Purevile!'s Wren Britton and Dances of Vice's Shien Lee have created an exquisite monster with their new monthly party, Disko Nouveaux. An excessively fashionable overdose of decadent New Romantique revelry, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief that a night like this finally exists in the late aughts. See Metromix's review for more of these great pix featuring yours truly and some of the other fine creatures of the night that attended. With DJ sets by Revel Hotel-er and fellow dark musik blogger Frankie Teardrop and the inimitable Michael T, father of Motherfucker (RIP) and too many other club nights to count, how can you go wrong? Trax by Bowie, Nightmares On Wax, Alphaville, Magazine, and SSQ are just some of the gems they spun. Run, do not walk (without tripping on yr platforms) to Disko Nouveaux's second coming October 11th @ The Vault.
Purevile's enfant terrible Wren Britton has teamed up with Dances of Vice's vixen Shien Lee to present Disko Nouveaux, thee only monthly Romantique New Wave/Glam/Deathrock nite in NYC, commencing September 13th at The Vault!
Haven't seen a party that looked this good in ages...Dress to excess and dress to impress!
This weekend's documented drama. See below.
Japan Society's Japan Cuts film fest kicked off my Saturday, with a screening of Korean director Kwak Jae-Young's Cyborg She (The Japanese title literally translates to My Girlfriend is a Cyborg, which I find much funnier). Overall, the film was really a sci-fi romance, but Cyborg She still felt like several movies in one, with the tone alternately saccharine slapstick, apocalyptic disaster, and melancholic human drama. There were many tips of the hat to the Terminator series, from the model name of the cyborg (Cyberdyne 103), to the chick cyborg aping human gestures with adorable results (thumbs up!). The club scene with the robot doing 'the robot' was ridiculously irresistable as well. Despite a confusing presentation of events that didn't line up within the film's past-future continuum, Cyborg She was still successful in its massive chick flick appeal. I nearly shed a tear for robot/human love.
A Cyborg-themed party followed the film, which featured free food, Sapporo, futuristic techno, and a few select people whose aesthetics were cyborifically inclined.
Next came the Eye and Ear Festival. After transporting myself downtown in the pouring rain, I only made it to see Martial Canterel and Blacklist, which happened to be my two favorites anyways. People freaked for Sean McBride's analog synth wizardry (see DJ Anarexia and her orange pompadour with leopard print Pieter getting down), and headliners Blacklist struck their own reverberating chord with the audience, playing tracks off their excellent recent album, Midnight of the Century. Revel Hotel's Frankie Teardrop was a new addition playing keys, and during Blacklist's sparse, ambient number "The Cunning of History," I had the pleasure of putting my musical prowess to good use whilst shaking some silver coins onstage with (Religious to Damn) Zohra Atash's jingling scarf.
Next I headed over to Don Hills for Salvation's 2 year anniversary party. DJ Patrick, NYC's longest running goth DJ helms the night, and I put aside my aversion to public consumption so I could enjoy a delicious piece of cake while The Sisters's
"More" blasted in the background. Salvation is still the only goth dance night where local dark post-punk is spun regularly. There's the classics of course, but new stuff has a place to showcase.
Sunday's festivities were a bit more laid back and fashion forward. I stopped by the Urban Outfitters in Soho to see Jeralyn and others present in the DIY or DIE event. Not only does she frequently DJ Wierd and run Boston's Rescue boutique and the blog I'll Wear Any Color As Long As It's Black, but she also makes really cool shit. The zine they handed out for the talk featured Jeralyn's how-to advice for studding, as seen on the hot little number below. Other designers included the Six Six Sick girls, who put on the fabulous party at Happy Endings, which is right across the spooky/sleazy park from Home Sweet Home. One of the ladies explained that fringe is thee season's hottest accessory. So there you have it. I was so inspired by the DIY ethic that I decided to go shopping. It was off to Williamsburg where I stumbled upon the Love Brigade store and picked up a subtle, yet quasi-bondage pencil skirt and a neon rosary. For 2 extra bucks they threw my stuff into a cute black tote bag, which was great marketing on their part. If I'm not going to do-it-myself, at least I can support others who will! Which, now that I think of it, seemed to have been the theme for this very weekend.
My favorite place to dance to dark rock both classic and current has been flaunted by the Daily News as the place to be for True Blood fans. The vampire association makes me wince a bit, as there are plenty of better reasons to check out Salvation -- such as hearing DJ Patrick (NYC's longest running goth DJ), spin the latest hits from Blacklist and other local New York success stories. Nonetheless, if you're into that skinny, pale, and sanguineous thing, you'll find plenty of aesthetically pleasing creatures every two weeks at Don Hills.
Over the past week I came across three events positioned to explore the seedy recesses of Berlin history: Dances of Vice's most recent party, Visions of Weimar; a one-woman show based on the music of Kurt Weill, Lily: Her Life, His Music; and a new club night that added me on MySpace (ha), called Berlin NYC.
The crowd at D.O.V. seemed to look better than ever, which is probably because the dark cabaret aesthetic is at the stylistic core of many of the regular patrons' wardrobes.
Wren Britton, creator of jewelry/clothing line Purevile and queen of the D.O.V. vendors was there as usual selling his extraordinary wares while dressed in an extravagant take on the era's costumery.
(The codpiece is vintage, he professed).
As you can see, the outfits of the attendees really were as entertaining as the entertainment, which included some strip tease, torch songs, and cabaret acts, as one would expect given the theme.
(This lady, ever the dandy, came dressed as a moustachioed male impersonator.)
The evening left me really wanting to believe in a renewal of dark NYC nightlife. All I'm looking for are more events like these that can successfully combine historical and cultural elements with the usual sex, drugs, and RnR to make things more interesting.
The Lily show was a different experience altogether. Conceived and performed by mezzo Audrey Babcock and directed by James Marvel, the piece took Jewish prostitute-cum-nightclub performer Lily Weiss from Berlin to Paris in the 1930's and Hollywood in the 40's through the songs of Kurt Weill. The section set in Germany was my favorite, featuring a particularly moving performance by Babcock that had her bruised and battered from an abusive lover, drunk on Johnnie Walker and crooning the "Alabama Song," turning a trick atop the piano as dollar bills were violently shoved into her mouth, attempting switchblade suicide, and eventually escaping the country after Kristallnacht. Babcock sang with biting vulnerability - beaten but never beaten, beaten down. The projections (featuring images inspired by George Grosz and Otto Dix) along with the sound effects that accompanied her made the experience a electric one. A real snapshot of the period.
(And all the alcohol they used onstage was real).
Last in this triptych of Berlin-related events is a new club night in Long Island City. Not really sure why it's called what it is, but there's always plenty of German material in the Goth, Synthpop and Industrial that's usually played at parties such as these. Either way, I'll surely find out when I check out the next one...
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