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Ok, here's the scoop: Kingston's been leading a basically goth-free existence in terms
of clubs and concerts. I think there was an industrial night once a month at a club in
'96, but that's been it. Not good
Enter DJ Zanzi...
DJ Zanzi a social wrecking ball of a person, in a good sort of way. Whatever she imparts effort into,
carnage and mayhem ensue. So, upon returning from the far depths of the netherworld (the USA), she
decides to set up a goth night: Purgatory.
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The Venue:Club 477. This place has enjoyed a place as Kingston's premiere gay bar. Notice the past
tense. In recent years, another club (Wally's) has taken over that spot. 477 has attempted to
adapt by featuring theme nights without the implied sexual preference. Punk nights have been running
for a while, and from what I've heard, have been quite a success. I guess Zanzi used that to pitch
the whole goth/industrial night thing to the management.
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So, how is the place? Well, it's a basement. Literally. No problem there, I guess; it just
provides the damp and stuffy atmosphere that's needed. Facilities? Well, the men's bathrooms
do not appear to have sinks (at least downstairs). Service? Bar upstairs. Friendly? Well, Kisa and louise
were told not to enter because they had slurpees from the 7-11. Charming. Oh, and they couldn't sit on the patio.
And, to win the service award, they couldn't stand on the sidewalk (you know, public property) or the guy
threatened to charge them double cover. No wonder the place is empty upstairs...
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But anyway, back to the event. I think it's a nice idea for Kingston to have a goth night, so
I showed up for moral support, and to take photos. Oh, okay and to listen to music that doesn't suck.
Actually, I'm surprised nobody's kicked my ass yet; taking photos in a dark basement seems like
a great way to get punched. Especially with the flash on my camera; it does a good 20-30 feet in
pitch darkness, and is about as subtle as a knitting needle in the eye. My only saving grace comes
from my auspice of being an event photographer, and being bigger than most of those in attendance. |
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Given that graceful segue, I guess the crowd comes next.
They try. They try hard.
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I'm really not one to comment, since I'm not really part of any goth scene, but something
just feels wrong with some of the crowd. The all-ages aspect is a necessary evil; we need the
numbers, and there's younger people there I genuinely like seeing. Besides, a scene which sets itself up
and then looks down on new joiners is one destined to become pretty decrepit (see my eventual report on
Toronto Trek for an example).
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Still, when I see no less than four kids in crow makeup in one night, my spidey-sense says something is wrong
here. In the intrest of not being mean, I'll refrain from photo evidence, but the goth-kid presence was kinda odd.
I'll take that over the people who aren't even trying: coming to a goth night in your light blue tear-aways may
be different, but it looks kinda goofy. After all, the goth movement is about individuality, so we should all try and
dress the same *cough cough*... (sorry, couldn't resist) |
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In all honesty, the look doesn't matter: I'm glad to be able to get a lot of friends in one place once a week.
So, I drop the image pretense and just enjoy seeing friends in a venue that happens to have good music (and a cute DJ to boot!)
Part 2:
Popularity, Narcs, J-Rock, and invasion of the seniors!
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