location: The Vatikan, 1032 Queen ST. W., Toronto
date: Monday January 19th 2004
websites: www.robinblackrocks.com & prettyboyfloydonline.com

On Monday January 19th 2004 The Vatikan (1032 Queen Street West) played host to a special, intimate performance by Toronto's Robin Black & the Intergalactic Rock Stars along with special guests Pretty Boy Floyd (all the way from Hollywood, California).

It had a been a while since I'd seen a live band at The Vatikan, which is a shame since the stage (which is a seating area on regular nights) is a generous size, and the railings in front of it make for a visually pleasing platform for live performances. Both Robin Black and Pretty Boy Floyd are friends with Johnny (one of the owners of The Vatikan, who also spun some classic metal and rock tunes as the DJ for the event). As well, Robin Black opened for Pretty Boy Floyd during their recent invasion of the UK, so it seemed to make sense for everybody to get together for one night and rock out :)

For those who visited The Vatikan for the first time on Monday night, or haven't yet been there, here's the lowdown. It's described on the website using the terms goth, industrial, horror, punk, glam, fetish and rock&roll. It's open Tuesday-Saturday (with exceptions) with various theme nights (ex Sin, JagerNacht, Seduction, Distorted Circuitry etc and fetish nights as well). Cover is either nonexistant or fairly low (example $5). No dresscode for most nights (excluding Fetish events). For more information on the Vatikan, visit their website at www.thevatikan.com or drop by the bar itself some night.

For a Monday night in the dead of winter, there was an excellent crowd who showed up for the show. It was almost like being in the Bovine Sex Club or something -- all the pretty glam/punk/metal/goth girls and bois wandering around in their platforms, black, pink, big belts, spiky hair etc. I barely recognized anybody there, so it was not the same crowd that we see at the usual goth haunts of Savage Garden and the Vatikan during the weekend.

So doors for the show opened up at 8.30pm, which was pretty exciting because I thought it would mean an early night for me. However, Pretty Boy Floyd hit the stage around 11pm. I would describe these guys as some sort of glam/metal/rock hybrid. An energetic performance, complete with a cockstar attitude to boot. It was actually a really sweet touch when the singer brought audience members onto the stage to sing along to a few of the songs. If I was as big a fan of Pretty Boy Floyd as these people were, for sure I would have cremed my panties at such an opportunity.

I checked out their website at prettyboyfloydonline.com to see if I could hear some of their songs, but couldn't seem to find any. There is however a variety of merchandise available for purchase using Paypal.

Anyway, next up was the hometown heroes, Robin Black and the Intergalactic Rockstars. Now, I would like to think just about everyone of clubbing age (and underage perhaps too) in Toronto has seen these boys perform at least one time in their life. If you haven't, you have to go at least once, their live performance is a treat.. fun songs, ballads, girls going wild, Robin flicking the sweat of his chest into the adoring crowd, the list goes on and on. Robin Fucking Black himself started off the night in a pink fun fur jacket, but soon stripped down to a bare chest, much to the titillation of the female fans who were soon annointed with his sweat. Their song 'Some of You Boys (and Most of you Girls)' was a big hit. These glam boys are local, they've been around for quite some time, and have achieved a very respectable degree of fame (though they are still working on the whole world domination thing). They're hitting Vancouver on January 31st, but their next local date is Friday March 5th at the Horseshoe.

For an interview with Robin Fucking Black himself done by toronto-goth in February 2002, click here.

For more information on Robin Black and the Intergalatic Rock Stars, visit thier website at robinblackrocks.com You might also want to check out their fan forum at takemyselfaway.com

All in all, it was a good night at the Vatikan for Pretty Boy Floyd and Robin Black and the Intergalactic Rockstars. Check out these bands or the bar if you haven't already!