I entered Pat's Pub on Friday March 12th in the year of our lord 2010 to experience Motorama for the first time. There were three bands in the evening and Motorama opened. When I say opened, I mean OPENED. This power trio of punk dug int...
Perhaps more so than any other artist of his generation, Beck is a master of mutation, reinventing himself with each tour and album. Recent Beck tours have featured lavish, gimmicky stage shows, including life-size marionettes and kitchen t...
The Sweatshop, June 22nd
I walked into the dimly-lit Sweatshop to catch the tail end of System Shit’s wonderfully sloppy set. Who would have thought that a punk gig would start at 7pm? Fear of Tomorrow hit the stage and began to sonica...
This is the Sleep Factory, Trish Shwart’s exhibition at Martin Batchelor Gallery that opened on November 7th, with a persuasive performance by the artist as a marketeer, and continues with a visual smorgasbord of parodies that explore the commodificatio
The Pack AD / Cadaver Dogs / The TVees / Valerie Graham
ANZA Club
June 20th, 2008
Dave Bertrand
So we swagger in with our free stamps and I'm feelin' good – old friends in the house, old friends at the bar, fist of beer; I enjoy the...
The ceramic sculpture of Samantha Dickie conveys both mystery and metaphor. The intriguing textural forms of her multi-component installations invite investigation. What are the structures made from? What do they contain? Why are some surfaces channelled,
Victoria’s Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra recently played Upstairs Cabaret here in their hometown of Victoria with locals Compassion Gorilla and Carousels opening up. There was a strong sense of community and no shortage of dancing at the ...
I’ve heard from numerous sources that the dance floor at the Commodore is supported by a layer of tennis balls, but I’ve never had cause to believe it until TV on the Radio unknowingly put this hearsay to the test. During a visceral tak...
Royal Unicorn Cabaret
April 25th, 2008
A pointless evening, overall; I came for Black Betty – Black Betty did not come! Ana was sick. They were replaced by the comparable, admirable Hezzakya, with huge double-stacks of amps-amps-amps ...
To understand the resurgent popularity of thrash metal among a new generation of fans one need look no further than Brazilian thrash stalwarts Sepultura.
Review of geode inspired work by Charine Barber seen at the Sooke Fine Art Show.
Saturday November 15th 2008
What was supposed to be a review of one show has been altered by restless feet and a desire to see a couple of shows if possible in one night. Canucklehead punk veterans SNFU pinned the audience to the mat at...