What it was like
The playlist lives in your headphones where nobody at work can hear it. Bauhaus, Siouxsie, The Cure, Joy Division — seventeen years of curation hidden behind one earbud and a straight face. Monday mornings are for pretending, and Monday nights are for stopping.
Blue Monday is where the pretending ends. Every Monday at EQ in Hillcrest, the lights go low and the vinyl starts spinning — dark 80s, post-punk, goth, new wave, glam, death rock, new romantic. Resident DJs Camilla Robina and Faux Velvet play all-vinyl sets, which means the crackle is real and the selections come from crates, not algorithms. The night has been running for over seven years, which tells you what you need to know about the crowd: this is not a theme night for tourists. These are the people who never stopped dressing like this.
No cover. No pretense. Just a Monday night where the mascara is intentional and nobody asks you to explain the band on your shirt. Free venue parking. The room is dark enough to disappear in and loud enough to feel found.
Every Monday at 9 PM at EQ, 1271 University Ave in Hillcrest. 21 and over, always free.