CRITICS’ PICKS
HARD ROCK
What: Bourne To Be Ozz: The Canadian Ozzy and Black Sabbath Experience Where: The Port Theatre, 125 Front St., Nanaimo When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $42 at porttheatre.com, 250-754-8550 Why: Powell River musicians John Tait (guitar), Tony Shigeoka (drums), Darron Cound (bass) and Walter Martella (keyboards) provide the backing for singer Jeff Koopman, who handles Ozzy Osbourne duties in this tribute to hard rock’s Prince of Darkness. Bourne To Be Ozz tackles solo hits from Osbourne’s strong solo career, but will not shy away from his work with the iconic Black Sabbath, either. With shows from Osbourne few and far between these days, and Black Sabbath off the shelf entirely, this might be your best chance to relive the glory days of hard-rock royalty. — Mike Devlin
FUNK
What: The Music of Prince Where: Hermann’s Jazz Club, 753 View St. When: Saturday, 8 p.m. (doors at 6) Tickets: $25 at the door Why: An all-star Victoria tribute led by singer-guitarist Aaron Scoones and singer-keyboardist Peter Dowse will have Hermman’s Jazz Club shaking with the Purple One’s famous funk on Saturday night, the highlights of which will be the deep cuts. Hits such as Little Red Corvette, Kiss and Let’s Go Crazy will keep the dancefloor full, but B-sides such as Call My Name, She’s Always in My Hair and 17 Days will be where Scoones, Jones, bassist Peter Dowse, guitarist Adam Dobres and drummer Patrick Allen truly shine. A great group of musicians playing some of the best material in pop, funk and rock history. — MD
PUNK ROCK
What: The Hickoids, Keg Killers and Line Traps Where: V-Lounge, 3366 Douglas St. (in the Red Lion Inn) When: Thursday, 9 p.m. Tickets: $12 at the door Why: When Austin, Texas, rabblerousers The Hickoids arrived on the scene in 1984, the genre of cowpunk was alive and well. But it could be argued that the group’s mixture of twang and drang was somewhat ahead of its time. The Hickoids disbanded in 1991, the various habits of its members eventually becoming too much to bear, but the group reunited in 2006, with a rotating cast of members. At this point, only frontman Jeff Smith remains — original members Davy Jones (guitar), Dick Hays (bass) and Johnny Lee Jackson (guitar) have all died — but the singer’s button-pushing presence is a welcome one in 2018. With support from Victoria acts Keg Killers and Line Traps, this might be the best punk bill of the summer. — MD