New Music Revue: Völur and Cares deliver breathtaking collaborative effortVölur/Cares Breathless Spirit (Batke Records) 4.5/5 Close your eyes and let Toronto-based experimental doom metal band Völur and solo sound artist Cares take you on a fantastic adventure with collaborative effort Breathless Spirit. The album is musical storytelling at its best—most of the narrative beats are told with carefully crafted classical and metal. Listening to […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Allo Darlin’ stuck in 2010s naivetyAllo Darlin’ Bright Nights (Slumberland Records) 2/5 On a warm, windy afternoon in 2012 I lay on unattended grass listening to acoustic Jens Lekman and Cat Power, determining my 10-year plan. It was this young woman who believed sporting a carefully teased bob as a career-barista would be most fulfilling. By now, then, I’d be […] Continue Reading |
Museum exhibit looks at artists behind protest musicThe Royal BC Museum’s Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change exhibit centres on protest music throughout the decades, boasting a wide range of paraphernalia—from Neil Young’s harmonica to the jacket of Public Enemy’s Chuck D. The goal of the exhibit is to illustrate how music functions as a catalyst for social change and […] Continue Reading |
Art exhibit asks viewers to contemplate protection and refugeArchitectures of Protection—an exhibit currently running at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV)—examines themes of refuge and safety. Specifically, AGGV curator Toby Lawrence says that it asks viewers to reflect on what the idea of protection means to them. “The exhibition is essentially looking at and trying to consider the idea of protection within […] Continue Reading |
Save Ferris bring three decades of ska/punk to townSave Ferris is bringing their ska-infused punk to The Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival this year to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Hailing from Orange County, California, the band is probably best known for a song that’s not their own; vocalist Monique Powell says their breakout cover of Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen” is reminiscent […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Bludgeoned by Deformity’s debut EP offers voice for rageBludgeoned by Deformity Epoch of Immortality (Iron Fortress Records) 4/5 I listen to Nina Simone when I choose to listen to music. I put on Joni Mitchell or Billie Holiday or The Beach Boys. But, in a dire circumstance, when it has been assigned to me, I listen to the abrasive call of death metal—here […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Horrenda delivers confusing but exciting EPHorrenda Think on Your Sins Fiadh Records 3/5 Originally released independently last year, Horrenda’s EP Think on Your Sins is being reissued by Fiadh Records. On the EP, the Dublin-based extreme metal group brings us a thrashing depiction of Dante’s “Inferno,” one that, unfortunately, doesn’t quite bring the heat. The five songs, averaging about four […] Continue Reading |
Friends of Dorothy offers safe space for queer cultureIn 2019, a little gay lounge appeared on Johnson Street. Friends of Dorothy, known for its Kelowna location, had appeared in the heart of Victoria. Celebrating the inclusivity of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and allies, it offers another stage to enjoy our local talents and those from out of town. Friends of Dorothy event manager Derek Brougham […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Tumble’s Lost in Light a promising and hard-rocking startTumble Lost in Light (Echodelick Records) 4/5 This Canadian band is a breath of fresh air when it comes to new music. Tumble, a heavy psychedelic rock and proto-metal trio from Toronto, recently released their debut EP, Lost in Light. It’s the first of a promising and hard-rocking career. The trio, which consists of Liam […] Continue Reading |
On Hold skilled but bewildering performanceMusic and dance may be the oldest forms of human emotional expression. Strong rhythm and melody are powerful forces that make us want to move our bodies in sync, to feel the vibrations flow through us. The expression is raw and unfiltered. Broken Rhythm Dance Company’s On Hold was performed at the McPherson Playhouse on […] Continue Reading |
