Saturday fail and redemption at WGT

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Saturday night. So there I was, striding down Eisenbahnstraße around midnight.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

Besides the one random, non-WGT guy who halfheartedly tried stepping in my path to make conversation, it was almost disappointingly uneventful. Maybe the floor-length black cape and Wehrmacht boots had something to do with remaining unmolested. Or maybe Eisenbahnstraße doesn’t quite live up to its reputation.

I don’t know, I’m from South Africa. We don’t scare easily. Neither do the WGT people.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

To be honest, our Saturday hadn’t gone quite to plan thus far.

Light Asylum at the Stadtbad was a good show, but the venue, albeit beautiful, is hot like hell. From what I’ve been told.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

From there we headed all the way across town to the Volkspalast for the Saturday fetish party. I had grown bold, confidently striding past the long Schlange of PVC and leather-clad fetish fans to the front.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

The doorman DGAF about our press passes.

“We have our own people inside,” he informed me, a little belligerently, probably expecting trouble. “And no photos or videos,” he added, gesturing to my two colleagues.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

Well, fuck.

So we about-faced and quickly came up with another plan: Mjut, on Lagerhofstraße. The guys were on their bikes, so I took the tram by myself, which is how I ended up walking Eisenbahnstraße after missing my stop.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

I very nearly headed home right then, but with Mjut only 4 minutes away at that point, I decided to push on, if only to use the restroom and fill up my water bottle for the long ride back to Grünau.

Mjut itself was not that easy to find, either. I joined forces with two couples in trying to find the place, which we eventually did with helpful text instructions from my team.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

“But this is the address,” the German woman with me asserted, “it MUST be here!” It wasn’t. Maybe the organizers were not German.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

The party, at 1 am, was a bit underwhelming.

I had 30 mins until the night bus, so I did a walk-through to pass the time. The music downstairs wasn’t very interesting, a lot of 80s dark wave and people swaying semi-rhythmically. Upstairs promised a black room but it must’ve kicked off later because it was just a smoke-filled dance floor at the time. Better music, though, and a guy with the tallest Mohawk I’ve ever seen. For which you’ll have to take my word as no pictures were allowed.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

While waiting for the photographers to retrieve their camera bags, I spotted Ray, a lovely Bremen boy who now lives in Berlin. He was dressed to the nines in impressive boots, white & black striped spandex pants and professional-level make-up.

As I called his name, he half-turned, half-waved. A few seconds passed. Suddenly making the connection, he swiveled and ran up to hug me. We had met at Jen’s house party on Thursday night and chatted up a storm. He was heading home to pizza and bed, and gallantly waited with me for my night bus.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

What’s with Leipzigers telling me, in awe-struck tones, that Eisenbahnstraße is The Most Dangerous Street in Germany, I asked him. “Oh, I think every city in Germany has a street they think is the worst,” he retorted.

I guess it depends on your definition of danger. Does it include opportunistic crimes, like getting your phone or wallet stolen? Are drug deals included, or only drug-related killings?

What do you think?

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

All in all, of course, it was not a Saturday night wasted.

I sweated my way through a powerful one-woman performance and saw even more beautiful and carefully put-together outfits. I met a statuesque couple just oozing Berlin-cool. He in full-length mat leather coat, she in a bustier top and shiny PVC pants and jacket. They let me take their picture but asked for it not to be published online.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

I went home tired, but still absolutely thrilled at the experience. I’m already planning to catch venues and events next year that I didn’t get to this time around.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

I am starting to see why people are willing to travel from far and wide to attend every year. It’s more than a spectacle, more than just the music. It is a celebration of all things darkly romantic and counter-culture, and it builds on a long local history of anti-establishment and peaceful dissidence. Something to do with a wall back in ’89.

WGT 2019
WGT 2019. Photo: David Simon

Loudine Heunis came to Leipzig in 2018 to pursue the MSc Early Childhood Research degree at Uni Leipzig. She started writing for Leipglo as nightlife reporter towards the end of that year and became an editor in 2019. She is now Leipglo's Editor-at-Large and is currently back in her native South Africa.

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