Malediction Society

L.A. Steampunks The League of S.T.E.A.M. Head to San Diego Comic-Con

Shannon CottrellThe League of S.T.E.A.M., when they aren't fighting Victorian ghosts and monsters​See more photos in Shannon Cottrell's gallery, "The League of S.T.E.A.M. Prepares for San Diego Comic-Con." In 2008, Robin Blackburn decided to make a ghost costume to wear to the annual masquera ... More >>

Malediction Society Turns 6 with Annual Steampunk Ball

Liz Ohanesian​ On June 19, Malediction Society, the Sunday night LADEAD party at Koreatown club The Monte Cristo dedicated to darkwave, industrial and other dark alternative sounds, celebrated its sixth anniversary. As has been the case in years past, the club's anniversary coincided with its ... More >>

LinA in LA: Dance Club, DJ and Party Picks For This Weekend

A steamy celebration; see Sunday pick.​ June Gloom can't dampen a dynamic dance party and this week, there's a bevy of bashes that got the goods, sunshine or no. No matter what the clouds may decide, floating about the floor is easy when great DJs and well-connected, experienced promoters ar ... More >>

Tim Burton at LACMA

How a Hollywood director became a counterculture hero

Legends of Synthpop Tour Hits the Echoplex with De/Vision, Mesh and Iris

Shannon CottrellDe/Vision​See more photos in Shannon Cottrell's gallery, "Legends of Synthpop with De/Vision, Mesh and Iris @ The Echoplex." Calling a tour Legends of Synthpop when the bands aren't quite as easily recognizable names as Depeche Mode and Erasure may seem a bit bold. Some might ... More >>

DANCE CLUB PICK: Two Words: Pete Rock

Putting the Punk Back Into Steampunk

Sunday night, goth and industrial club Malediction Society celebrated its fifth anniversary with the annual Steampunk Ball. As we mingled between the men and women decked out with top hats and pocket watches, we spotted the gentleman below. Josh "CuriousJosh" Reiss​

Five Reasons Comic-Con Should Move to L.A.

Shannon CottrellVenture Bros. cosplayers at Comic-Con​ As L.A. Weekly has been reporting for several weeks now, the buzz is strong that San Diego Comic-Con may have outgrown San Diego. Should the event decide to leave the city where it blossomed from a small fan gathering to a mega-convention, ... More >>

H.R. Giger's Xenomorph from 'Alien' As Belly Dancer!: Exclusive Interview with Gothla US Performer Asharah

Check out more photos from Gothla, and the Gothla afterparty at Malediction Society, in Shannon Cottrell's photo galleries. Asharah is a belly dancer based out of Washington D.C. At this year's Gothla, she performed for the annual gothic belly dance event's gala show as a xenomorph, or alien, from ... More >>

Best of the LA Party Scene 2009

When your faithful correspondents weren't geeking out at conventions this year, we were searching L.A. for parties, preferably ones where people donned cosplay and we could engage in conversations about Nerf herders (really, I wish I was kidding about that last part). Fortunately, there was no short ... More >>

Best of the Fan Conventions 2009

Photographer Shannon Cottrell and I started off 2009 with Anime L.A. and then proceeded to hit up every convention and non-con fandom event we could attend. Needless to say, it's been a whirlwind year of panels, cosplay, ball-jointed dolls and "Hare Hare Yukai" dance-offs. We decided to end the year ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Vampires, Bats, Cats and Edible Girls

It was a Vampire Weekend for more than just the hip Brooklyn band's appearance in the South Bay. From vampire balls to "bats and cats" masquerade, it's almost like Halloween never ended. Add The Raveonettes and a dessert-themed burlesque show to the mix and you have one wild November. Keep reading t ... More >>

Hello Kitty Goes Goth

Shannon Cottrell​ Click here to view Shannon Cottrell's slideshow from Hello Kitty's Bats and Cats Masquerade. If there's one song that can drag me to the dance floor anytime it's played, it's "Lady Shave," a weird, minimal synth gem from Fad Gadget. Friday night, when DJ Amanda Jones (Maled ... More >>

Eight Great Reasons Why Goth Clubs Are the Only Place to Spend Halloween

Check out more photos in Erin Broadley's "Grimm Fairytale Ball" slideshow. Some photos are NSFW. Erin Broadley​You can pack thousands of scantily clad party people into a theater and give them Deadmau5 and Justice, but no mega-party can compare to goth clubs during this spookiest of holiday ... More >>

Hello Kitty, Rock Star?

Liz OhanesianDave Navarro with Royal/T owner Susan Hancock​ You're at a Hello Kitty party inside a maid cafe and realize that you're standing next to Dave Navarro. What do you do? You ask him who his favorite Sanrio character is. I was expecting him to mention one of the darker characters, ... More >>

How to Survive Vampire Con Without Getting Bit (Plus, Faking It at Vampirella's Ball)

View more photos in the "Vampire Con" slideshow. ​These are things you should know when going to Vampire Con, or the convention dedicated to vampires. It happened this weekend at the Music Box Theatre along with Vampirella's Ball. It was the first event of its kind. 1. Wear black. Duh. For ... More >>

Roller Disco in LA: Wumpskate Brings Pirates out to World on Wheels

View more photos in the "Roller Skating Pirates" slideshow. Shannon Cottrell​On the second Monday of every month, World on Wheels, a seemingly ordinary Mid-City roller rink, transforms into one of the most eclectic parties in town. At Wumpskate, a play on EBM/industrial artist :wumpscut:, ret ... More >>

Industrial-Strength Sound of the Crowd: Audience Footage of VNV Nation at Club Nokia

VNV Nation "Honour," live @ Club Nokia, 6/27/09. Video by MlleAlistar. It took less than twenty-four hours for the cell phone videos of VNV Nation's Saturday night performance to pop up on YouTube, mostly single-song snippets of shaky footage with varying sound quality. What makes these videos int ... More >>

Steampunk Industrial Complex: Bridging Subcultures at Malediction Society

View more photos in the Steampunk Ball slideshow. Shannon CottrellWhen Xian Vox first conceived of the aesthetic behind Malediction Society four years ago, steampunk was barely a blip on the cultural radar. "Back in 2005, nobody really knew about the genre except for a few gamers and geeks like me ... More >>

Kim Fowley's Lipstick Orgy, Banana Split Sundaes and more

Memorial Day to Remember

Wet, Retox Detox Sundays, Open Air Sundays, Dedmau5, One Night Stand and more

Diamond Dogs at H'wood; Malediction Society's Blasphemy Ball

Gettin' Wiggy Wit It

It's a hairy Halloween; why don't you just comb over?