Goth Homecoming Welcomes Those Who Feel Misunderstood

If you've ever found yourself lurking in the dark shadows of being misunderstood, don't fret. Instead, dive into a night where runny mascara and a morbid style reign supreme.

For a second year in a row, the Black Market's Goth Homecoming will return to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, September 7. The evening promises to appeal to proud manics, freaks, and geeks alike. Notably taking place during Beetlejuice Beetlejuice's opening weekend, the event prides itself on being both a precursor to spooky season and a testament to South Florida's growing alternative scene.

Panther Cordts, the founder of the Black Market, the local alternative flea market, first conceptualized the nostalgia-inspired celebration.

"The thing with all our events that we do is that they all pretty much have the same kind of feel to it. They're all very inclusive, and everyone can just come and have a good time," Cordts explains. "I think the difference between goth and emo is just that emos hate themselves, and goths hate the world."

But why the emphasis on homecoming? Why is there an urge to relive high school awkwardness that quite possibly remains the origin of our social anxieties today?

From what it seems, this is where the Venn diagram of millennials and Gen Z overlaps. There's nothing more goth or punk than teen angst. From the social issues we harbored from our parents, the rabbit holes into bands like Joy Division and Sunny Day Real Estate from Myspace to Spotify, the questionable phases of eyeliner, and deep, deep side parts.
When you enter the corporate world or the general idea of the real world, all of that is promptly asked to be left at the door. It's deemed unprofessional, immature, and socially unacceptable.

Or is it?

With alternative gatherings growing in popularity in South Florida, Goth Homecoming is just the latest sign that subculture is here to stay.

"A big intersection for us are those teenage years when the hormones were crazy," says Party Karloz, one of the Goth Homecoming hosts alongside Auntie Maim. "But now, with this, we can go back to that time and say it's okay to be misunderstood; it's okay to cry about it sometimes. But at the core, events like this cater to that misunderstood aspect and just having some fun with it."

Some of the featured acts for the evening include cover bands of the Cure (Love Song), the Smiths and Morrissey (Ordinary Boys), and Joy Division and New Order (New Dawn Fades). Many would argue these are quintessential bands on the goth and punk rosters. AJ Navarrete, lead singer of Ordinary Boys and New Dawn Fades, certainly thinks so.

"When you look out into our audience, we have a mixed bag," Navarrete says. "In the grand scheme of things, it's really what it's all about. The people who have been appreciating music since they were in their early teens and early 20s are now the same age as the musicians who were being appreciated at the time — and it's just a constant cycle. At the end of the day, that's a little more valuable than just getting a paycheck at the end of the night."
It all goes down at Revolution Live, a venue that has seen plenty of iconic artists grace its stage. From David Bowie to Pink and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Revolution Live has always been a home of acts that appeal to a certain subculture — and this event is no exception.

"Revolution Live has been hosting Black Market events for the past three years," Cordts says. "It was initially down in Miami, but Miami is pretty lacking in venue spaces right now. We were lucky enough that they let me do an event there, and that went well. Then they let me do another one and another one, and now I have a residency there. It's pretty much our home, and they've been really great helping us out and being very supportive of what we do."

The evening promises a host of activities and performances, from burlesque, drag, goth karaoke, photo ops, and over 50 vendors selling unique goods. There will also be a $1,000 prize for the homecoming king and queen (the guests with the very best outfits of the night).

As the Black Market team puts together the finishing touches on the annual fete, they are aware of how important gatherings like these are to the local scene.

"We want people to walk away from the experience with a sense of freedom," burlesque performer Sin Silva shares. "You can be yourself when you come to these events, and we know that outside in the real world, sometimes people do have to hide who they are because it's not safe. But at Black Market, we always try to cultivate a very safe space and always enforce it."

Goth Homecoming. 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, September 7, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-449-1025; jointherevolution.net. Tickets cost $25 to $30 via shotgun.live.