Category Archive for Nightcrawling
We met Bianca del Rio at Trannyshack, San Francisco! Rupaul’s Drag Race season 6 winner.
San Francisco… where do we begin? How about with the fab Bianca Del Rio, current champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race!
Organizer Heklina (left) invited my friends and me to Trannyshack – the longest-running drag queen show in San Fran. (The name will soon be rebranded to T-Shack, since the “t-word” has taken on different meaning since the event started in 1996.)
We were in for a treat… it was Madonna Tribute night, and the headliner was The Bianca Del Rio. Backstage, Die Schwarze Frau embraces the RuPaul season six winner. Read on, to be blown away by the feisty performance photos!
Die Schwarze Frau is Yukiro’s Gothic drag-queen persona. Before the show, she spooked up the San Fran streets. Those long nail-gloves nearly took out my eye…
Sucking on the blood of young cute boys. That’s the secret to staying forever young.
That night, Trannyshack was dedicated to Madonna (they have various themes each time). The show began at 11:30pm with a Megaman drag act, performed to “True Blue”.
We were impressed by the elaborate staging and choreography of each act — some had a dozen people on stage, prancing around with handmade props. The makeup and outfits were “top quality,” such as this glittering sugar skull trio.
The sold-out audience went ballistic when Bianca Del Rio took the microphone. Heklina brought Die Schwarze Frau on stage, and introduced her to the crowd!
Bianca is one funny bitch. I was falling over laughing at her crowd observations, and witty repartee.
Trannyshack usually takes place at DNA Lounge (375 Eleventh St, San Francisco). There’s a DNA pizza parlor next door, covered in alt posters. Drag queens and pizza = best combo ever.
Outside, we tottered around with these fabulous yet friendly people. Styles ranged from low-brow to avantgarde to punk, and everything in between.
How about this divine hand-flip in motion?
We went back in for more intense theatrics. T-Shack is an institution, and brings in the top drag queen performers from all over the country.
Doesn’t this photo remind you of the “Time Warp” dancers on the upper levels, in the Rocky Horror Picture Show?
We met Holy McGrail, a celebrated San Francisco performer who calls herself a “Faux Queen Diva”.
Bianca returned, as the stunning Evita. She waved manically, while lip-syncing to “Don’t cry for me Argentina” partly in Spanish. Oh, what a moment!
During the instrumental break, she pretended to be bored and sat down on the floor. You can see how much the crowd adores her.
The show went on, with more incarnations of Madonna. “Hey, Mr DJ put a record on I wanna dance with my baby. Music!”
“Strike a pose, Vogue. Let your body move…”
Even the backup dancers went all out with makeup and wigs. (All photos in this post by yours truly, La Carmina.)
Heklina announces the last performer, and a White Rabbit darts out…
… to do a naughty Alice in Wonderland romp. Can you name all the characters represented?
When it rains rainbow confetti all over, you know you’re in the right place. Travelers to San Francisco, you simply must experience Trannyshack (or now, T-Shack). Get tickets well in advance, since they sell out, and check their site for upcoming special events. Try to see the annual “Star Search”, a fierce smackdown to find the next “Big-Wig” of SF drag!
And congrats to Bianca Del Rio, for taking the RuPaul’s Drag Race crown. Did you watch this season, and cheer for her?
This dark queen surely did. Die Schwarze Frau is performing her drag show in Tokyo, on June 15 and 22 — mark the dates in blood. Details to come on her blog.
Stay tuned for more of our ridiculous San Francisco escapades. Preview photos are on my La Carmina Instagram and Tumblr. And my next destinations are to be announced soon… any guesses?
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Toronto Goth nightlife & concerts: Amy’s Arms live at Lee’s Palace, Gothic Industrial dance clubs.
I’m not your typical travel blogger. You won’t find me taking photos at Toronto’s CN Tower or Hockey Hall of Fame. Instead, I’ll be out at 2am, soaking in the city’s underground nightlife and culture.
Take my hand, and let’s explore Goth clubs, a Lenin-themed bar, and two Scott Pilgrim venues. Who’s with me?
On the first night, I took a taxi from my downtown hotel (One King West) to Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor St West). Recognize the name? Lee’s Palace was the site of many an epic band battle, in the Scott Pilgrim movie!
I met up with Linda Tea, who you may remember from the Toronto Goth modeling post. Love the stained glass print on her dress.
I also ran into Laura the Mistress McCutchan (editor of Morbid Outlook, management for Amy’s Arms, and director of tribal bellydance troupe, The Serpentina North Ensemble). She is wearing the “Odette” dress by Gloomth, the independent Lolita label run by our friend Taeden Hall. I love how she accessorized the high collar bodice with rows of ruffles.
We were all here to see our comrade Karen O’Keefe, singer and founding member of Gothic band Amy’s Arms. Karen’s such a positive spirit, and has been involved in the Ontario Gothic Lolita community for some time.
We swayed to their melancholy songs, which convey energy and passion through Karen’s vocals. All over the stage, she twirled with swan-like arm movements. Thankfully, nobody challenged the band to a “duel to the death” (as poor Scott Pilgrim suffered).
Amy’s Arms had just finished tour dates in Ottawa and Montreal, earning new fans in every stop.
David Owen charmed the audience with his Theremin theatrics.
A colorful stage presence by Justin David Minister (composer/guitarist) and Tyla Thea Bolte (vocals).
The devil’s in the details, from the sound quality to the boots on their feet.
Brent Kervin on bass, behind a Korg synthesizer.
I haven’t been to a concert for the longest time, and Amy’s Arms reminded me of how uplifting a performance can be. For a taste of their Goth rock, you can check out their Facebook and site. (I also featured their music in my Vienna travel video episode!)
Amy’s Arms was touring with headliner David J, the legendary bassist of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. Moody, bluesy and classic Gothic… an honor to see him perform in the flesh.
What I wore that evening: relatively neutral makeup, and spider-like eyelashes topped with gems, by my friend Shrinkle of Sugarpill Cosmetics.
My pastel Goth polka-dot top is by Spider Hong Kong (remember my Chinese Gothic fashion shoot with this label?)
The next afternoon, I went for happy hour at Pravda Vodka House (44 Wellington St East)… a Communist-themed bar! You know I love weird theme restaurants, so this was right up my alley.
Pravda is decked out in Russian Red memorabilia… including a giant, gold statue of Lenin’s bald head.
I saw hammer and sickles, a row of Russian dolls, and propaganda posters, and even a portrait of Chairman Mao.
The menu specializes in vodka, of course. Try the maple one, and the gravlax snacks. Nazdorovye!
Later that evening, Karen took me on a Gothic nightlife tour. We started at Freaky Fridays, an alternative night at Velvet Underground (510 Queen St West). DJ Ivan Palmer was rocking the sugar skull makeup behind the booth.
Down the road, we stopped by Bovine Sex Club (542 Queen St W), a favorite bar for punks and underground types. The entrance, a mass of mangled bicycle parts, is easy to spot.
A few more steps, and we were at Nocturne (550 Queen St W) — home to one of the longest-running Gothic nights.
Nocturne holds a variety of nights dedicated to indie and experimental music, such as rave, lo-fi, synth and futurepop.
We came for Black Friday with DJ Osaze. He played an extraordinarily fun mix of Goth, Industrial, hard rock, EBM… including forays into highland dancing and flamenco. I didn’t leave the dance floor for more than a few minutes, it was that good.
Did you realize Toronto, Ontario has such a cool underground scene? What should I check out the next time I’m in TO?
PS: I also wrote posts about Montreal and Vancouver alt nightlife, which I hope you find helpful.
LA CARMINA
