New Music Revue: Katy and the Null Sets deliver fantastic debut with TroublemakerTroublemaker is an album with a little something for everyone, with sprinkles of punk riffs, heavy tones, and unique instrumentation in a primarily indie-focused sound. Combining all of the best parts of girly-pop vocals, Mac Demarco bossanova inspiration, and some midwest emo lyricism, Katy and the Null Sets have come out swinging for the Portland, […] Continue Reading |
Phoenix Theatre’s Our Town reminds us what’s beautifulThis is the time of year that promises a student equal amounts of joy and stress. The holidays are approaching fast and the smell of finals are in the air. We’ll soon come to the end of one of the most stunning autumns that I’ve ever seen in Victoria. I always relish in the reds […] Continue Reading |
Understory offers hopeful look at climate crisis through memoirEveryone I know is worried about the climate crisis. I’ve had friends tell me that they don’t want to have kids because the planet is dying and they feel hopeless about the future. They’re upset with the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest or when yet another species goes extinct because of humanity’s greed and hubris. […] Continue Reading |
asses.masses a multi-hour experience merging theatre and gamingasses.masses is a show as strange and creative as the title suggests. Created by Studio FUNFUG Art Society and presented through Impulse Theatre, it’s a seven-and-a-half-hour-long interactive alternative theatre production centred around cooperative gameplay. “It’s part of three shows that ask audiences to not only question what is a show, but also engage them all […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Royal Wood delivers letter to himself with Dear JohnRoyal Wood Dear John (Cordova Bay Records) 3.5/5 Toronto-based artist Royal Wood’s ninth album, Dear John, marries gritty blues with smooth folky hope reminding me of stomping in spilled beer on sticky tavern floors during my undergrad—a cozy place. Dear John is a letter to the artist himself, beginning at “The End of the Road.” […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Cemetery Moon deliver solid black metal with Dominion of AshesCemetery Moon Dominion of Ashes (Wulfhere Productions) 4/5 Connecticut black metal is alive and well. Initially a solo project launched in 2015 that turned into a full band in 2023, Cemetery Moon’s second full-length album, Dominion of Ashes, exceeds my expectations. The album fits into the black-metal glove perfectly, with deadly guitar progressions, powerful bass […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Banquets face getting older on Petty RelicsBanquets Petty Relics (Black Numbers) 3/5 Banquets are a New Jersey four-piece indie-punk band who released their third album, Spit at the Sun, and played what they thought were their final performances in 2016. But they reunited in 2021 and now have made a return with Petty Relics—an album about getting older while still having […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: DFMK punches above listener count with Playa NuclearDFMK Playa Nuclear (Alternative Tentacles) 4.5/5 Hailing from Tijuana, DFMK has been active in the underground punk scene since 2009. Their newest LP, Playa Nuclear, brings the best of surf rock to mix with their hardcore punk roots and comes to a frothing head. Technical proficiency shines through early. DFMK has been refining their sound […] Continue Reading |
Horror hall of fame: Five films that revolutionized the genreWhat scares us is revealing—and as society evolves, so do our nightmares. The best horror films capture the anxieties of their time while tapping into fears so primal they remain terrifying decades later. Here are five that changed the genre forever. The Blair Witch Project (1999) Framed as a film studies project, The Blair Witch […] Continue Reading |
Monkey-C Artcade brings cute catastrophes to HalloweenVictoria has long been a hub for fringe artistic endeavour. Something about its old, cobbled streets and windswept shores paired with its vibrant yet cozy small-town feel and outlier attitude toward the avant-garde and overlooked has turned this spooky little burg into a place where a little artistic vision (and the backing of the department […] Continue Reading |
