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: Dua Saleh at Brighton Music Hall
It’s the early stages of 2025, and we’re busy ringing up future superstar Dua Saleh, the Sudanese-American singer and actor based in Minneapolis. And as we do, we’ll be getting an intimate portrait of the artist and a look into their creative space this Saturday at Brighton Music Hall in Allston. In October, Saleh dropped new album I Should Call Them via Ghostly International, and it’s an enchanting cocktail of American R&B and the traditional Sudanese music of their heritage. The Travis Scott collaborator and Sex Education actor dropped new single “Want” last year, as well, complete with a visual directed by Grant Spanier, and it’s an intriguing glimpse into their quickly expanding world. “‘Want’ is a song about toxic on-again, off-again situationships,” Saleh says. “It’s an anthem for those relationships that might not happen at the right time but feel so right that you go against your intuition. It’s about discovering self-worth, but still wanting to lean into that cheeky naughtiness.” Don’t sleep on this one.
DUA SALEH + HALIMA :: Saturday, February 8 at Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave. in Allston, MA :: 7 p.m., 18-plus, $20 to $25 :: Event info :: Advance tickets
Comedy: Kill Tiny at Midway Cafe
It feels like a hundred million years ago at this point, but we keep looking back to the Vanyaland Comedy Fest at Bellforge Arts Center in Summer 2022, and one of the highlight performances came from Aaron “Tiny” Smith. Since giving us laugh fits out in the field that care-free August day, the Boston funnyman has launched Kill Tiny, a successful panel-style open-mic night at the Midway Cafe that celebrates its one-year anniversary tonight in Jamaica Plain. Join the fun as up-and-coming comedians perform quick one-minute sets, only to be hilariously roasted — and occasionally toasted — by a panel of three seasoned comics. It’s a high-energy show that’s edgy, unpredictable, and refreshingly inclusive. And hell, we all need to keep laughing amongst friends to keep from crying.
KILL TINY’S ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY :: Friday, February 7 at Midway Cafe, 3496 Washington St. in Jamaica Plain, MA :: 10 p.m., $10 :: Advance tickets
Film/TV: ‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me’ at The Brattle
The world is still reeling from David Lynch’s departure last month, and this weekend The Brattle raises a glass with a Sunday double-showing of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me that’s certainly a better watch than anything involving Kansas City vs Philadelphia. It’s part of the Cambridge cinema’s Dread of Winter series, and here’s the word: “In a career full of films that expertly evoke dread and a surreal sense of impending doom, David Lynch outdoes himself with this deeply affecting and disturbing prequel to his wildly influential television series. Following Laura Palmer through the fateful final week of her life, Fire Walk With Me leads us on an inevitable march towards her shocking murder.
And here’s something else worth relaying: “Lynch was a good friend to The Brattle and a founding member of our advisory board. His creativity, positivity, and curiosity about life will be sorely missed by all of us here. We are deeply saddened to have to say goodbye but fortunate that we already had this screening of Fire Walk With Me scheduled before his departure. Please join us in paying tribute to one of the greatest and most influential artists of our age.” Cheers to that.
‘TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME’ :: Sunday, February 9 at The Brattle, 40 Brattle St. in Cambridge, MA :: 4:30 and 9:30 p.m., $13 to $15 :: Event info and tickets