The 2011 Capital City Tattoo Convention was held at Victoria's Pearkes Arena on March 18-20. I do not have any tattoos - I have a hard enough time committing to a pair of shoes - but I find body art fascinating and the convention didn't disappoint, with people sporting body mods, gaping holes where holes are not typically expected and subcutaneous ink galore. There was also that most impressive of alternative culture traits - the triangular goatee. It's special not only because it can't be grown by just anyone but because to sport one instantly makes you look like you should be playing guitar for Metallica or chasing Denzel Washington across the bayou in a fanboat.
The three-day event also featured tattoo artists from across Canada & the United States, along with vendors like Steve Drane Harley Davidson & a man selling organic coffee who could also wield nunchuks in an impressive fashion. To his credit the nunchuks were not part of his sales pitch.
There was a constant line up of bands that played the festival beer garden over the weekend. Some talented local groups, like
Fast Machine (whose lead singer is known to cause an uncomfortable tightness in the trousers),
Turnpike Bandits (whose lead singer wears uncomfortably tight trousers) & convention closer
Black Hat Villain (who wore no trousers) blew the eardrums off an appreciative crowd. There were also a handful of performers like
Bloody Betty &
Russ Fox: The Human Tacklebox
What follows is a photo recap from the final day of the convention, including a performance by the charming & erudite Russ Fox, a performance by Black Hat Villain and a handful of contestants in the Capital City Best of Show awards.
