The Raised Hell ...

Someone asked if psurkit was up and running - so I thought I'd get the ball rolling with my acccount of Saturday's Dark Forces ...

30 Oct 2000

Yup, in reply to Cadet Random's lone call, the psurkit mailing list IS up and running, it just needs a little more Viagra or something so that people actually notice it. Hey so maybe I can grab people's attention by mentioning Dark Forces ...

This is my story ... (oh dear; connotations of Winona Ryder in Girl, Interrupted)

*reflects*

Arriving about 11.30 with a bunch of fellow Dark-Forces prospectors, we were to be greeted only by an enormous queue of witches, undead nurses, grim reapers, angels, devils, faeries, an assortment of otherwise miscellaneous freaks, and the usual spacesuit'ed types ~ not to mention the occasional misplaced "other", one of which who was later caught pissing against the wall ~ not such a pretty sight. Such a huge hold-up was something I hadn't experienced in eons, and I'm sure I could sense people pushing and shoving until I remembered no, I wasn't in high school anymore ...

I soon learnt the U-Entity crew had sabotaged any effort on my sake to enjoy the music to its fullest potential (which I might add was sadly suffering from technical probs) as about 101 people from my past decided to also attend, with each and every one requiring a good catch-up spiel. I concede had absolutely no problem with this ~ I'd pay $15 any day to see so many old friends again!

When not cosseted by fellows from the past, I scoured the depths of the basement, experiencing the drum'n'bass sets of welly's BF crew completely going off. The zone was utterly crowded with hundreds of sweaty bodies practicing cathartic rituals even till the wee hours ~~ although I was a bit too "absorbed" to notice who was playing what and when :P

I soon sought salvation in the house area when I needed to be happy again, (without the use of other methods, that is) finding it to be the typical spectacle of scenic housebunnies and topless pornstars, pallored only by the mud-entrenched housetent at last year's Gathering. After spotting someone requiring to be avoided, I scanned the final area ~ The Asylum ~ alas slightly malnourished in numbers, when all of a sudden (4am?) I judged a breath of fresh air to be all-too-essential for my survival. Sadly I discovered it was pissing down outside, quite a disappointment after recalling the beautifully starry night which had previously lured us to Dark Forces.

A few more hours of the standard cycle (of breaking and forming groups of people to oogle, dance and mingle with) later, and I was well primed for beddie byes. (Thx Gnat for the ride home! :)

With it taking place in the old Subterranea venue, I can only think of that, and the previous Dark Forces at Area 259 / Club 2000 to compare it with it, both of which were incredible events. I'd be lying to claim I didn't enjoy the night but here are some of the disappointments:

Numbers; It didn't quite pack out like Subterranea, but then again, did we really want the ceiling to be dripping with sweat (not to mention lubbing the floor like no other water based product could dream of) and the loo queues to be dozens-long? To be fair, there <I>was</I> a substantial crowd ~ easily 1000 ~ just not awe-inspiring due to seeing the refreshing numbers of the local dance community so strong at Subterranea...

Quirky multicoloured woolly mammoth-sized stilt monsters ... none to be found. Nor any crazy suspended models or coffee trailers or other Hullabaloo eye candy. Even without the Ashram chill area of Subterranea, I did love the eerie trees and other Halloween decorations that were sporadically placed :) Not quite sure why an expensive laser was delegated the job of merely littering a underground hallway though ...

No Evil? Hmmm, somehow I remember the '98 Dark Forces to be a whole heap more terrifying. Perhaps due to two reasons; one, me still diggin' all those Heloid all-ages trance gigs - Hey I was underage then, and (glancing at bedroom-wall to confirm) even LRS played live at the original Fusion. And two, having not been jaded by the dozens of Bass Frontier's gigs meant Drum'n'bass was in-fact still evil, scary :)

Price. Oops did I mention I didn't pay last time coz a certain someone luuved my apparel? Obviously not ... ;)

Well, had better leave it at that - that way others have lots to fill in ... *hint*

Big ups to the U Entity krew for an incredible night out; I've put parties on myself and understand the effort needed to produce this type of result - one hint though - next time I think Halloween Garb should be manditory, not a quirk ... then we'll see who the real freaks are.

Over and out,
Siggy

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/phobo/

PS: To join psurkit, send an email to majordomo@obscure.co.nz with a message saying: subscribe psurkit *your@email.address*