Category Archive for Alternative Canada
Montreal Goth shopping: retro vintage alternative clothing. Bazaar of the Bizarre, Creatures, Diabolik.
Let’s continue our Montreal Alternative Adventure with a red light district walk, rockabilly vintage shops, and council of sausage dogs! On the second day, I wore…
Black hooded leather jacket: Danier Canada
Metal rings skater skirt and leggings: GladNews, from Shibuya 109 Tokyo
Black stud ankle boots: Yosuke, from Shibuya109
Eyeballs purse: Izzue Hong Kong
White cateye sunglasses: Dolce and Gabbana
Lauren and I stopped by Bazaar of the Bizarre, an “extravaganza of unusual arts/crafts and wearable goods” that takes place at the same as Kinetik Festival. Designers set up tables and sold handmade items, such as these leather masks with beaks and tentacles.
I heart the hard-shell spiky purses, masquerade masks, and haunting prints on book pages.
Steampunk, Goth, cyber and metal subcultures all come together at the Bazaar.
After, we went on the Candyass & King Red Light Tour. As we walked through the historical district, our guides spoke about notable people and places, such as burlesque star Lili St-Cyr and punk Cafe Chaos.
Many underground venues have shut down, but strip club Café Cléopâtre has stood its ground.
We learned about ongoing attempts to “cleanse” the Red Light district, from New France up to today. The duo tells us the struggle continues between artists and developers, preservation and progress.
One of the many great things about Montreal: art is everywhere. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this panda painting.
And how brilliant is this public art exhibit? “Dachshund UN” — a United Nations represented by sausage dogs!
Artists Bennett Miller set up this canine conference at Quartier des Spectacles. Each wiener dog had a human handler underneath.
This racy store window’s caption made me laugh. “Unexpected turbulence.”
How about shopping? For retro and rockabilly fans, these shops are a must: Kitsch ‘n’ Swell and Rokokonut (3968-9 St Laurent Blvd).
It’s vintage clothing paradise, from 1950s dresses to leopard print loungewear.
The stores also carry books and home goods, such as this 1970s magazine.
Can you spot my alien antenna in the mirror? There are quite a few cute boutiques around St Laurent Boulevard. We had fun strolling around and stopping for coffee.
Quite a few readers recommended the Goth/Alternative fashion boutiques Creatures and Diabolik. Both are on Avenue Mont-Royal; we sadly didn’t have time to check them out, but hopefully you’ll get a chance to visit and let me know what you think.
Did I miss any key Montreal alt shopping destinations? What do you think of the sausage dog United Nations?
More dark Montreal tips on Goth Me Out’s site and my Alternative Canada blog category. The video is next, featuring… bagelheads!
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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!
LA CARMINA
