Boys’ Club is a deep and heartfelt show full of important topics on men’s mental health. Each song has a unique character and storyline, from a man dealing with suicidal thoughts to another struggling with their ego.

Comox rapper Alick Mac put on the Boys’ Club show for the Nanaimo Fringe Festival last August.

Boys’ Club is a show of many elements on men’s mental health, touching on topics about ego, suicide, and depression. Mac raps about these issues with an incredible combination of emotional lyrics and spoken word on each song.

“There’s a lot of different parts of masculinity, especially with social media and the rise of certain influencers,” Mac says. “It felt like I wanted to just make sense of it all and paint a picture.”

Mac blends his experiences and observations of men’s issues into an unforgettable show with the overall message of masculinity. Liz Plank’s book, For the Love of Man, was a great inspiration in the creation of his show and current thoughts on the topic.

“I haven’t really thought of myself as particularly macho, or like, overly masculine in my life. There were subtle, sort of social codes.”

“I think [I’m] just more reflective and trying to observe why I’m doing something,” he explains.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mac through the Nanaimo Fringe Fest. Each of his shows was outstanding, with incredible audience responses that rang with the sentiment that every man needs to watch this show.

“I did try to make a point of some of the ways we’ve been moving in the wrong direction, but I also tried to be fair and point to the fact that there’s also other contributing factors,” Mac says.

Men’s mental health is an important topic that needs more conversation. In a recent 2025 study, the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation and Intensions Consulting found that amongst 2000 male Canadian respondents, 23 percent were deemed at risk of moderate-severe depression, and 67 percent were not actively receiving or seeking mental health support.

 “I think all mental health is definitely important,” Mac says. “We all, as people, have intersections of identity and face our own unique challenges. Those kinds of real day-to-day things that come up and can lead to emotional suppression.” 

If you missed Mac’s fringe show, don’t fret. His album, Boys’ Club, is set to come out in 2026. As Mac’s show highlights, in today’s culture, being a man can be many things, and masculinity is different for each person.

“We just need to be able to frame these things in a more positive way. We don’t necessarily have to get rid of traditional traits or understanding of what it means to be a man,” Mac says.

To follow Alick Mac, check out @alickmac on all streaming and social media platforms.