For Laetitia Tamko, music is catharsis. Or maybe it’s confessional. Or it could be nuanced, poetic reflections of the world around her. Actually, it’s all of these things, because Tamko, who performs under the moniker Vagabon, writes lyrics that contain multitudes of meaning and depth. It’s not shocking for a singer-songwriter to write confessional, poetic songs but the Cameroon-born, New York-based songwriter and producer has a way with words that is both deeply personal and widely relatable. Read more >>> Vagabon performs with Sad13 and Sam Evian at 7:30 p.m. at Songbyrd Music House and Record Cafe, 2477 18th St. NW. $12. (202) 450-2917. songbyrddc.com. (Matt Cohen)

EAT THIS

Mandu (on 18th Street) celebrates its 10th anniversary this Sunday from 7 to 11:30 p.m. A buffet with dumplings, fried chicken, and Korean hot pot, plus house wine, beer, and sojutinis are all included in the $30 price. To purchase tickets e-mail info@mandudc.com. Mandu, 1805 18th St. NW. (202) 588-1540. mandudc.com.(Laura Hayes)

OH AND ALSO

Friday: Bryce Dessner, the guitarist from The National who also composed the score for The Revenant, plays his solo compositions at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall as part of the National Symphony Orchestra’s DECLASSIFIED series. 9 p.m. at 2700 F St. NW. $29.

Friday: Politics & Prose welcomes Against Me! lead singer Laura Jane Grace for a discussion of her new memoir Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout. 7 p.m. at 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.

Friday: Brooklyn-based pop-funk band Body Language kicks off the evening with an early show at DC9 with opening act bearstronaut. 7 p.m. at 1940 9th St. NW. $13–$15.

Saturday: Trinidadian soca singer Machel Montano recently made his feature film debut in Bazodee, a fictional romance tale, based in part on his own life, in which he plays a musical heartthrob. Montano established his Lothario reputation while chanting fast-paced, sing-song stanzas over propulsive Caribbean carnival dance beats and singing slower-tempoed love songs that merge calypso’s bouncy lilt with pop melodies. To emphasize his fondness for duets, Montano will join forces at the Howard with Angela Hunte, a Trinidadian rapper with whom he has collaborated on tracks like 2015’s “Party Done.” Read more >>> Machel Montano performs with Angela Hunte and DJ Stephen at 11 p.m. at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. $55. (202) 803-2899. thehowardtheatre.com. (Steve Kiviat)

Saturday: Kingsley Flood, a Boston-based rock band with ties to D.C., returns to Rock & Roll Hotel for a show with local acts Fellow Creatures and Louis Weeks. 8 p.m. at 1353 H St. NE. $15.

Saturday: The Black Cat screens two documentaries all about punk rock, Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid & Nancy and The Damned: Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead. Stick around after the films for a few rounds of punk rock trivia. 8 p.m. at 1811 14th St. NW. $8.

Sunday: With an instantly relatable voice of quavering determination, singer-songwriter Amy Rigby burst onto the national scene in 1996 with her first solo record, Diary of a Mod Housewife. Her sweet melodies accompanied yearning lyrics that turned a broken heart and workaday life into wit. Several records later, with a day job at an upstate New York bookstore, a second marriage to new wave singer Wreckless Eric, and an adult daughter who has her own band, Rigby has hit the road to celebrate Diary of a Mod Housewife’s 20th anniversary. Read more >>> Amy Rigby performs with The Paranoid Style at 7:30 p.m. at Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna. $18. (703) 255-1566. jamminjava.com. (Diana Michele Yap)

Sunday: Vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth pays tribute to Shakespeare through music at the Folger Elizabethan Theatre. 7 p.m. at 201 East Capitol St. SE. $25–$75.

Sunday: Close out the weekend by reliving the heights of ’90s R&B when Brandy takes the stage at the Fillmore. 7 p.m. at 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $49.50.

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