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Music

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Glitches dog Boy from Brazil

Even on a normal weekend, queer monthly rock party Vazaleen often resembles a Halloween party, so the annual Vazowe’en edition is always full of outrageous and sleazy costumes. We missed Friday’s costume contest at Lee’s Palace , but got there just in time to see Boy from Brazil (who is actually from Berlin) perform his psychobilly electro. While most of the music was being triggered from a laptop, he also brought along Nicole Morier (of Electrocute ) and Peaches to contribute guitar, keys and screams. The Cramps-with-a-drum-machine sound of Boy from Brazil suits the Vazaleen vibe perfectly, but technical difficulties with the laptop led to awkward pauses between songs, making it hard to build momentum. Though Boy and co. did their best to win over the crowd, the party didn’t really get going until they left the stage. Funny how a labour-saving device like a laptop often complicates the live experience.

Boa’s back

For those who haven’t been following the various shakeups in the after-hours club scene, here’s a recap. Boa-Redux closed its 270 Spadina location a little over a month ago after a summer of rumours and behind-the-scenes power struggles. Recently, it was announced that Boa would move into a new location with a liquor licence. Around the same time, announcements appeared for events at the Spadina location, seemingly organized by former Boa staffers and targeting the same market.

Saturday night, the new location (360 Adeliade West), last known as Sound Emporium (and previously as Turbo, Jet and Klinik), was revealed, along with Boa’s partnership with the long-time owner of that space.

At 1:30 am, a huge lineup of at least 100 partiers was still at the back entrance. Once inside, you’re greeted by the familiar metal detector from the last location. It’s kind of a pain in the ass, but considering the trouble some clubs have faced this year, it’s actually comforting to know that no one is getting a gun inside.

Unfortunately, they didn’t bring the baskets for the contents of your pockets, which made the search more chaotic than need be. If anyone lost a set of keys on the table, send me an e-mail, because I picked up a set by accident.

Once we finally made it inside, any fears about this new incarnation were put to rest. The sound is still great, but now there’s a large second room instead of a small lounge, and a great vibe on both floors.

Though the new venue is still a work in progress, it looks good so far. Special guests the Low End Specialists threw down a great set of dirty house music on the main floor, bouncing across a wide variety of variations on the big-room sound. Downstairs, jojoflores also had a packed dance floor for his dark, late-night take on deep house.

So far so good, but next week 270 Spadina is opening, and it’s unlikely that Toronto is big enough to keep both in business for long. Can’t wait until the dust settles.

Fancy footwork

There isn’t enough space to mention all of this year ‘s many good Halloween parties, but Footwork ‘s Saturday party deserves a nod for its 3-D projections and complimentary 3-D glasses. Good wacky fun, and something that I’ve never seen in a club before.

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