Up-and-coming rapper Killy sells out venue
Vertigo is usually filled with studying students. The UVSS are working to changing its perception.
Photo by Cormac O’Brien, Editor-in-Chief
Many students at UVic think of the Vertigo Lounge as a place to get some work done, eat lunch, and hang out with friends — but on March 22, Toronto rapper Killy will perform at Vertigo during his Canadian tour.
His dark, melodic trap sound has been making waves in the rap world since the release of his breakout single “Killamonjaro” in February 2017. And although he’s performed in front of thousands of people in cities like L.A., Montreal, and New York, Killy is no stranger to Victoria. He played a show at Upside Studios in Chinatown last March, and lived on Vancouver Island for a number of years.
With his recently dropped project titled “Surrender Your Soul,” 2018 is looking to be a big year for the rapper. To some people who might not keep up with events on campus, the announcement of Killy playing at UVic has certainly turned heads. The show sold out within days of being announced, maxing out Vertigo’s 500-person capacity.
“Vertigo is purpose-built as a club. If you’ve ever been there, you’ll see it’s got a dancefloor, a stage, and there’s a bar in the back. Right now, we’re trying to use it more to its fullest potential. A lot of the time it just hasn’t really been fully utilised as a club.”
That’s Noor Chasib, UVSS Director of Events, who has often talked about bringing more concerts to campus through his mandate with the Students’ Society.
“What we’ve been trying to do is have way more events in Vertigo, ’cause there’s a lot of people who don’t know about Vertigo, or do know about Vertigo, but don’t know about it as a venue,” he said. “They just kinda see it as a study space basically, and we’re trying to change that slowly.”
While some may groan at the idea of an all-ages concert, most people at some point have had to sit at home while their favorite artist played at a 19+ venue in Victoria. Chasib also considers the venue perfect for students in residence.
“A lot of first years can’t go to clubs, so what we do is make the shows all-ages,” said Chasib. “If you want 500 all-ages people to come to your event, it kind of helps when you’re directly beside them. It’s where we’re located at, and where a lot of res is located at, we’re directly beside them. So at the end of the night, you don’t have to worry about a taxi or any of that, you can just walk right back to your res. You’re good.”
Killy isn’t the only event on campus that students should be looking forward to. The UVSS will be having a St. Patrick’s Day event at Vertigo and an end-of-term concert in CARSA. The end-of-term concert will take place in the CARSA gym on Thursday April 5 from 6–11 p.m. There is potential for lots more events and concerts at Vertigo in the future, and selling 500 tickets in a matter of days is a clear indication of interest and involvement from concert-goers.
“I think we have a very prime location, space, occupancy; everything works out for us really well,” Chasib said. “This is just a step, this isn’t the only thing we’re gonna do. After this, it’s just gonna go bigger from there.”
