Tuesday, August 20th became a day for new beginnings in the city of Denver with the rollout of Void + Veil at the Milk Bar. Formerly known as Dark Tuesdays at club HQ, the night that celebrates everything in the alternative lifestyle found a new home, and I have to admit, I cannot think of a better venue to hold such an event.

Upon crossing the threshold my eyes were immediately drawn toward an entranceway that was emitting an eerie red light while goth-inspired darkwave music pulsated from within. For a moment, I felt as though I could turn to my left and see Beetlejuice sunbathing before being enticed toward the Dante’s Inferno brothel before him.

This was my introduction to both The Redroom and what Void + Veil was all about.

The Redroom housed both the bar and what I would consider to be the “most traditional sounding” music you would find at a night dedicated to all things darkwave. Goth, heavy industrial, and a little bit of EBM sprinkled about for good measure were the order of the night, and the song transition work from the duo of DJ Synaesthesia and DJ Nitrogen was seamless.

Artists like MEERSEIN, Skelesys, and Crystal Castles filled the air while people of various shapes, sizes, nationalities, and backgrounds danced to the mesmerizing beats.

Not only was the music incredible, but the visual components were amazing as well. There were various pieces of artwork on the walls that were composed of strong black lines over a white background that depicted half-naked demons and other horror aesthetics with a psychedelic flair—it was like every KMFDM album cover on mushrooms.

These pictures became the canvas for a projector that played various video images throughout the night that accompanied the music. From montages of black-and-white horror forests to kaleidoscope-filtered organisms being examined under a microscope, the imagery never ceased to intrigue. And, if the band that was being played had a video for the song, this is what the projector would switch to.

The one thing I also have to mention when it comes to the visuals has to do with those in attendance; a lack of pretentiousness.

Though I have been to many a goth show over the last decade, I have to admit that during the same time frame, I haven’t attended a goth night at any time in any club. One of the reasons I stopped going is due to the pretentiousness that some people in the community held, and how it would manifest itself into gatekeeping.

None of this was to be found at Void + Veil.

Though there were people dressed in all-black leather and lace, I never saw it in a piece that looked like it would have been appropriate garb for the Victorian era being worn by a “gothier-than-thou” douche. Basically, there was nobody around who used their appearance or status as a means of social hierarchy; Void + Veil had an incredibly accepting vibe.

I’m glad to say this vibe carried over to the other area of the Milk Bar that was used as a dance floor—the game room.

One of the reasons the Milk Bar is such a good place to hold this event has to do with the level of diversity that can be offered by having two completely separate dance areas, with two different musical opinions. At Void + Veil, if The Redroom was where you would find more traditional darkwave, then the game room was where you’d go to find the more “experimental stuff.”

Yes, the music being played by DJ Finster Call in the game room still held many of the same elements found in darkwave music—the electronic beats, danceability, and minor keys drowned in synthesizer effects—but his set was more predicated on the feeling of a Beauty and the Beast dynamic.

The word I believe comes closest to describing what DJ Finster Call played would be “darkrave.”

With the music coming out as a single-track mix, every powerfully conflicting emotion melted into each other. At some moments you’d hear a beautifully ethereal electronica piece that would give way to EDM before seamlessly transitioning to something with a more techno-centric heavy industrial feel. In Call’s world, there were no individual artists, just an experience.

Throughout the night, there was one word I heard more than any whenever I spoke to someone who was there: community. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

Sure, though both dance areas had a similar theme when it came to their playlists, from a musical perspective they were incredibly different. Yet, a majority of the clubgoers kept bouncing between the two spots. And there were no clones; nobody was there to impress the masses by taking a cookie-cutter image and ramping it up to 10 just for clout.

With this first Void + Veil being such a success, I can only imagine it becoming a Tuesday night staple in the alternative community. Between the eclectic playlists and overall atmosphere, I cannot recommend it highly enough. So, if you’re someone like me who hasn’t been to a goth night in a while, or if you’re used to Dark Tuesdays at HQ, then please clear your schedule for an upcoming Tuesday and join the creatures of the night … we won’t bite without consent first.