– Press Release

Gothicfest 2005, North America’s largest Gothic festival and
expo, will premiere this September 17 at the Odeum Expo Center, located
just outside of Chicago.

The all-day event will showcase some of the best Gothic, dark symphonic,
hardcore, and industrial bands on the planet. Hanzel Und Gretyl and Slick
Idiot (featuring En Esch and Guenter Schulz formerly of KMFDM) will
headline the show. A total of 20 bands, also including Grigori 3, Slave
Driver, Deepest Symphony, 13 Winters, Ofearia, All Systems Halt, Spyder
Baby, Rosenguard, Withering Soul, Drake, and Reverend Agony, will perform
on one stage with state of the art sound and lights.

The expo will include 50 exhibit booths showcasing tattoos, extreme
exhibits, body art, fashion, clothing and accessories, plus magazines,
record labels, and much more. Confirmed exhibitors include Design
Toscano, Lollipop Magazine, DeFacto Clothing, Top Notch Tattoos, Projekt
Records, MK Magazine, Cutterz Edge, The Gothic Council of Chicago,
Phaedra’s Philtres, Nocturnal Dominion, Theatrikil Productions, Dark
Candles, and 99th Floor. Fallen Eve and Velmonturna host giveaways from
Heavyred.com, Metropolis Records, and others.

“We feel there is an ever growing crowd of people that consider themselves
Goth,” Jeffrey A. Swanson of Dark Star Records, which is co-promoting the
event with SGL Entertainment. “And we feel that no one has ever put
together an expo and festival of this magnitude geared toward this style
here in the States. But this event is not limited to any elite Goth
crowd. There are many different styles of music and exhibitors that are
all connected in some way to the dark world of the Gothic subculture. And
for those who are just looking for some extreme entertainment then this is
an event you do not want to miss!”

Gothicfest 2005 will run from 11 a.m. to midnight. The show is all ages,
21 to drink with proper ID.

Tickets are 2.50 and are available at all Ticketmaster locations,
Ticketmaster.com, and the Odeum Box Office.

The Odeum Expo Center is located at 1033 North Villa Avenue in Villa Park,
Ill.

Website: http://www.gothicfest.com