The Bamagoth student club hosted a jam-packed night of gothic tunes at Druid City Brewing Company on Saturday. The club gathered at the brewery to celebrate music inspired by the post-punk and darkwave movements in music.
The night at Druid City featured music from artists like The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division. The playlist for the evening was curated by the club’s founder, John Oliver — a freshman majoring in chemical engineering — making the event personal and authentic to the club itself.
Despite primarily relying on word of mouth and flyers around campus to advertise the event, the Bamagoth club saw an impressive crowd for its first event of the semester, with dozens in attendance.
While the goth scene in Tuscaloosa may be scarce, it appears to only be growing in numbers.
Oliver said he anticipates their following to grow on social media as Bamagoth continues to host more events.
Alex Batts, a sophomore majoring in physics and music composition, was particularly fond of the music playing at Druid.
“Bauhaus is my favorite band,” Batts said as the band’s song “She’s in Parties” echoed throughout the brewery.
People in attendance took full advantage of the gothic theme, as the crowd was filled with students in black, flowing alternative garments and heavily applied dark eyeliner.
The ultimate mood of the evening was gratitude, as students expressed how meaningful it is to have a club on campus that represents their interests since there are few to no alternative music scenes on campus aside from Bamagoth.
Collaborating with Druid City Brewing Company was an easy decision for Bamagoth, as the brewery is no stranger to hosting events of this caliber. “They have hosted hardcore punk events in the past, so I figured they would be our best bet,” Oliver said.
For Adam Grieger, a sophomore majoring in accounting, the importance of the club does not go unnoticed. Having a group representative of esoteric, gothic interests means “security, safety, fun and social interaction.”
Looking ahead, the club hopes to provide more spaces for gothic interests.
“It’s a real chance to be able to connect with people that are like you, and I haven’t really had that before,” Grieger said.
