NO WORRIES IF NOT
Where: Metro Studio Theatre, 1411 Quadra St.
When: Thursday, Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $21.50 from tickets.intrepidtheatre.com
Why: Victoria’s Katie-Ellen Humphries wrote and stars in this encore presentation of the 2023 Fringe Festival hit, which blends stand-up and storytelling in an appealing and gently acerbic package. The talented comic has a sly, quick-witted delivery, and that provides No Worries If Not with a rock solid funnybone foundation. Though she currently splits her time between Vancouver and New York, we often claim the former staff writer and associate producer on CBC’s The Debaters as our own, thanks to her previous work with Atomic Vaudeville and time on the title-winning swim team at the University of Victoria. She joked about the latter on her 2020 comedy album, Ladyfinger, noting how it aligned with her social anxiety in the pre-smartphone era. “In the early 2000s, if you wanted to not make eye contact with someone, you had to just be underwater. And that is what I did.” Highly recommended.
NIGHTMARES ON WAX
Where: Capital Ballroom, 858 Yates St.
When: Saturday, Sept. 30, 8 p.m.
Tickets: Sold out
Why: It’s not entirely clear what British DJ George Evelyn is up to at the moment, as the Internet footprint of his alter-ego, Nightmares on Wax, is relatively pithy. This much we know, however: Nightmares on Wax was a giant in the downtempo scene during the 1990s, and released a string of pioneering releases on the UK’s Warp Records label — the majority of which have aged extremely well. Now based in Ibiza, Spain, Evelyn continues to blend dub reggae and hip-hop, but has added a helping of ’70s soul to his recent recordings. That his Victoria debut is already sold-out isn’t surprising, as Nightmares on Wax tour dates are few and far between. His set Saturday at the Capital Ballroom appears to be one of only four performances on what remains of his 2023 tour schedule.
DUO CARVI
Where: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
When: Friday, September 29, 7:30 p.m. (doors at 6:45)
Tickets: $30-$33 from earlymusicsocietyoftheislands.ca
Why: Duo Carvi headline this season-opening concert for the Early Music Society of the Islands, during which members Katelyn Clark and Julie Ryning will be joined by a roster of medieval music specialists, including Douglas Hensley (gittern, vihuela), Arian Aminalroaya (frame drum), and Ben Grossman (hurdy gurdy). Works by female troubadours from the 12th and 13th centuries highlight this lively program.
