FREQUINOX end-of-summer party (Victoria BC)
First order of business: this shit is not accessible. The elevator is broken, it’s a steep staircase and it’s a fairsize flight to get up if you’re on wheels etc etc.
I would hate to read this review if I had a prohibitive mobility issue or whathaveyou and very minimal desire to live vicariously through reading about an otherwise inviting little local rave scene.
That said…
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This event series? Going off this party, it’s dynamite. TLDR: might become a reoccuring feature of my calendar. Everyone was so hot and stylish, the energy was so good. ALL the talent was SO talented! /TLDR.
Not a lot of weird sexual frustration like there’s always at least an edge of in typical “dance club”/bar environments. Felt like a friendly atmosphere of carefree sexiness, to me. My gf loved it, she got the tickets for my birthday (greetings, fellow virgos) because she keeps hearing about these parties through the queer Victoria FB grapevine. They’re kind of a big deal, locally, is what I gather. Full credit to my fiance for being the cool one although she’s wrong about the coolest Star Wars archetype to be (she says sith, I say Jawa).
I’ve been to some frankly rankly uncool-feeling indoor rave events before, the worst of which notably had really awkward burlesque. I was pretty trepidatious in fact when I heard about the generalities of this party as far as the stage performances went because the whole thing sounded way too familiar. Ah, but this party was heaven to that party’s hell. I should compare stills that adequately render the lighting in either case, in my memory, the Very Bad Rave (2011, Toronto) looks like this anxiety-inducing No Doubt video or the bloodrave in Blade, and this Frequinox party was dipped in hot pink, real Summer of Barbie style. This description I’m giving reminds me of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty or this (?) Serendipity book: isn’t it always the same party from different POVs? Maybe so. I think it’s also the literal “different lights” I saw them in but like sure, yeah. It’s all in how you see it.
Anyway when I found out Peaches N Screams was the MC, was when I was actually really excited. A rave with burlesque or sexy dancers and no drag is a sus-ass scene imo/e. (The sus-ass inaccessibility didn’t register until I was reminded of how sad and shitty it is that not everyone who wants to, is equally able to attend such oldschool venues, because it’s harder by the day to get an elevator fixed and they are basically uniformly like this by now, apparently. Someone get Tradeschoolman on the Tradephone.)
Anyway, I don’t want to spend forever and a half a day detailing every single iota of recollect I have about this party, which FTR I went to medicated but only barely. Just fast enough, bud.
I’m gonna note that one goth brought their Normal Guy and seeing him bob around in his hockey jersey and plain gold crucifix necklace combo…was very cute.
Here’s a little media gallery to illustrate the generalities of the party:
What a voice 👂🤌
I was right, there’s a full Barbieworld fantasy happening with the lights, soooooo agreeable to the eye 🤩🥰
There was a local First Nations artist in the crowd whose work I recognize, coolest person there by far. Incredible dancer. However:
Instead here’s a pic of the dynamo in the medieval jugglercore drip. Festy kids who used to be theatrekids do have some taste sometimes.
Teaser over I guess, like, I’m not trying to fuck up the atmo’ here, I’m just a documentarian sort of a person ✌️