In the Brewery, bands played from around dusk to after midnight, with brief pauses in between for equipment to be taken down and arranged. In the neighboring Cantina, an array of vendors and artists displayed their wares, while Bryan Regan took photos in the booth sponsored by Naughty Goth.com. These photos proved that few subcultures have more sartorial creativity than goths and rivetheads; nearly everyone dressed in their best or spookiest. I saw faerie wings, special-effects makeup, and – of course – more than a few corsets.

Upstairs, DJs from up and down the Eastern seaboard took turns spinning EBM, gothic, and industrial. Outside, behind the two venues, a fire-spinner wowed the crowd during two exhibitions that took place between musical sets.

Threshold 6 opened the live music end of the festival. This is an EBM/modern synthpop band from right here in Raleigh. Due to, er, transportation issues, I was unable to catch their set. One day, I swear, I will actually get to watch this band play a show.

The young Winston-Salem, North Carolina band Clockwerk was up next, with a set of industrial-noise songs that strongly reminded me of Front Line Assembly and Front 242. I think they could have benefited from some audiovisual elements to stimulate the eye as well as the ears. Most striking in their show was one slower number that bore little resemblance to the rest of their material and reminded me more of Skinny Puppy; if they were to take their music in that direction, I would definitely be intrigued.

Oddstar, a self-described “electrogothicspacerock” band from Asheville, North Carolina, sounds almost like an early Projekt band on record but brought a more swirly, late-‘80s alternative feel to the stage. It’s worth noting that they were one of the few bands that did any talking between songs, a fact I find endearing. They were one of the bands I’d been most eagerly anticipating and they didn’t disappoint me.

Charlotte’s Red All Over boasts a female singer with an impressive voice and good stage presence. It’s hard to compare them to anyone, but their glittery, shoegazer-meets-Europop sound put me in mind of something I would’ve listened to while getting ready for the club in my college days. “His First Breath Tonight” is a striking song that got stuck in my head for a good portion of the two days following the festival.

Raleigh locals RJE are something of a side project, as both members of the duo are in other bands; this was their debut performance together. Their stark, militaristic clothing mimicked the minimalism of their stage set-up: keyboard, guitar, and vocals. They reminded me of early Nine Inch Nails without being derivative. I’d like to see them play a longer set in the future.

Ego Likeness stole the show for me, and may well have found a place in my mental top 10 list. This band’s well-rounded sound incorporates piano – surely one of the most beautiful instruments – as well as all the usual suspects: guitar, drums, and bass. Think of a really good, occasionally ethereal and sometimes danceable, gothic rock band with a kick-ass female singer and you’re in the right area. Their recorded material doesn’t do them justice, which only means that they put on an excellent live show and they clearly love to play for an audience. The singer had one of the best and most powerful voices I’ve heard in a while. Several times during their set, I found myself moved to tears, particularly during “Isabel” and “Wolves”. I would drive to their native Baltimore just to see them play again.

From behind a scrim showing projected images of a psychosexual-political nature, More Machine Than Man played guitar-driven industrial dance music. They were definite crowd-pleasers; the only time the Brewery was more crowded was during the Razed In Black set. At times reminiscent of both Lords of Acid and KMFDM, MMTM knew how to put on an interesting show.

Headliners Razed In Black came from different points across the country (from Hawaii, in some cases) just to play a one-off show at this festival. The entire Brewery was bouncing along to their hard-edged, metallic, coldwave sound. The band must be commended not only for their brilliant set, but also for their Energizer Bunny-like energy levels and their singer’s excellent asymmetrical haircut as well. They certainly made some new fans that night.

Overall, this was the perfect way to spend a beautiful Saturday in October. Though the organizers are keeping mum about future festivals, the consensus of the day was that we all hoped to be attending Eccentrik Festival 2005 and beyond.