After being detained at the American/Canadian border for an hour on Friday, I was sure the trip was off to a horrific start. (Note to self: Never bring spiked leather jackets on trips to Canada.) I was wrong though. After checking into the hotel and quickly dashing through the meet-and-greet for my program book, I started dressing for the evening. Something about the process of getting dressed up in a new city always makes me feel giddy with anticipation. I always feel my best when I am dressed to the nines and so is the crowd around me. Everyone I encountered over the weekend was dressed well and the diversity was almost shocking. Of course everyone was amazingly friendly and that is certainly more important than any appearance. Being embraced by a crowd of equally embracing Goths is just heaven. The first two nights festivities were held at the Spectrum Theater. This venue was perfectly sized for the constantly moving 300-500 person crowd that attended. The space allowed for great views of the band and for everyone to see and be seen. I could complain about the lousy alcohol selection, but then again I always do. On Friday and Saturday the venue opened at 8pm. I’ll be damned if I have to show up to a club that early so when I arrived part way through the fashion show I was immediately sorry. The show itself, as well as the clothing and models were just fantastic. It was well thought out and entertaining with its Flamenco dancers, acrobats, synchronized light twirlers, and posing actors alike. A highlight was the black winged demon’s dance attached to buggies suspended from the ceiling.

This Ascension took the stage next and delivered an excellent performance. Although they are not my cup of tea, they sounded great and that is all any band can ask for. The crowd gathered quickly and stealthily in front of the stage during the intermission. It was evident everyone, myself included, was looking forward to Bella Morte’s performance. It seemed to me Bella Morte garnered the largest audience of the weekend and the people danced like it was the only performance. Bella Morte blends Punk, Death Rock, Goth, and Synth to perform some of the United States’ best modern Goth songs. The show was energetic and there was not a dull moment. One band member even jumped into the audience and started a mosh pit! After they performed, Bella Morte were eager to meet the fans. There were friendly band members and free CD singles everywhere. I was really impressed with the power of Convergence to make all the performers feel so comfortable. With the exception of Cinema Strange, who had to get back to LA, all the bands stayed through the weekend mingling and enjoying themselves.

I arose bright and early on Saturday for the vendor’s bazaar. I stalked the late arrivals in hopes of procuring the very best corset I could afford. Many great companies participated and the merchandise was top notch. Ritual Designs had some of the most creative and best made clothing available. Liz from Swarf even preformed in a full outfit she’d purchased just that day. I ordered a custom corset on the spot and am anticipating its arrival with glee. The UK magazine Meltdown was giving away copies of its “not available in the US yet” magazine. If you can find it I recommend this high quality publication. Many talks and workshops were scheduled for Saturday but I only attended the zine workshops. From just that little bit I can imagine that the rest of the seminars and classes were produced well. My congratulations go to everyone who worked on the activities.

Saturday night was everything I had been waiting for. The band lineup consisted of Montreal natives Bordello, England’s Swarf, LA’s Cinema Strange, and Wasp Factory record headliners Chaos Engine. Although I missed Bordello, due to some tasty sushi consumption, I met bassist Jo and singer Nadzine on Sunday and I was impressed by their friendliness and the excitement they conveyed on having been chosen to represent Montreal. Swarf’s first North American gig was wonderful and I am quite glad I arrived just in time to witness their performance. They are a brand of synth-driven swirling pop that is uniquely British. (As The Swarf Sisters, their music was a bit more techno/dance oriented.) Next Cinema Strange wowed the audience with their old skool Deathrock sounds and their theatrical costumes. This was their first East Coast performance and one of the main reasons I wanted to attend C8. To be frank, I expected more. The ambient sounds and bizarre concepts of their two albums were lacking in the live show. I was thrilled by the visual impact, but it didn’t overshadow the live music, which I expected to be more engaging. I still highly recommend both their albumsand I do think they are at the forefront of the Gothic Deathrock movement that America truly needs right now. Chaos Engine was billed as “Noise Mongers” and I foolishly expected something like Noisex. I think the rest of the audience was less than enthusiastic as well because these headliners had the smallest audience that I saw the whole weekend. In Chaos Engines defense they played like festival veterans and the singer worked the stage and the audience well. Even so, I wasn’t really into it.

On Sunday, I had scheduled a spot for my boyfriend and I on one of the four city tours available. We really enjoyed it because it is something we never do. It consisted of walking through old Montreal and into the Notre-Dame Basilica – almost a three hour walking tour. Needless to say, it wouldn’t be a good vacation without shin splints! The church was just magnificent in its ornate splendor. Old Montreal is full of beautiful structures and winding streets, a real treat for my American eyes. After my tiring journey I had to recuperate in the hotel’s jacuzzi. Sinking into that scalding water was one of the greatest feelings of the whole vacation. After a nice nap (I know, I’m getting old) I proceeded to ready myself for the night ahead. Sunday’s “War in Heaven” ball was at Foufounes Électriques. This club has an outside balcony attached to the upstairs bar. What a brilliant alternative for the smoke-haters like me and a curious phenomenon for a city with so many frigid winter months. Of course this was the night that I was introduced to or met everyone I should have been talking with all weekend. I was particularly impressed with Baron Marcus of the Toronto Surf-Goth band Vampire Beach Babes. I highly recommend them for anyone with a taste in Gothic oddities. All of the night’s DJ’s played their own brand of Goth and there was something for everyone. They all lived up to their reputations but DJ Doc Pain from Germany won my heart with Punk, Deathrock, and a little Gothabilly. Around 1am he got a group of us moshing, including the guys from Bella Morte. I haven’t danced that much in ages, what a great end to a great Convergence weekend.

Convergence is certainly becoming a festival to be reckoned with. It doesn’t have the shear number of people the European festivals have (yet), but it has a friendliness that I hope it never loses. Nine years and running, Convergence is a wonderful reason to travel to a new place and a spectacular introduction to others of our kind all across the world.