CARNIVAL OF SOULS
Destiny & Elite, Derby - March 24 2002

This annual goth/fetish all day spectacular is now ten years old, and to celebrate, organisers Nightbreed have added a second event to the regular Halloween bash. Truth be told, there's little difference between the two, Trev and co. wisely sticking to the idea that if it ain't broke, don't fix it - although ostensibly the two events will be themed slightly differently.

Committing the double sin of holding an event outside London and not playing lame house music, the club has been pretty much ignored by the image-obsessed fetish press over the years. Not that they have to worry, with healthy attendances and a crowd that actually seems to want to enjoy itself, unlike much of the London scene. Running from 3pm until 1am on a Sunday might not seem like the way to build atmosphere, but once inside the impressive surroundings of Destiny & Elite - a club surely wasted on towny oafs - time ceases to have meaning. Split between three rooms, the event would seem to have something for everyone. The main rooms plays host to live bands and a variety of DJ's. whilst the smaller room is converted into a dungeon area. In October, this room was rather dull, but this time round - thanks in no small part to the inviting equipment supplied by Desyre Foundation - the room was rammed, and saw some eye-opening action. The Striporama crew were most impressed by the athletic young woman who stripped naked, performed acrobatics in a cage and did unspeakable things to her boyfriend. Now that's entertainment!

Given the numerous distractions on offer (and the event also attracts a variety of clothing, jewellry, book and bondage stalls), it was remarkably easy to miss the bands, and if I had a major criticism, that would be it. Although running orders are posted, they are not prominent, and if you are out of sight of the main stage, you have no way of knowing when a band are playing. A DJ announcement is surely not too much to ask. That said, this years acts were a fairly nondescript bunch. Star Industry, Saints of Eden, Void Construct and Serotonin all came and went without registering much impact. None of them offered a good enough reason to stick around and watch, given the other attractions of the night, and the people who hung around to catch the bands were definitely in the minority. What's more, musically they seemed to be fairly generic goth fare and hardly likely to convert the unbeliever.

In fact, the Carnival may well be doing itself a disservice by emphasising the 'goth' aspect. Several people I know have dismissed the event because they can't bear the idea of ten hours of solid goth music, but in reality, the sounds are rather more varied. Different DJ's offered everything from nu-metal to industrial to black metal, with traditional goth stylings being in the minority. Perhaps it might be worth future events replacing the word 'gothic' with 'alternative' - though that might alienate some of the core audience.

Of course, many people here had no interest in the music. They came to dress up and misbehave, and did so wonderfully. And that's what makes this such a great event - it pulls in a wider mix of alt-culture characters than just about any other event I can think of, and gives them a chance not only to be themselves, but - more importantly - to be someone else for the day. Lively, unique and often very horny indeed, Carnival of Souls is a national treasure! See y'all in October.

DAVID FLINT