On Saturday, I decided to go to Strength Through Joy, an industrial night in London, for the first time.

This decision was based on an unshakeable though somewhat foundless belief that I like industrial music. While I very much enjoy what I know of industrial rock (as well as industrial black metal, but I wasn't expecting to hear any of that), I somehow haven't felt inspired to seek more of it, and other brands I'm not so convinced about. I've never been able to get into Einsturzende Neubauten and last time I listened to Ministry I found myself bored senseless.

However. I find there's a difference between what sounds good in a club and what's good in my bedroom, and this night served as a perfect example of that. None of the music I heard compelled me to go out and buy it, but oh my God (a shallow little b**** trying to make the scene). That was the best setlist EVER! I liked 95% of what I heard and wanted to dance to 70%.

There were some odd choices, such as "Water" by ohGr, which is almost undanceable, not that it prevented a couple of people doing so extremely pretentiously. (Not a criticism: they were good at it and it was enjoyable to watch.) But in general, that was great fun. Headbanging is fun and easy when I'm feeling self-conscious, but I prefer having to alter my dance moves throughout a song: my favourite track to dance to is "No One Knows" by Queens Of The Stone Age, as it features much scope for variety, but much industrial also possesses it. I'm definitely going back. If nothing else, it was an excellent work out.

Other good things: Lars was there, as was my fiend Danni, who I haven't seen since 2002; it got busy, but not crowded; and the cloakroom attendant and security guard were nice beyond the call of duty.

Bad things: It was quite hard to talk over the music.

Weird things: Normally, at "goth" nights you find fliers on the tables, advertising other goth nights and shops. This time, there was one for a black mass, featuring "Satanic Sluts" and blood drinking. In spite of the stereotype, I have found no correlation between appreciation of alternative music and Satanism, even among fans of black metal, in which praise of Satan is obligatory. Of the hundreds of alternative people I've met, I've wittingly only encountered one blood drinker and no devil worshippers. Yet in the toilets, I heard people discussing whether or not to go. I'd like to, once, but strictly for curiosity's sake. I'm happy enough that such things go on in the world, but when they intersect with my life? On the grounds that at heart, I'm still the person who used to spend Saturday nights sitting in her room, reading Sweet Valley books and listening to INXS, eek!