Here is an article I wrote for a magazine last year. Don't know if it was ever published but they never came back for more so make of that what you will...
Roots From The Garden Of Gothsemane
While other musical genres have been and gone - Goth, the most maligned of all, has endured. Its presence in the UK may have dwindled such that black clad, spiky haired, made-up youths are no longer a feature of high streets up and down the land but it refuses to go away and, if anything, continues to exert a formidable hold on the continent – Germany and South America particularly.
The increasingly egalitarian nature of the Internet and the surge in popularity of music sharing, whether it be via peer-to-peer applications or music blogs, has allowed the discerning Goth devotee to uncover both long lost classics, lovingly ripped from dusty old vinyl copies of obscure releases from forgotten bands, and modern gems from musicians keen to embrace the new medium and bypass the intransigence of the record industry and the scene-driven bias of the established music press.
I fall into the ‘dusty old’ category and so, for the purposes of this article, I would like to take a glimpse into the past and correlate the shift from the nihilistic anger of Punk to the gloomy introspection of Goth. Along the way I will testify as to some of the key records and bands who, whether they like it or not, heavily influenced or were considered Goth.
Picture the scene. It’s the early 1980’s. Britain’s industrial base is in terminal decline, unemployment is on the rise, the Winter of Discontent is still a recent memory and the threat of nuclear armageddon, via the Cold War, lies heavy across the land. The city landscape is one of boarded-up shops, high-rise dreams gone wrong and dole queues – urban regeneration has yet to be ‘invented’. Television existed across three channels – one of which broadcast the test card most of the time – and computers and the Internet were the preserve of universities and the military. Arpanet ring a bell with anyone? Didn’t think so. The nation’s safety, in the event of nuclear war, was taken care of with the woefully inadequate but highly terrifying ‘Protect And Survive’ series of Civil Defence films and literature. Looking back now they seem almost quaint but at the time it felt like the threat was all too real. (When The Wind Blows still has the power to bring me to tears).
On the music front the initial enthusiastic embracing of Punk, and the three-chord opportunities it inspired for DIY noise, has fractured. The fallout (nuclear pun intended) has given rise to New Wave (think Blondie and early Talking Heads), Post Punk (Magazine, Gang Of Four), Oi! (Cockney Rejects, Sham 69), Anarcho Punk (Crass, Flux of Pink Indians) and more besides.
Out of this kaleidoscope of Punk-derived scenes would emerge a section of bands who reflected the times - whether it be pure gloom, along the lines of Joy Division or Danse Society, or an attempt to escape the foreboding atmosphere and ‘glam’ things up a bit, the likes of Specimen and Alien Sex Fiend spring to mind. And where Punk did galvanise disaffected youth into forming their own bands almost as a political reaction to the muso-heavy indulgence of the 70’s, so these new bands would be typically apolitical. They wanted to inspire but quite what they wanted to inspire wasn’t as easily identified or expressed. Whether that was a result of disaffection at the hijacking of Punk by record labels and money-men or whether they expressed the futility of the times is even harder to quantify.
And so the archetypal Goth would be introspective, sensitive and less than interested in politics. As generalisations go these are pretty wide-reaching but, and again this is my experience, they are ‘generally’ true. The vampire trappings, bad poetry and hanging about in graveyards would come later – unfortunately.
Bauhaus
Bela Lugosi’s Dead/Boys (Single)
(Small Wonder TEENY2 Released 1979) “The bats have left the bell tower
The victims have been bled”
Remember I said the graveyards and vampires came later? I lied and you can blame Bauhaus. Thin as a rake Peter Murphy intoning about capes, the undead and coffins over scratchy guitars and descending bass lines – I mean, bloody hell.
In The Flat Field (LP)
(4AD Records CAD13 Released 1980) “In this solemn place of fill wetting dreams
Of black matted lace of pregnant cows”
Their first album is an eclectic mix of sounds ranging from the drum and bass driven noise of the title track to the quiet, guitar strumming of ‘The Spy In The Cab’. That it took inspiration from Punk is not in doubt but to trace the lineage of a genre, primarily espousing guitars and drum machines, back to this point is not as simple. Peter Murphy, as a lyricist, was ‘wordy’ and drew on religious and sexual imagery coupled with dark adjectives so maybe he was the catalyst. That conclusion belittles the influence of Ash, Haskins and J however and so I prefer to posit that Bauhaus retained the experimental nature of Goth sadly lost in some of the later bands.
Joy Division
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Single)
(Factory FAC23 Released April 1980) “You cry out in your sleep
All my failings exposed”
Taken as a love song this record is heartbreaking. It catalogues the gradual intrusion of the mundane, and its debilitating effect, into the euphoria we all feel when initially ‘in love’ but manages to do it in the space of three short verses and one simple, but hugely effective, chorus line –the title. Thus the ‘doomed romance’ of Goth was born.
Closer (LP)
(Factory FAC25 Released July 1980)“Existence well what does it matter?
I exist on the best terms I can.”
Deborah Curtis, in her book ‘Touching From A Distance’, has described ‘Closer’ as “an extended suicide note” and she would know. Ian Curtis’ suicide tragically robbed her of a husband, their daughter of a father and the world of a great lyricist, an apparently miserable one, but great nonetheless and Joy Division’s influence on Goth can not be underestimated or overstated.
Theatre Of Hate
Original Sin/Legion (Single)
(Secret Service SSTHREE Released November 1980) “Let us help you make your choice
Join our church – rejoice, rejoice”
Theatre of Hate formed around Kirk Brandon following the beak-up of punk band The Pack. In many ways they are not Goth. The songs are essentially angry and energetic while Brandon’s voice is the antithesis of the deep drone that would become the model all male Goth vocalists followed once The Sisters of Mercy arrived. The influence may be due more to the crowd that Theatre of Hate attracted who also followed bands such as Killing Joke and Play Dead. A good example of where Post Punk and Goth crossed over.
Siouxsie & The Banshees
Israel/Red Over White (Single)
(Polydor POSP205 Released November 1980)“Shattered fragments of the past
Meet in veins on the stained glass”Started out as Punks, as part of the (in)famous Bromley Contingent, but ended up with Siouxsie’s look being a model for female Goths for years after – much to her horror. This song has a rumbling bass line, sparse guitar work and quasi-religious imagery. Doesn’t come much more Goth in my book.
The Cure
Faith (LP)
(Fiction Records FIX6 Released April 1981)“Hand in hand with fear and shadows
Crying at the funeral party”
With song titles like “Doubt”, “The Drowning Man” and “The Funeral Party” and Robert Smith’s wailing voice over-laying downbeat dirges, this album is an exercise in existential dread. Regarded as one of a trio, sandwiched between “Seventeen Seconds” and “Pornography”, it showcases The Cure at their most powerful – a fact reinforced by it’s longevity and it’s popularity among Cure fans.
Charlotte Sometimes/Splintered In Her Head (Single)
(Fiction Records FICS14 Released October 1981)“The people seemed so close
Playing expressionless games” If there is a more haunting song based on a children’s book then I have yet to hear it. The stilted interplay between keyboards and a guitar wash, underpinned by simplistic drumming, enhance the ‘time-switch’ lyrical element of the book and evoke a suitably disorienting effect. The video however is appalling and Robert Smith is quoted as saying that he ‘nearly cried’ on first viewing – yes, it’s that good.
Echo And The Bunnymen
A Promise/Broke My Neck (Single)
(Korova KOW15 Released July 1981)
“Down came the rain
But nothing will change”This track falls most definitely into the Post-Punk category but the melancholy feel of the song, and the majority of the album it is pulled from – ‘Heaven Up Here’, has a lightweight Goth edge to it. There is a plaintive yearning to Ian McCullochs which, coupled with the lyrics, evokes a kind of “skyscape” English Romanticism – no, honest, it does. Again, more of an influence than perhaps a lot of Goths would give them credit for (or they themselves would even care for).
UK Decay
For Madmen Only (LP)
(Fresh Records FRESHLP5 Released October 1981)“For madmen only
Know where contentment lies” UK Decay were the punkier side of Goth in that the songs tended to be simpler in structure and they still retained an element of social commentary but that is not to detract from their influence. If anything, the retention of some Punk ideals tended to make them more inspirational and, in lead man Abbo, they had a great spokesperson for pissed-off youth.
The Birthday Party
Release The Bats/Blast Off (single)
(4AD AD111 Released 1981)
“My baby is alright
She doesnt mind a bit of dirt” One song that mentions ‘bats’ and ‘vampires’ doesn’t make you a Goth band but for some reason the label stuck. Once again, I think that is probably down to the open and inclusive nature of Post-Punk at the time. The Birthday Party were far more chaotic Blues Rock than one token label can give them credit for or, indeed, limit them to. A shambling mess of a sound with Nick Cave’s, often manic, vocals spewing out sex, religion and damnation through guttural growls and shrieks while bass and drums thunder along underneath Rowland S Howard’s loose guitar riffs.
Sex Gang Children
Into The Abyss/Dieche (Single)
(Illuminated Records ILL15 Released 1982)“Machine will take me further
‘Til a man’s no longer man”Dramatic, OTT and, at times, just plain bizarre - the music of Sex Gang Children combines tribal drumming, changes in tempo, the bass guitar as a lead instrument (almost certainly derived from the style of Peter Hook in Joy Division) and peculiar vocals. If I’m not selling it to you then I am afraid that is down to my piss-poor patter but they are definitely a band worth the effort.
The Chameleons
In Shreds/Less Than Human (Single)
(Epic EPCA2210 Released March 1982)“Feeling less than human I surmise
I’m less than human in God’s eyes”That The Chameleons did not ‘rule’ the 80’s, in a similar way to The Smiths perhaps, is still a matter of bewilderment and disappointment to the majority of their fans and, indeed, many people who have stumbled across them since. Guitar driven melancholy that, at times, explodes in rage, their influence can be heard everywhere – for instance, Radiohead’s ‘The Bends’ wouldn’t have happened without them and think how many times that appears on Top 50 lists.
The Dancing Did
And Did Those Feet (LP)
(Kamera KAM009 Released 1982)
“Death throes in the hedgerows, bones beneath the grass,
Flesh and fur and gravel mix as giant cars crush past” Goth-Guru Mick Mercer’s favourite band and not without good reason. They somehow combined punk and folk via a Goth conduit and then threw in a liberal dose of eloquent English lyricism. Peculiarly unrecognised in their time it is only with the CD reissue of the majority of their back catalogue, on Cherry Red records, that people are beginning to realise just how influential –and clever – they were.
Southern Death Cult
Fatman/Moya (Single)
(Situation Two SIT19 Released December 1982)
“The kids of the Coca-Cola nation are too doped up to realise
That time is running out” SDC were edgy and original and (apparently) all about the inspirational live experience. Again the traits are there – punk inspiration, tribal drumming, stripped down guitar and correspondingly ramped-up bass – but quite how Ian Astbury went from berating “the kids of the Coca-Cola nation”, along with his Native Indian fixation, to all out Rawk ‘n’ Roll is a bit of a mystery to me.
The Danse Society
Womans Own/We’re So Happy (Single)
(PAX Records SOC5 Released April 1982)
“In your nightmares
We’re all so happy”The Danse Society were far more musically capable than many of the other bands around at the time but it failed to gain them much more than critical acclaim. They incorporated synthesizers into often complex structural arrangements which worked well with their penchant for chiming guitars and atmospheric sounds. ‘We’re So Happy’ starts with the sound of a thunderstorm and continues with vocalist Steve Rawlings failing to convince you that he is anything other than severely fed-up at best - but it still remains a classic. Not sure why you would name a song after the housewife’s favourite weekly mag though…
March Violets
Religious As Hell/Fodder/Children On Stun/Bon Bon Babies (Single)
(Merciful Release MR013 Released 1982)“Fish on the table, bread in the hands
Filthy gold in green and pleasant lands”The March Violets were good – very good. A Rock ‘n’ Roll beast of a band with double edged vocals courtesy of Simon D and Rosie Garland (later replaced by Cleo) which just seemed to give them that ‘something’ extra. Like their label-mates the Sisters of Mercy they also opted for a drum machine but the overall sound is altogether different and this, their first EP (and trip to a recording studio apparently), encapsulates their distorted guitar/bouncy bass sound nicely.
Play Dead
Poison Takes A Hold/Introduction (Single)
(Fresh Records FRESH29 Released June 1981)
“As problems grow with every day
The silence plots its course” Play Dead’s first release has a remarkably (almost) funky bass line, sparse but effective guitar, an underlying sense of singalong pop (seriously) and some very wordy lyrics - the influence of Ian Curtis is most definitely apparent throughout ‘Poison...’ which is no bad thing. As debuts go it is a strong one. Fresh Records roster also featured UK Decay (see earlier) and The Dark whose track ‘The Mask’ is a favourite of many a Goth compilation.
The Sisters Of Mercy
Alice/Floorshow (Single)
(Merciful Release MR015 Released Nov 1982)
“She needs you like she needs her pills
To tell her that the world's okay”The first two Sisters singles were, although promising, poorly produced fairly ‘muddy’ affairs. ‘Alice’ however crystallised what would become the trademark Sisters sound for the next few years and, later on, proved to be the inspiration for a whole raft of copyists. The simple, spiny guitar line overlaying a driving bass line/drum machine rhythm in conjunction with Andrew Eldritch’s deep vocals proved irresistible to the average Goth. Andrew Eldritch has since distanced himself from the black-clad masses and always maintained that they only wore black as it saved them washing their clothes too often. But by then, of course, the ‘uniform’, however smelly, had already been established.
X-Mal Deutschland
Incubus Succubus/Zu Jung Zu Alt/Blut Ist Liebe (Single)
(Zick Zack ZZ110 Released 1982)
“Es tanzen die Narren,
ein Herz aus Eisen”If ever a foreign language was going to be ideal for a Goth band then German would be a good bet – harsh, clipped and ‘cold’. That the original Goths were Germanic tribes is just a happy coincidence. X-Mal Deutschland combined their unique, at least for the UK, lyrics with a sound that matched it beautifully – again, harsh, metallic and distant – and Anja Huwe’s voice, in typical ‘fifth instrument’ style, added to the atmospherics whilst overcoming any perceived obstacles to songs sung in German. A tour opening for The Cocteau Twins saw them well received and they, logically, signed to 4AD – a label noted for the originality and sheer ‘differentness’ of its bands.
Virgin Prunes
If I Die, I Die (LP)
(Rough Trade ROUGH49 Released 1982)
“What shall we do
If baby turns blue?”The Virgin Prunes originated from the same youthful Dublin gang – Lypton Village – that spawned U2, but don’t hold that against them. With a minimum of musical talent and an emphasis on live performance-art, they garnered a ‘theatrical’ reputation. In true Punk spirit they released early recordings on their own ‘Baby’ label and, over time, honed their raw talent into a creditable musical output, that translated to vinyl, without losing the live theatrical trappings. ‘If I Die, I Die’ is probably their most accessible work and contains tuneful guitar and drum based songs as well as some of the more, ahem, discordant noise they were capable of.
The fact that each of these bands have little, sonically, in common demonstrates just how wide ranging an umbrella term ‘Goth’ can be and also how inspirational a term it could be. Goth, in its formative years, was a melting pot of creativity into which various influences were thrown at random and the resulting bands were similarly diverse. More often than not it was the audience that was driving the convergence into a ‘scene’ and the audience that proved to be the uniting factor.
This fledgling scene, all of the records I have highlighted were released between 1979 and 1982, exploded in 1983 giving birth to clubs and dedicated club nights and even garnered music press and TV coverage. The bands above proved to be the catalyst for a further flurry of creativity, in much the same way as Punk had before it, with numerous Goth mainstays appearing from 83 onwards. But that’s a tale for another day - or dark, rainy night of course.
Highlander
Wednesday, 09 July 2008
My union doesn't half get on my tits sometimes.
