Not everyone enjoyed their teenage years. For some, prom night was less of a highlight and more of a lame bit of punctuation at the end of the awkward journey called high school.
If that is a fair recollection of your own experience, now you have a chance to try again. Saturday night, hit Crashing Prom 2005, a benefit party for The Gathering Place, a drop-in women’s shelter. Think ’80s prom night, complete with new wave tunes, skinny ties, huge taffeta pouf skirts and tacky carnation corsages.
“It’s really morphed into being a lot more serious than I though it would,” said event organizer Brian O’Haire. “People are going all out, renting limos, getting hotel rooms and going to dinner together.”
It isn’t necessary to run away with the retro theme; you can show up any way you like. However, the more ambitious partiers can work the room to shamelessly campaign for prom king and queen status, winning custom-made crowns by local artist Sean Doherty along with gift certificates and other goodies. DJ Tom Hoch of Mile High House will spin his best retro remixes, and a fully spiked open bar and light buffet will be on hand for fortification. This is the first year for the fundraiser, but O’Haire said the idea started several years ago, and he hopes to make in an annual event.
“It’s been done really off the cuff, through networking,” he said. “But we’re figuring it out as we go along.”
Crashing Prom 2005 is 8:30 p.m.-2 a.m. at the Denver Turnverein, 1570 Clarkson St. Tickets are $50 (single) and $90 (couple) in advance through crashingprom.com, or $60 at the door.
Explore your dark side at Benders
Check your sunny attitude at the door for this show, and break out the all-black ensemble instead. Fans of goth, industrial and dark electronic noise will feel right at home at Benders Tavern (314 E. 13th Ave., 303-861-7070 ) tonight. Chicago-based duo Kill Memory Crash will hit Denver this evening for a live show complete with vocals, keys and laptops.
Known for their abrasive, edgy take on industrial dance music, the two create music that ranges from fuzzed-out ambient experiments, to glitchy, cinematic and darkly rhythmic dance beats. Four local artists will share the stage throughout the night as well: Kuxaam-Sum creates dark and melodic electronic vibes; Page 27 and Nova-Sak experiment with noise together onstage; and DJ Ironfeather mashes up his own dark mixes.
Kat Valentine writes about nightlife Fridays in 7Days. Reach her at kat@kingproduction.com or call 303-820-1568.
