MONDAY 5/18 Dry Cleaning MAX MIECHOWSKI (MUSIC) British band Dry Cleaning is known for frontperson Florence Shaw’s talk-sung vocals, plodding rhythms, and commentary on the mundanity of daily life. After crashing onto the post-punk scene with two critically acclaimed albums in 2021 and 2 022, they played shows around the world and took a bit of a break from the studio before recording their latest record, which came out in January. Produced by Welsh musician Cate Le Bon, Secret Love is expansive, experimental, and all-encompassing, bringing the listener along Dry Cleaning’s journey to capture the sensory overload of walking through a city. There’s influence from ’70s pop, ’80s punk, Keith Richards, and even a little bit of Sheryl Crow; it’s always interesting, even when Shaw’s spoken word drifts into a monotone delivery. New York-based artist Hotline TNT opens the show with their mix of alt-rock and shoegaze filled with distorted guitars and soaring vocals. (Showbox, 8 pm, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH TUESDAY 5/19 Rebels + Icons: The Photography of Janette Beckman View this post on Instagram (VISUAL ART) You know Janette Beckman’s work even if you don’t know you know Janette Beckman’s work. Her photographs of musicians, athletes, artists, and pop culture icons have traveled through time and become just as vital to the history books as the subjects within. There’s Keith Haring in his New York studio with his cartoon-sized paint brushes in 1985. There’s Salt-N-Pepa grabbing snacks at an East Coast bodega in 1986. There will be hundreds of her treasures to see when, starting May 15, the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), displays the largest ever collection of her images. (MoPOP, 7 pm, 21+) MEGAN SELING WEDNESDAY 5/20 Monochrome: Calder and Tara Donovan MICK VICENZ (VISUAL ART) Tara Donovan is a renowned artist who works a special kind of alchemy: transforming mundane junk objects into the jaw-dropping sublime. Each of her sculptural installations is made from (roughly) hundreds of thousands of individual, tiny things—Styrofoam cups, drinking straws, toothpicks, Slinkys, Mylar, and hot glue—to create masses that undulate like oceans or resemble mountainous biological and geological formations. Donovan’s work at SAM is part of an ongoing series inviting artists to respond to pieces in the museum’s recently acquired Alexander Calder collection. Donovan—ever the monochromist—chose Calder’s use of the color black as her touchpoint, specifically responding to Mountains (1:5 Intermediate Maquette), a hulking geometric landscape made of overlapping black sheet metal plates pierced with holes. Come be blown away by delicacy and scale. (Seattle Art Museum) AMANDA MANITACH THURSDAY 5/21 The Return of Jackie and Judy ROBIN LAANANEN (MUSIC) On Sleater-Kinney’s 1996 album Call the Doctor, Corin Tucker shouts, “I wanna be your Joey Ramone!” and now, 30 years later, she has fulfilled the prophecy. Also featuring Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen, the trio will revive their Ramones cover band, which was originally formed as a one-off gig for the season wrap party for Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney (for the record, this is the only thing Mulaney has spearheaded that I don’t hate). The Return of Jackie and Judy couldn’t be coming at a better time, given that I am currently going through a Ramones phase. While I’m still sad that I’ll never be serenaded by the real Joey Ramone (à la Riff Randell in Rock ‘N’ Roll High School), I’ll happily settle for the next best thing. (Neumos, 7 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN FRIDAY 5/22 The Last Dinner Party London’s buzzy, baroque all-femme band the Last Dinner Party are back in town at Showbox SoDo. Touring their sophomore album, From the Pyre, the Last Dinner Party promise banger after banger. It’s like if we handed the mic to the women at the Salem witch trials as they burned at the stake. Except, more orchestral arrangements mixed with 1980s-inspired ballad rock and Florence Welch–style dreamy vocals. These ladies are a must-see. Clearly, Seattle gets it, because they’re here for two nights! (Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, all ages) NATHALIE GRAHAM SATURDAY 5/23 American Gold: Stars on Ice 2026 Tour I’ll cop to getting misty when I encounter music or art that moves me, which luckily is not infrequently, but watching Alysa Liu’s Olympic gold-medal free-skate routine in Milan earlier this year had me outright sobbing. And apparently everyone else, too. And no wonder—her joy-filled performance (skating to Donna fucking Summers) is the most genuinely inspiring displays of talent I’ve ever seen; there is nothing like watching someone do what they are so obviously meant to do. The Olympics can seem like a freaky discipline factory where all their rigor-maxxing sounds pretty life-minning, but Liu’s story is uncompromising in the right way—she reserved the right to have a life outside of the grind. See our halo-haired champion take to the ice with other greats like Ilia Malinin (the “Quad God”) and Amber Glenn, who also won my heart during the Winter Games by stating “I am on my period right now.” (Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages) EMILY NOKES SUNDAY 5/24 Northwest Folklife Festival (FESTIVAL) Folklife started in the ’70s, and it shows, in large part because it has somehow escaped the jaws of capitalism to remain a free community festival that’s open and welcoming to all. It’s also full of buskers, drum circles, impromptu jam seshes, barefoot dancing, and faded tie-dye. You can explore dozens of stalls selling foods and crafts from around the world, check out workshops and lectures, or just hang out and soak up the atmosphere. Sunday closes out with a funky sunset dance party at the Mural Amphitheatre with Reposado and the Braxmatics; and Monday afternoon features a showcase of UW student musicians. Don’t miss out! (Seattle Center, all ages, free) SHANNON LUBETICH The post Stranger Suggests: Your Agenda This Week, May 18–24 appeared first on The Stranger. ...read more read less