There are many things that were exceptional about last night’s show at Red Gate – the swathes of revellers in full Halloween regalia, the incredible quality of the live performances of rock and pop classics by a vast range of diverse bands and the sheer amount of dancing, moshing and sweating that took place. But the most remarkable thing of all, at least for me, was the absolute sense of community and solidarity between audience, band members and staff. People were here to support their friends, enjoy some excellent live music, and create an atmosphere so utterly conducive to what can only be described as an all round ‘good night’. And that’s it. No posturing. No pretence. Just one huge group of friends, old and new, coming together and feeling great.
Importantly, a large faction of the audience was made up of people who are usually marginalized in the mainstream music scene – people of all genders and cultures are so very welcome here. And there were women and femmes everywhere – female technicians, female photographers and videographers, an abundance of female and non-binary musicians, female bar staff and ticket sellers. It was an absolutely triumphant demonstration that, when you display diversity openly at your venue or event, it attracts an even more vibrantly diverse audiences.
Highlights from the evening included Water – an impressively authentic Aqua cover band, who had the entire audience dancing and screaming along to every single lyric. Audience participation peaked for the last band – New York City Cops, doing a tribute to The Strokes. An enormous mosh-pit immediately formed, consuming almost the entire dance floor. But there was something significant about this mosh-pit – it was made up largely of women, and everyone was being respectful. Yes it was wild – there were flailing limbs and crowd surfers everywhere. But there was none of the aggressive, antagonistic demonstrations that usually accompany this tradition. No one was trying to hurt anyone else, people were holding back crowds to let other people move or get up, and one man (who was being too violent) was marched off the dance floor by a woman half his size, to great cheers from the rest of the crowd.
Red Gate is an extraordinary place – it’s the ultimate example of a safe space, where a huge variety of different people can come together to enjoy music and art. They truly care about their community and ensuring that everyone has a safe and fun experience. there were designated staff for people to go to if they needed help and everyone present seemed fully invested in the inclusivity of the space. But Aprilween has been bittersweet for the Red Gate family – the East Hastings venue will soon be closing due to the vastly increasing property prices here in Vancouver – yet another treasured local venue to be affected by this (see Last Chance Disco). They are hoping to reopen in a new space, but nobody is really certain when this might happen. So for now at least, this city is losing one of the few places where marginalized audiences and musicians feel at home.
Women in Music 