God Is a Scottish Drag Queen shows God with a sense of humour and an accent

Do you ever wish you could sit down with the Almighty, and really just get down to brass tacks? Well, with God Is a Scottish Drag Queen, audiences can do just that. Comedian Mike Delamont started his stage career here in Victoria, and now he’s coming back, and bringing his most-loved show with him. The […]

Continue Reading

New Music Revue: The Telephone Numbers embrace doomed optimism on second album

The Telephone Numbers Scarecrow II (Slumberland) 3.5/5 San Francisco’s The Telephone Numbers are cementing themselves as a worthy presence in the indie pop scene, with their second album, Scarecrow II, boldly embracing the timeless feel of ’70s and ’90s rock. From the opening track, “Goodbye Rock n Roll,” the band establishes a clear and distinct […]

Continue Reading

New Music Revue: The Carolyn get perfectly concise on third album

The Carolyn Pyramid Scheme of Grief (59 X Records/Disconnect Disconnect Records) 4/5 Here’s what Atlanta-based three-piece The Carolyn know what matters: punk songs don’t need to be over two and a half minutes long. As it turns out, no songs on their third LP, Pyramid Scheme of Grief, go beyond that length, and absolutely nothing […]

Continue Reading

Werewolf Western brings campy horror to Heritage Acres

There’s a feral creature lurking in the dark woods of Saanichton this Halloween, bringing a howling good time to Heritage Acres. Written by David Elendune and Ian Case of theatre company 31 Iguanas, High Moon combines spooky horror, campy Westerns, and a dose of political commentary in an alternative theatre format.  “My motto is to […]

Continue Reading

The Salty Scent of Home offers hopeful twist on newcomer stories

Yasmine Kandil learned a lesson while teaching at Brock University in Ontario: newcomers to Canada don’t necessarily want to see their stories as narratives of struggle. While her students worked with a community group for a class assignment, some of the recent immigrants “were sad when they saw some of the scenes that the students […]

Continue Reading

Open for all: a look at upcoming fall open-mic events

I enjoy writing poems, but I’ve always been anxious about sharing my work with others. When my best friend took me to my first open mic back in March last year, I was eager to go check it out but told them I would not be performing. That was not the case in the end, […]

Continue Reading

New Music Revue: Bec Lauder and the Noise show promise with edgy debut

Bec Lauder and The Noise The Vessel (Killphonic) 3.5/5 Bec Lauder and The Noise is a three-piece rock-grrl group who started their music journey in East Village, Manhattan, and convey their city upbringings in their music. The band—consisting of Lauder, Soph Shreds and Maggie Bishop—released an EP, Before Everything Changes, in 2023 and have now […]

Continue Reading

New Music Revue: The Cords deliver joyful summer indie pop on debut

The Cords The Cords (Slumberland/Sleep Wax) 4.5/5 The Cords is a band made up of sisters Eva and Grace Tedeschi from Scotland. The two had an interest for indie music from the ’80s and ’90s as kids, which eventually led to the formation of The Cords, with Eva as the guitarist and vocalist and Grace […]

Continue Reading

Belfry’s 1979 has good fun with Canadian politics

I’ve written often about how much I love reviewing local theatre. I love going out to see the plays that are put on by many of our own local actors and directors and getting to view the creative and individual sets. It’s always an adventure, always a learning experience.  On Friday, September 12, I had […]

Continue Reading

New Music Revue: Yasmine Hamdan offers cathartic pleas for hope

Yasmine Hamdan I remember I forget (Crammed Discs) 4.5/5 To listen in length to an unfamiliar language is to become fluent in a spirit. When listening to Yasmine Hamdan’s latest album I remember I forget, I do just that—understand not the words but the distress, the devotion, the tenderness. She carries in her tune a […]

Continue Reading