Mike Vallely Resurrects Mike V & The Rats Following Black Flag Exit
Mike Vallely is a man of many trades. Or maybe just two trades he does incredibly fuckin’ well. Either way, he’s good at literally everything. Even though the pro skater has dropped his long run with Black Flag (he’s fronted the band since 2013), he’s bringing back a band from somewhat deep in his lore—Mike V & The Rats.
Vallely took to his social media to share the news that Mike V & The Rats will be joining classic psychobilly band The Koffin Kats and ska comedians The Aquabats for a summer this year. They’re calling the tour “Bats! Kats & Rats,” which is so appropriately cute.
Some of you probably aren’t even old enough to remember this Vallely project. They were active in the aughts, releasing a few EPs and songs that were featured in the Tony Hawk video games. That’s actually when Vallely got somewhat of a start with Black Flag, after founding guitarist Greg Ginn asked him to sub in for a 2003 reunion show. Vallely became a permanent fixture in 2013.
A week after Black Flag’s huge recent tour, which ended in late January, Vallely wrote the Substack post “Roads and Resolutions: My Final Tour With Black Flag,” which basically said he’s fuckin donezo. It was quite poetic, with one of the lines reading as such:
“Interstate 40 east into The Land of Enchantment—across the Continental Divide. Crosswinds blow the van sideways— the last hundred miles are a white-knuckle experience for everyone as we motor into Albuquerque. I park the van for the last time.”
As of right now, Black Flag is still booked for some European tour dates this summer, even though they are also sans bassist.
Mike V & The Rats 2025 tour dates:
6/16 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
6/17 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage Theater
6/19 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz
6/20 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
6/21 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amp
6/23 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
6/24 – Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron
6/25 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
6/26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl
6/27 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes
6/28 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live
7/25 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
7/28 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
7/29 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre
7/30 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theatre
8/01 – Dallas, TX @ The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
8/02 – Austin, TX @ Radio/East
8/04 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
8/05 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe at Old National Centre
8/06 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
8/07 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
8/08 – Minneapolis, MN @ Uptown Theater
8/09 – Kansas City, MO @ Madrid Theatre
