Lifeline: 5 Things to Do in Charlotte This Week

Queen City Nerve’s motto has been the same since our start: If you think nothing is happening in Charlotte, you’re not trying. While we’ve always included a Lifeline in our print issue, here’s our online version to help give you weekly reasons to engage.

Egbe: Soul Family Art Exhibition

Wednesday, April 22 • 6-8 p.m. • The Arts Factory • Free

The Yoruba word “egbe” means “community” in English, and “egbe orun” is “our soul family,” which connects and guides us throughout our earthly journeys. Thus, the Egbe: Soul Family exhibition is the culmination of QC Family Tree’s Spring 2026 Culture Bearers creative residency.

Over the course of a 10-week residency, local artists Nellie Ashford, Yazz Atmore, Monique Norris and Tiffonye’ Wilkins were mentored by Jasiatic Usher and Michael Maxwell as they explored concepts including family, friendships, soulmates, Yoruban spirituality and more. Their artwork will line the walls of The Arts Factory, with the Rhizome Arts Market setting up in the lobby.

Pool Kids w/ Pretty Bitter

Friday, April 24 • 8 p.m. • Neighborhood Theatre • $25

“I know that you’re bad for me/ But sometimes you’re the only one I want…” Christine Goodwyne’s resonant alto intones on Pool Kids’ 2025 tune “Easier Said Than Done.” Drawing on the anthemic emo of Paramore and effusive ’90s pop rock, the Florida foursome retains a rock edge with crisp drumming and muscular bass.

“The call from 911 dropped and it felt like a child again…” Mel Bleker’s dreamy vocals croon on Pretty Bitter’s 2025 single “Thrill Eater.” The activist Washington D.C. combo’s storytelling entwines the everyday with the potentially catastrophic, set to eclectic, punchy pop rock that makes room for banjos and disco beats.

Dexta Daps

Saturday, April 25 • 9 p.m. • The Underground • $56-$73

Jamaican dancehall arose in the late ’70s in response to the dominant roots reggae of artists like Bob Marley. Stripping the roots rhythms to the bone and adopting electronic beats, DJs created rapid-fire rap analogs called toasting and touched on explicitly political and sexual topics. Dancehall unleashed a musical movement and accompanying culture (’80s kids may recall the alliterative Jamaican-accented toasting of The English Beat’s Rankin’ Roger.)

With his sensual, soulful 2025 hit “Champagne” and undeniable charisma and swagger, toaster Dexta Daps is arguably the new face of dancehall, coupling contemporary EDM production with a lush vibe as old as Barry White’s sensuous slow jams.

Opening of Caravaggio | Revolution

Sunday, April 26 • 10 a.m.-6 p.m. • Mint Museum Uptown • $10

Mint Museum boasts the first North Carolina exhibit in more than 100 years to center the radical realism of Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, known simply as Caravaggio. “Boy Bitten by a Lizard,” one of fewer than 50 works attributed to the controversial artist who led the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period, anchors this exhibit.

While showing dozens of works from Caravaggio’s fellow Baroque masters, the exhibit also provides contemporary context through film clips, photographs and commentary from modern masters like Martin Scorsese, Isaac Julien, David LaChapelle, and Tom Hunter as well as looking at how the artist’s style inspired iconic music videos like R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” and Johnny Cash’s “Hurt,” among others.

Panchiko w/ Rehash, Sundots

Sunday, April 26 • 8 p.m. • The Fillmore • $190

Named after a misspelling of pachinko — an old-school Japanese gaming device — experimental English indie band Panchiko launched in 1997 and promptly vanished. When a copy of the band’s debut EP surfaced in 2016, it was uploaded online and garnered a fanbase. Finally, the disbanded Nottingham trio was tracked down and informed they were cool again.

It would just be a great story if the music wasn’t so engaging. Plangent 2025 single “Lifestyle Trainers” is a tuneful mix of post-punk melancholy, an irresistible groove and solid songwriting. Florida’s Rehash crafts hazy grunge-inflected emo. With strummed guitars and swarming harmonies, Sundots essays wistful experimental alt-pop gems.