Your Teeth When You Grin Reflecting Beams on Tombstones

photo by araqnid

On Saturday I went to a goth night and wasn't barred at the door by the bouncer! Granted, she did give me a hard once-over while a suspicious grin played on her face, but she must have then been convinced by my gothic credentials thanks to suzi and alexander arriving at the same time. I don't blame her for being suspicious since I wasn't wearing any make up, stompy boots, tight black jeans, corset, piercings or frilly shirts. I wore whatever I could find in my wardrobe that was black, including shoes that I use for job interviews, and it served me well in that darkest of dark nights.

The gathering happens every month and is called Vagabonds. It takes place in a beautiful pub just by the river, near London Bridge; it has a grand chandelier, a decent-sized dancefloor, plenty of seating space distributed across two floors, and enough bar staff to attend to you (including one who was very easy on the eyes.)

tina, who wore the gorgeous blue dress bought on our Brick Lane shopping expedition a month ago, had told me beforehand that I'd know plenty of people in the place - and she was right. She introduced me to her friends, many of which I'd met before in parties or seen on LJ photos. Others were people I'd chatted with before at the Dev. Conversation was easy wherever we were because the music was played for fun and not for the deaf.

DJs alternated between Trad Goth, Bleepy Stuff and Classic 80s. Suzi dragged me onto the dance floor when New Order reared its head and soon the whole pub was chanting along to it, followed by a-ha's "Take on Me" and O.M.D.'s "Enola Gay". Why don't those silly DJs get the hint that the crowd can never get enough of their 80s nostalgia? Then Suzi abandoned me because she wanted to talk football with russ upstairs. Yasmin, one of Suzi's friends, decided she was too tired and needed to sit down. Up we went and interrupted Suzi and Russ's teenage kicks. Yasmin and I proceeded to shout abuse at Suzi and Russ: motherfucker, slut, slapper, cunt - you name it. There may have been some football chanting too. Suzi and Russ ignored/laughed at us. Then Suzi suddenly wanted Yasmin and I to snog, and that's when I knew it was time to return to the bar and watch people gleefully jump around to the Sister's "This Corrosion".

I drank too much on an empty stomach and felt ill by 3am, when we were all kicked out. Some I got to hug and say goodbye, some disappeared, some made me promise I'd go to Leipzig in June, some wanted me to stay in their Whitby cottages, some complained that they had no cock to suck because their boyfriends were up in Scotland and some crossed the cold city all alone and took a night bus home packed with drunkards. Next thing I remember, it's 6 am, I'm lying on the sofa just in my underwear, a cold cup of mint tea nearby. I'm so lucky I didn't catch pneumonia.

I had an excellent night despite losing my voice. 80s trip soon, please! Yasmin has already said yes. What about you?