Category Archive for Alternative Canada
Montreal Kinetik Festival! Gothic Industrial EBM concerts & nightlife: Katacombes club, Bar Passeport.
Ready for my Montreal Goth clubbing and travel guide? Here’s a round-up of the city’s best Dark Industrial and Punk parties, and review of Kinetik Festival 2013!
When night falls, I’m ready for a crawl. Full info about my hair and clothes are in this outfit post.
The friendly door person invited us into Bar Passeport, located near many restaurants on St-Denis.
It was the first stop on a nightcrawl with my friends, Lauren and Asta. The lady at the bar recognized me from my Myspace days! To welcome us to her city, she gave us shots of whiskey and maple syrup.
Bar Passeport has various themed nights, as illustrated on the flyers. (Funny how you can see our faces in the reflection.) We had fun dancing to “EBM, Alternatif, Synthpop, New Wave, Gothique”. Upcoming darkwave parties are listed on their Facebook page.
Right next door is Club Chaos, a legendary punk bar. Cheap drinks and skeletons are always a good sign.
Another classic bar is Foufounes Electriques, which often has live music performances. In the 1980s, this club was a gathering place for punk and Goth subcultures.
The metalwork inside “Foufs” and outdoor enclosure remind me of the Monster bar in Berlin.
Lauren and I had fun at Coop Katacombes. From the exterior, you can guess this is a heavy metal hangout.
Our stay coincided with Queer Ass Punk. To our delight, the night was dedicated to Grrl Riot! DJ Velvet Underparts blasted music by L7, Joan Jett, Sonic Youth, and even the Daria theme song.
John Waters’ movie Hairspray aired above the bar, and Millie Rosado sang while playing keyboards and guitar.
On to the main attraction: Festival Kinetik at Le Belmont. Known as North America’s Wave Gotik Treffen, the event brings in international Industrial-Noise-Goth-EBM bands for a weekend of performances. Previous years have featured Nitzer Ebb, Funker Vogt, VNV Nation and more.
2013 featured a scaled-down version of Kinetik, which created a friendlier atmosphere. Everyone gathered in one place, to see bands like Project Pitchfork and Terrorfakt.
Lots of fun fashion at Le Belmont. In the side room, Goths gathered at the bar and browsed CDs at the merch table. (My deconstructed top is by h.NAOTO Red.)
We perched at the upstairs balcony, which gave us an unhindered view of the stage. My silhouette proves I’m an alien…
I was impressed at the level of organization; all the bands started on time. Suicide Commando took the stage with a giant cross projected in the back.
They showed a countdown for their “Cause of Death” song: “Every 40 seconds someone attempts suicide…”
The next evening, I met up with my friend Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection, one of Kinetik Festival’s headliners. We filmed a hilarious “bagel tasting battle” together — can’t wait to show you the video!
As always, Aesthetic Perfection performed with charm. Daniel has a knack for making the audience smile and dance.
After a long night, it’s time to put on our slit-eyed sleep masks. They’re gifts from Velvet Moustache, who we met during our art studio visit.
What’s your impression of Kinetik Festival and the Montreal Goth alternative scene? Did I miss any nightclubs or parties? Let me know by leaving a comment.
Coming up next… Goth and pin-up shopping in Montreal, and an announcement about my August destinations!
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Vancouver Anime Evolution convention with Seby: manga, cosplay, Jpop fans. New writing job: Business Insider!
Victory sign for Anime Evolution! Seby and I were guests at this anime convention, held in my hometown of Vancouver, and had a splendid time.
Read on for cosplay cuteness, and to learn about my new journalism job at Business Insider.
This was our first Canadian anime con, and they treated us royally. (That’s my leather hooded jacket, by Danier…)
Seby and I enjoyed the beautiful UBC campus, where the annual event was held.
We met a squirrel along this nature pathway. I’m wearing a long, scalloped white dress and crochet jacket by Liz Lisa (Japanese gyaru brand), bought last month in Sogo Hong Kong.
We were guests of honor at the three-day convention, a celebration of anime, manga, gaming, and other Jpop fandom.
Thank you to everyone who came to our panels (including this stuffed Mog from Final Fantasy).
Seby and I gave a panel about living and traveling in Japan, including tips about visas, staying in ryokans, best flights and season, ways to keep costs low, and how to use the subway. Hopefully you found our advice helpful; we encourage you to learn more and visit Japan!
We also did two autograph signing sessions. Seby drew his cat (Mara Maura) and mine (Basil Farrow). What do you think of the resemblance?
In addition to convention booklets, we signed arms, tshirts, stuffed bears and staff badges.
Close-up on my blue-purple-red ombre hair, which I straightened and braided.
Wearing a long, sheer grey top/dress by TwoPercent Hong Kong. My fuzz-face purse looks like a Totoro dust sprite, but it’s actually the Hong Kong character Hyoma.
Anime Evolution was celebrating its 10th anniversary, and had a number of special events like a cosplay contest, opening and closing ceremonies, and meet-and-greet dinner. Loved seeing how everyone dressed up.
Seby tried with all his might to grab this Kingdom Hearts keyblade.
So much to see in the Dealer’s Hall and Artist’s Alley. I particularly liked the stuffed pastel alpaca toys, and the Sailor Moon meets Art Nouveau work, inspired by Alphonse Mucha’s works.
Thank you to Anime Evolution for inviting us, and to all the volunteers and attendees for their kindness. We hope to be back next year!
In our downtime, Seby and I went to Acadia Beach, and to Granville Island.
I guess someone wants to put me in his pocket…
My “happy bat” tights and black-white striped platform shoes are both from the Hong Kong Izzue store (more photos to come).
Let’s end with some exciting news: I have a new writing position at Business Insider! I’ll be contributing articles about travel, pop culture and trends worldwide.
Enjoy my first article on Japan’s cat-crazy culture. Featuring Hello Kitty, Hangry & Angry, Doraemon and a cameo by my Scottish Fold cat. Thanks for reading!
Have you been to an anime convention? What was your experience like? And did you spot Basil Farrow in my kitty article?
LA CARMINA
