MONEKA ARABIC JAZZ
Where: Hermann’s Jazz Club, 753 View St.
When: Wednesday, April 17, 7:30 p.m. (doors at 6)
Tickets: $26 from hermannsjazz.com
Why: Iraqi singer Ahmed Moneka has lived in Canada since 2015, but the music of Moneka Arabic Jazz is rich with rhythms from across the world. Moneka will be joined Wednesday at his Hermann’s Jazz Club debut by drummer Max Sennit, clarinetist Majd Sekkar, bassist Waleed Abdulhamid, guitarist Demetri Petsalakia, and saxophonist Seluck Suna, members from Syria, Sudan, Turkey, and Greece who provide everything from African grooves to Caribbean funk. The show is reportedly close to selling out, which isn’t a surprise. This is top tier world music.
FUBAR LIVE
Where: Wicket Hall, 919 Douglas St.
When: Friday, 8 p.m. (doors at 7)
Tickets: $32.21 from strathconahotel.com
Why: The bar is set outrageously high when it comes to events in Victoria by members of the cast from Fubar, the glorious mockumentary about two headbangers with beer to drink and little else on the go. The film’s two leads, Dave Lawrence (who played Terry Cahill) and Paul Spence (Dean Murdoch, aka The Deaner), visited Lucky Bar several times in the early 2000s, and almost levelled the place. Lawrence is back for another in-person performance, sans Spence, but he’s bringing improv comedy and heavy metal karaoke along for company, so all is not lost. A meet-and-greet is available, which should make for some rich Instagram content.
BIANCA DEL RIO
Where: Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St.
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $67.75-$78 from the Royal McPherson box office (250-386-6121) or rmts.bc.ca
Why: RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio will wrap the Canadian leg of Dead Inside — her fifth worldwide tour — with a stand-up showcase/five-alarm party at the Royal Theatre on Saturday night, which presents a multitude of possibilities. The Louisiana native (born: Roy Haylock) told Newsweek her tour “isn’t for the easily offended,” so expect a night of side-splitting shock and awe.
