Boca’s Battle of the Bands returns, and a rare David Lynch masterpiece screens in 4K. Plus, Chvrches, Summer Shorts and more in your week ahead.
TODAY (MAY 31)
What: Chvrches
Where: Revolution Live, 100 S.W. Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: $38
Contact: 954/449-1025, jointherevolution.net
Darkwave and bubblegum pop have found a surprisingly effortless marriage in the music of Scottish trio Chvrches. Since winning awards for its 2013 breakthrough album The Bones of What You Believe, the group has leaned into, and expanded, its influences across three more well-received albums, with giant hooks and a bright electronic sheen that alternately conjures Depeche Mode and Taylor Swift. A favorite of many a soundtrack on account of this accessible and atmospheric stew, the group has also achieved an enviable slate of collaborations throughout the past decade, among them Matt Berninger of the National and Robert Smith of the Cure. Hits such as “He Said She Said,” about the tightropes women are supposed to walk to please men, reveal frontwoman Lauren Mayberry’s increasing embrace of substantial songwriting.
WEDNESDAY
What: Pride Lights Kickoff
Where: Centennial Fountain, 150 N. Clematis St., West Palm Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 305/586-6215
West Palm Beach, long recognized as one of the most inclusive seats in an inclusive county, will celebrate Pride Month on the first night of June by blanketing downtown landmarks in the colors of the rainbow flag. The primary light show will take place at the Centennial Fountain in Nancy M. Graham Centennial Park, but the colors of LGBTQ+ pride will also illuminate the Citizens Building, the marquee at Palm Beach Dramaworks and the Brightline Station. To celebrate the occasion, cabaret stars Avery Sommers and Rob Russell will perform, alongside ensembles from the Palm Beach Symphony and Young Singers of the Palm Beaches. Attendees are invited to celebrate early with a (paid) Pride Happy Hour from 6 to 8 p.m. at nearby Pistache French Bistro.
THURSDAY
What: Opening night of Summer Shorts
Where: Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $50-$75
Contact: 305/949-6722, arshtcenter.org
Miami’s beloved short-play festival turns 25 this year, and the event’s producer, City Theatre, is celebrating this Silver Anniversary by showcasing not only regional premieres of new works but audience favorites from seasons past. The latter includes Lin Manuel-Miranda’s lively mini-musical “21 Chump Street,” first staged in 2017, and “Chronicle Simpkins will Cut Your Ass,” a 2008 favorite about a fourth-grade tetherball champion’s ruthless domain. New works include “A Small Breach in Protocol at Big Rick’s Rockin’ Skydive Academy,” imaginatively staged in mid-dive, and “Webster’s Bitch,” a timely look at the redefinition of language in Woke America. Summer Shorts runs through July 2.
FRIDAY
What: Second-annual Battle of the Bands
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/393-7890, mizneramp.com
For obvious reasons, it’s been three years since the city of Boca Raton hosted its inaugural Battle of the Bands competition, in 2019. More than making up for lost time, the city is presenting a night full of genre-traversing entertainment from eight local bands, their performers ranging in age from 13 to 64, with competitors vying for a $2,500 cash prize. Each of the eight bands will play a 15-minute set to impress the judges and attendees. In the 20-year-old-and-under category, Maximum Friction, Harmonious Rage, Ripped Jorts and School of Rock Boca Raton Houseband will take the stage, while the over-20 artists include the Honey Project, Audio Crisis, Crush Company and Stumble Steady. A Teen Marketplace featuring local artists, crafters and nonprofits completes the experience. The Battle of the Bands marks the beginning of Boca Raton’s Summer in the City programming, which features free Friday concerts most weekends through the end of July.
SATURDAY
What: “Inland Empire” screening
Where: Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables
When: 10 p.m.
Cost: $8-$11.75
Contact: 786/472-2249, gablescinema.com
David Lynch’s follow-up to his 2001 masterpiece “Mulholland Drive” was, like its predecessor, a critique of Hollywood. But the former film is veritably breezy compared to the nightmarish puzzle box that is “Inland Empire,” an experimental, experiential example of the director’s id that ranks among his most challenging projects to date. Laura Dern, in arguably her best performance to date, plays Nikki Grace, an actor thrilled to be cast in a major motion picture—until her life begins to blur with that of her character’s, a woman in trouble. Lynch not only directed but handled the cinematography, editing, score and sound design, and he shot the movie, with its raw and vulnerable extreme close-ups, on a handheld camcorder. The movie, which is difficult to find on Blu-ray and is rarely shown in theaters, was restored by Lynch and Janus Films in 2022, and it’s that 4K version that will screen this weekend in Coral Gables. Most tickets are sold out, so snag them quickly.
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