WEDNESDAY 7/29

BLOODLUSTIVERSARY

It's damn well high time we return our attention to Pony. Don't you agree? It is, after all, the Best Damn Gay Bar in Seattle™ (according to me me me), and it gives us so very much. (Identity! Community! Booze! To name but four.) And even though it seems so comparatively small (so, so small), its themed and DJ-driven dance nights rule the school. Tonight we celebrate the fifth anniversary (where des the time go?) of Bloodlust, their monthly... well, they bill it as "darkness and debauchery on the dance floor," and I'd be seriously hard-pressed to argue with that. Pony, 8 pm, free, 21+.

FRIDAY 7/31

BITCH ARTS AND BITCH KRAFTS

Not since Fairuza Balk taunted, "Then why are you stillll bleeding?" has there been a more gorgeous and compelling coven of witches than the Markos sisters—Cherry, Minerva, Kaleena, and Klaudya. They enchant, ensorcel, and even scare you just a bit, in a nice-but-watch-your-manners way. They can be seen working their dark mojo in tandem every Friday night henceforward at their new weekly event called Bitch Kraft. I asked witch sister Minerva to tell us a bit about the new night. "Bitch Kraft is pretty much a concept that the four of us have been shooting for since we formed our coven—an opportunity to showcase our talents as individuals and as a cohesive sisterhood," Minerva says. The new coven is an offshoot of the glamorous House of Markos. "We keep things fresh by introducing rotating hosts between the four sisters (a different combo of two hosts each week) and rotating community queen guest spots weekly." Tonight features the talents of Stacey Starstruck, a Julia's favorite. "We recommend showing up at 8 for good seats," Minerva tells us. "The show is usually over by 9:30, so everyone has time to catch other shows and parties." Which is thoughtful and strategically useful, as we have one more event to catch later tonight. Neighbours, 8:30 pm, $8, 21+.

SHADY WAYS

And then now! We are off to Shade, which has made something of a sassy/dancey splash since its humble origins at the Eagle merely a scant few months ago, created as a club night for queers and their peoples, "a dark, dirty, divey situation." The night has since hoisted up her skirt and stomped over to the Highline, where she has thrived like a particularly skilled hooker. DJ Jen Woolfe is guesting tonight, supported by the inimitable talents of one of the night's progenitors, Riff-Raff. Highline, 9 pm, $5, 21+.