I was amused to see that even ageing goth clubbers like to mark anniversaries and can be a bit wistful for times gone by; it makes these creatures of the night trying so hard to appear undead and vampiric reassuringly all too human after all.
Anyway, for one night only, the famous Kit Kat Club [1] was reincarnated on Saturday for a Halloween special in the hope that it might be possible to summon the alternative spirit of the mid-1980s with a musical mix of post-punk, dark disco, and synthpop.
The strictly enforced dress code consisting of glam-goth, cyber, industrial, fetish, drag, burlesque, steampunk, etc. is apparently in place to protect the club's status as edgy and avant-garde and encourage individual imagination and diversity [2].
One can't help thinking, however, that its real aim is to create a safe space for those who, for whatever reason, feel threatened by street wear and casual clothing; as if a single pair of trainers might somehow challenge their beautifully crafted aesthetic and dispell the whole illusion of the night.
According to an online flyer for the event (see above): 'There will also be legacy guests, fashionistas, Glampires, a Monsterlune
Catwalk Show, two live bands and a dedicated area where we can immerse
ourselves in nostalgia, with visuals, photos and music evoking memories
of those classic '80s nights that defined a generation.'
Unsure if such a gathering would delight the original founder and godfather of goth Simon Hobart [3], or have him spinning in his grave, I decided to give it a miss.
Besides, I've never been much of a clubber and was never really a goth. Although, having said that, there were gothic elements to my look in this period; as can be seen in the photo below taken on 31 October 1984, when, concidently, I paid my one and only visit to the Kit Kat ... [4]
S. A. von Hell looking a bit post-punk gothic
(Halloween 1984)
Notes
[1] Operating out of a "converted warehouse known as the Pleasure Dive in
Westbourne Grove", the Kit Kat would quickly become "London's premier goth hangout,
providing a more glamorous and tongue-in-cheek alternative to its more
po-faced rival, the Batcave in Soho".
Lines quoted from David Hudson's obituary for Simon Hobart in The Guardian (2 November, 2005): click here.
[2] I'm actually paraphrasing from a statement concerning the dress policy of the Torture Garden, not the Kit Kat, though I'm sure both venues would justify their dress codes on the same grounds. See my post on Europe's largest fetish club published on 12 December, 2012: click here.
[3]
Simon Hobart - who would go on to become a crucial figure on the gay
club scene in London - launched the Kit Kat Club in February 1984.
Following a huge police raid (intended to discover drugs) in January
1985, 20-year-old Hobart found himself on the front page of The Sun where he was described as the 'Godfather of Goth'. Sadly, Hobart died in 2005 (aged 41). See the obituary by David Hudson cited in note [1].
[4] Unfortunately,
I don't remember much about my visit and, if my diary entry from 31
October 1984, can be trusted my experience of the Kit Kat was entirely
uneventful; much as I'd like to report that I copped off with Princess Julia that night, I left at the relatively early time of 1.30 am and caught the nightbus home.
Note that the photo was taken earlier that day in Soho Square (and not at the club).
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