conspiracy while dealing with go-go dancing ninjas and bullets made of chewing gum. The bubblegum reference isn’t a coincidence — Black Tight Killers is an ultra-stylish, candy-coated amusement park ride in the form of a movie. This overlooked crime-noir delight shares the visual inventiveness of Mario Bava’s Dangers: Diabolik and the pulp thrills of Seijun Suzuki’s Tokyo Drifter. An essential big screen experience.”
‘BLACK TIGHT KILLERS’ :: Saturday, June 1 at The Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square in Somerville, MA :: 11:59 p.m., $15 :: Event info :: Advance tickets