Friday, June 16th NITECALL presents:♱ QUEER GOTH NITE: Pride Bash! ♱
IG: @_mijito_♱
Alice Valkyrie (She/Her, Phoenix)IG: @alicevalkyriesound
♱ sXter “Sidney Slaughter” (They/Them, Phoenix)IG: @0_sxter_0
Gracie’s Tax Bar in downtown Phoenix was the perfect venue for Nitecalls Queer Goth Night. This quiet, feel-at-home bar in downtown Phoenix is host to many events, but to the local LGBTQIA goth community, this event was dear to all of our little black hearts. If you’ve never been to Gracie’s Tax Bar, you’d probably miss it when passing by; the faded sign and almost garage feel on the outside doesn’t scream this is a bar. It says ATS Tax Service in bold letters, and there is a little neon sign in a window that says Gracie’s. When you walk in, the bar has low-lit red lights with the old-school booths you’d find at an old-time dinner. The bartenders are friendly, and even though I don’t drink, the bartender was nice enough to make me a mocktail, which was pretty damn good. there also two back patios with the larger one that extends into the back parking lot. You definitely feel at home when you’re at Gracie’s and I’m pretty positive that’s exactly what they’re going for right as you walk in!
It was just after 9 p.m. when the doors opened, and by 9:30, the event was already packed. DJ Sidney Slaughter opened up the night with a killer set of goth, industrial, and some EDM thrown in there. getting everyone going on the dance floor. At one point, their set was so electric that they actually blew out the power! If you ever see them on a flyer make sure to check out their set!
At 10 pm , Phoebe Phobia was the first drag queen to perform and got the crowd going by performing to Copy of A by Nine Inch Nails. Their dark aesthetic while dressed in a fabulous leather outfit spoke to the queer goth community. Although it had to be incredibly hot wearing all that leather and performing, their dedication to drag is on full display. You can catch their show, Spellbound, at the Rock every 4th Sunday of the month.
Up next was DJ Alice Valkyrie, a name you’ve seen everywhere lately. Their work ethic is on full display as she is one of Arizona’s top DJs. Her talent screams for all to see when she is on the decks; she’s throwing out all the love through the music she spins. The dance floor was evidence of that, as not one person wasn’t dancing. Alice threw up her signature heart sign, and her smile was shining bright, as Gracie’s was completely full at this point of the night. She thanked everyone multiple times for coming out and supporting her set or event.
As 11 p.m. hit, the drag superstar of Arizona Benediction took the stage. They have to be one of the hardest-working drag queens in Arizona, and it was such an honor to have them perform at this event. Ben understood the assignment and came dressed to impress, as they always do. Their all-black lacey fishnet outfit was absolutely gorgeous. There wasn’t a lot of space on the stage, but Ben worked it like they always do. It was up, down, and all around, with no doubt on why Benediction is taking over the drag scene in Arizona. You can catch “The queer agenda” is every Tuesday night at Kobalt.
As the clock hit midnight, it was time for Arizona’s very own Dragula contestant and everyone’s favorite drag lizard to come out and play. The one and only Astrud Aurelia! I’ve seen Astrud perform on every kind of stage, and no space is safe from their performance. Astrud is a true performer who is dedicated to their art or drag. They had everyone turn on the flashlights on their phones, and the next thing you know, Astrud is jumping off the stage and into the crowd. Performing to the song Spellbound, they danced, weaved, and slithered their way through the crowd. This was by far one of the best performances I’ve seen from them.
Closing out the night is one of my personal favorite goth DJs, Mijito, based out of Tucson. While he makes the trip down to Phoenix quite often, I honestly don’t get to see him spin enough. He’s another one with an impeccable work ethic, which shows as he’s been booking more out-of-state gigs. Mijito has become a household name for the alt, goth, fetish scene. He tends to lean more on the industrial techno side, which was perfect for this night. What was nice about this event was that we got a variety of music and not just the same tracks all night! As always Mijito slayed the decks and kept the party going till 2am!
This was such a killer event, and I give it up to Nitecall for putting this spectacular event on. Arizona has only so many options when it comes to goth or alt nightlife, and this event was everything we were looking for in a goth night. It was drama-free and queer-oriented; the scene came dressed to impress; and the musicians and entertainers were all on their A game
Be on the look out for Nitecalls next event!
