You have plans for Saturday night now. If you had any already, you have new ones now. Richmond-based Cloak/Dagger will be shredding and thrashing and tearing up the Black Cat’s backstage when they open for Texas bands Bad Sports and headlining Radioactivity. It’s gonna be a hell of night for punk fans with these three fantastic acts. Cloak/Dagger burst right into furious, pounding guitars and roaring, raspy vocals that’ll surely have the crowd headbanging along. They haven’t put out an album in quite some time, it seems, but some signs suggest they’ll be putting out new material for the masses soon. Give them a listen and catch what’s bound to be a frenzy of punk rock this weekend. Doors at 7:30, $12. -Jonathan Goodwin

The low lights, the simultaneously nefarious but comforting red walls and the general atmospheric qualities that Alex’s Bar exude were appropriate for the mind-altering ambient session that took place on Thursday night. Breatherrr took the stage first, delivering a mesmerizing, spacey sequence of songs. The instrumentals tended to lull you into a state of transcendence before bringing you back to reality with the unexpected. I/O’s dreamy, darkly bohemian songs each built up with intriguing layers and their set was truly dynamic, incorporating upbeat, dark, dreamy and aggressive elements.

Litronix closed the show with their interesting blend of psychedelic electronica, which created an enigmatic, energetic atmosphere reminiscent of a cult meeting (in the best way possible). Absorbed, the audience danced along to the beat and enthusiastically participated when the singer came offstage to dance with some and stare penetratingly into the eyes of many in the crowd. When the bright lights came back on, it took some time to adjust to the absence of other-worldliness that ambient music provided, and for a few moments we stood blinking, as if woken from a trance. – Lauren Weiherer

NY native Ernest Ernie doesn’t need to hybridize his favorite retro sounds to current tastes in order to connect. Most do. Nothing wrong with that. He doesn’t need to. The guy can really belt it out and his band—replete with backup singers and horn section—play a fifties-style rhythm & blues that is non-cliché. – Brian Chidester

I’m sure you know a musically clueless person who, when you mentioned the words "Indie Rock," thought you were referring to "Indian Rock"… well, if you were trying to introduce him/her to Brooklyn quartet Humeysha, you could have just said: "That’s EXACTLY what I’m talking about!" – since they play Indie Rock with Indian influences! The band will be performing at The Knitting Factory on June 8th within the Boom Forest June residency Check out also the Q&A with Humeysha about recording on our sister blog Delicious Audio.

Boston indie-pop band Amy and the Engine are going places, though their polish and quality could lead you into thinking they were already there. The band employs all six of its members to full advantage, and the result is a pop sound that is deceptively layered and easiliy listenable. The lead and rhythm guitars interplay freely, producing rich melodies and countermelodies that serve as the driving force behind each song.

Alongside this understated complexity is the diverse set of influences the band posseses, as they flirt with genres like country, hard rock, funk and even a little R&B at times. Their ability to do this owes largely to lead singer Amy Allen who can seemingly do it all with her impressively enormous range. You may not be able to catch this band for much longer before they fuly hit the mainstream, and you can do just that outdoors on June 9 at City Hall Plaza. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber