Bathhouse Vibe Doesn't Rub Off at Kids on TV Party

I'm sure I'm the only one who had high hopes for Kids on TV's bathhouse party.

What's not to like about the concept? Guys and girls thrashing out to some of the hardest local beats around and then exploring everything the establishment has to offer in a variety of combinations has a lot of potential for fun.

Too bad nothing came of it. We could talk about how progressive it is to throw a party at a bathhouse and while it is indeed that, it's success is predicated on active participation by all who are involved.

To their credit, Kids on TV tried their damnedest. They nearly always throw a good show, their songs are hot and they deservedly demand tribute from their crowd like a trio of pagan gods. John Caffery, lead singer of KOTV, used to cut loose at Vazaleen, Will Munro's monthly queer dance party and you can see how he and his bandmates have undoubtedly been trying to create a similar vibe with parties like this.

Too bad it's not the same crowd. They seemed to be up for it (kind of) but they were few and the regulars who bothered to hang around to check out the band were fewer.

In hindsight, I'm gonna have to blame the former and not the band. Concerts in the indie scene can be rather sexless at times, filled with people who don't know how to dance and are way too self-conscious to have a good time, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to file this show away in that particular category.

A source of mine, Forrest, was also in attendance and I found out from him that, in a revival of freshmen dorm mores, women were only allowed on the first floor and guys had the third for their exclusive use. The bar where the band played was the one area where everyone could get together and there was nothing really unique or special about that.

I understand that most of the people actually looking to get some were probably into action of the same-sex variety but if you don't build it, they won't come.

I can't believe that I'm the only one who gets off on the idea of both genders (and everything in between) playing together in a shared environment. It's time we started seeing more actual debauchery and a whole lot less worrying about whether it's appropriate or not!

I wanna be followed into the bathroom, I wanna get groped on the dance floor... hell, I just wanna see people trying new things.

This can all be very consensual and safe and, believe it or not, most people who are into this kind of thing are probably not going to cause any problems or exacerbate the balance of power at play in gender politics (they have to deal with that shit all the time).

After an hour of this, I'd had enough and headed back to my house for a party. I found music blaring from every corner and people dancing in various states of undress (wearing horse heads no less) which struck me as sticking a bit closer to the vibe KOTV were aiming for.

The first bathhouse party was apparently a good time but last year and last Thursday, they were a band without the right crowd. Here's hoping they get it next time and, seeing as how truly interested they are in shaking things up, I'm sure it'll happen.