Laura Rae had a lot to balance during the pandemic lockdowns. Her father’s emphysema left her without a bubble outside of her household. Most of her family remained miles away in Ontario. Since then, the bilingual singer-songwriter has etched her feelings on a newly released track that’s both emotionally complex and subtly technical. Titled “Lightspeed”, […]
Arts & Culture
Posted inArts + Music
Mat Elliott delivers soothing soundscapes and sincere heartbreak in ‘South Endings’ EP
Lush psychedelic soundscapes. Funky melodies. Lyrics describing heartbreak and healing. Mat Elliott’s newest EP has it all. The Truro native has found inspiration across the musical spectrum for his debut record, from Tom Mirsch to Still Woozy. And yet, South Endings is truly all his own as the singer-songwriter reminiscences of a past relationship […]
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New art show—’The Icehouse Architect’—envisions individual and collective responsibility in mitigating climate change
As you enter the Blue Building Gallery for Krista Leigh-Davis’ new show—The Icehouse Architect—the space feels cold but beautiful, just like you’d imagine the north to be. Crisp, white and sparkling. There is an undeniable sense of magic to it that sparks wonder and mystery. The gallery itself becomes a speculative future where remnants of […]
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Mexican novelist sets romance in Halifax—with major connections to the city’s history
Looking for a time-travelling romance set in Halifax during the ‘90s? Mexico-based author Rocío Castillo has you covered. Castillo’s latest book, Forward Rewind, follows a woman named Elaine Connors in the year 2021. After renting an office in Halifax, she discovers a secret door allowing her to travel to the past—1991, to be specific—where she […]
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Tourist uses video game relic to capture Halifax in pixelated perfection
A Winnipeg-based artist has captured Halifax in a whole new light—all thanks to a toy from 1998. David Bosc, also known as pegcitypixels on Instagram, recently uploaded several photos onto social media of his most recent trip to Halifax, including shots of the nearby Peggy’s Cove lighthouse, the Halifax Citadel, and even a view of […]
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New group art show A Matter of Time aims to showcase emerging artists, expand the art market
The artist will create ground-breaking work. The galleries will hear about the innovative emerging artist and will come in droves, bestowing their unique selling proposition upon them. The artist will choose its perfect match, display the work and the show will sell out on opening night. That’s the dream, right? Unfortunately, supply and demand is […]
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Animated short film Salted shows how love and loss can live together in survivors of sexual assault
Him? No! He can’t be a pedophile! He’s always been so kind! How many times have we heard some version of that statement? We are desperate to put sexual abusers squarely into one box or another. Good or bad. Abusive or nice. Pedophile or polite. It feels like some sort of self-preservation tactic; a way […]
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Everything you need to know about Mayworks Festival’s 2024 lineup
Halifax’s longest-running workers’ movement festival is back for its 16th year. Starting Wednesday, May 1, the Mayworks Festival will bring visual artists, poets, emcees, actors, quilters and labour organizers together for a 12-day lineup of shows, workshops and exhibits that promises a little bit of everything—and a whole lot to reflect on. The annual festival […]
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Atlantic Canada’s largest queer arts festival returns to Halifax
These are busy days for Isaac Mulè. The Halifax-based artistic director and founder of OutFest—the largest queer arts festival east of Montreal—has been working for months, trading calls and emails with artists across Canada, booking concert venues and readying the stage for what will mark the festival’s third year in Halifax. And the stage is, […]
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Every big show coming to Halifax (and beyond) in 2024
Thanks to some medical issues that sidelined a big part of The Coast’s tiny staff for most of 2024, this year’s list of major shows—music, theatre, comedy and events—suffered. But we’re trying to wrap the year on a strong note, and have already started the 2025 edition, so we hope you’ll still let us know […]
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Halifax author Elliott Gish’s Grey Dog will play with your mind
Of all the attempts to summarize Halifax author Elliott Gish’s debut novel, Grey Dog, about schoolmarm Ada Byrd’s unravelling in quiet Lowry Bridge, Canadian novelist Suzette Mayr’s words stick most in the mind. In her review of Gish’s story—a psychological horror that reads as if the Brontë sisters took a page from Stephen King—the Giller […]
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Hailey Rose a made-in-Nova Scotia tale of family, inheritance and forgiveness
Sandi Somers knows how to bring a character to the screen. Consider the opening scene in her latest feature film, the family-centred dramedy Hailey Rose: “Some people come into your life as blessings; some come in as lessons,” the family’s tough-nut matriarch, Olga, deadpans to the camera. “Blessings are worth shit all when it comes […]
