Infinitely More Goth Than Thou

Well it’s that time of year again, kiddies will be dressing up and begging at their neighbours’ doors, the pubs and clubs will be even more cobweb decked, and the annual pumpkin mutilation extravaganza will begin. Yes folks its Halloween once again but as you pop yet another ghost shaped chocolate into your mouth as you settle down to watch Saw 57 or Paranormal Activity 89 spare a thought for the poor long suffering who don’t just spook up for Halloween. I’m talking about non-other than that year round Halloween celebrator the Goth.

Now it is far too easy to poke fun at Goths, given the stereotypical pale face black eye make-up and bright lipstick along with the uniform black clothing. Usually seen lurking in the darkest corners of a club or gathered in small dark groups discussing long dead poets. I’m quite familiar with the stereotypes as I am Goth myself and find nothing wrong with bright lipstick, long black skirts and corsets and as for Edgar Allen Poe don’t get me started!

Let us not however confuse a true Goth with some of their more colourful sub categories such as cyber-goth, steam-punk-goth, and the most numerous the emo (formally known as mini-goth but this name quickly fell out of fashion). These sub-genre stereotypes are quite easy to spot and differ drastically from the classical Goth. Now what in blazes are these weird and wonderful creations spawned from the classical goth image I hear you cry, well I’ll tell you. The cyber-goth was one of the first sub-genre’s to emerge and is a more industrial take on the Goth ideal, fluorescent colours trousers with much more strapping on them than anyone knows what to do with and a perchance for bondage wear define the image of a cyber-goth. Think punk meets an industrial accident and then got wrapped in rubber and you’re not too far from the mark. A steam-punk-goth is pretty similar but they prefer a more Victorian industrial look leaning heavily towards brass jewellery and sepia tinted paraphernalia and lack their feistier cousins love of bondage wear. The emo however is quite another creature, usually teenagers with angst, the emo movement was once called ‘a revolution from the bedroom’. Bright hair colour and the occasional piercing are the trademark of the emo along with branded clothing such as hello kitty or Emily strange will be bedecked with pin badges of all sorts and can often be seen carrying a token skateboard (but never seen riding on it).

However it is quite wearisome when it is automatically assumed that the stereotypical look is all there is to being a Goth. (There’s the pouting too, can’t be a good Goth without a decent pout.) But there is so much more to it than that, behind the dramatic image and long suffering demeanour there is a wealth of wonderful music too. So as Halloween (otherwise known as International Goth Day) approaches let us take a moment to celebrate ten of the best known and loved great Gothic music makers.

10. I couldn’t complete this list without at least mentioning one emo band and I might as well mention the biggest emo band of them all, My Chemical Romance. This band have been rocking teenagers worlds since they blasted onto the scene in 2001. They have been bottled at festivals and even booed off stage in the UK but despite that they still continue to come over here to perform for their fans. With huge hits such as ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ and ‘Desolation Row’ they are the kings of emo and have a huge following of dedicated fans.

9. Within Temptation are a Dutch female fronted band that formed in 1996 and have been wowing crowd ever since. Sharon den Adel has one of the best vocal ranges in the industry and backed by heavy guitars and deep metal bass she really does capture the essence of modern goth metal and was the forerunner for the female fronted goth metal band. Their latest album The Unforgiving has been a roaring success and was based upon a comic book series by Steven O’ Connell who also wrote Bloodrayne. Hits include ‘Stand My Ground’, ‘Frozen’, ‘What Have You Done?’, and ‘Shot in the Dark’. They have won numerous awards and continue to go from strength to strength with every new release.

8. Goth isn’t all dark love songs though as shown by Goth metal band Cradle of Filth. Headed by Danny Filth and formed back in 1991 they have been screaming their way through albums and stage performances alike. Their stage shows are renowned for their erotic imagery and use of metal clad models complete with spark throwing axle grinders. Their lyrics are inspired by poetry, horror films and mythology as long as they are from the darkest aspects. Fans have even been threatened with arrest for wearing some of the bands tops one in particular which says ‘Jesus is a c**t’ and another which features a picture of a nun pleasuring herself.

7. From American we hop back across the Atlantic to Finland for our next band. Him (His Infernal Majesty) were formed in 1991 by vocalist Ville Valo in Helsinki. Specialising in lyrics heavy on the gothic romance angle backed up with rock instrumentals they have swooned many a dark hearted lady. Some of their best songs include ‘Killing Loneliness’, ‘Wings of a Butterfly’ and the energetic‘Buried Alive By Love’. The Dark Light album was their big breakthrough despite having released five albums previously. Their lyrics and on stage performances have won them a hardcore following of die-hard fans throughout the world.

6. Another American band that falls into the cyber-punk category is Korn. Yet again this band are not a traditionally Goth band but I’ve decided to include them mainly for lead singer Jonathan Davis’s work on ‘The Queen of The Damned’ film soundtrack which he performed in full at Download Festival in 2008 as well as taking the show on tour. Although he does not sing on the soundtrack itself due to his contractual obligations he did write and produce the finished article.

5. Now I’m sure that you’ve noticed that so far all the bands mentioned are from the UK but our next act is definitely not. Marilyn Manson is definitely all American and falls more into the cyber-goth category than the classical Goth. Formed originally in 1989 as Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids the band quickly made a name for themselves with their extreme stage performances, rock and roll lifestyle, and depraved antics. They have always courted controversy and have even had their shows picketed by outraged protesters. Labelled as obscene and shocking Marilyn Manson have assured their own place in the musical history books as they marked the move from traditional Goth into the mainstream of American culture. Hits include ‘Get Your Gunn’, ‘The Beautiful People’ and covers such as ‘Personal Jesus’ and ‘Tainted Love’.

4. Not all Goth bands are from the 70’s though, Placebo are another favourite of the scene. Formed in 1994 by lead singer Brian Molko and guitarist and bassist Stefan Olsdal they became one of the new faces of Goth with hits such as ‘Nancy Boy’, ‘Slackerbitch’, and probably their most famous song ‘Pure Morning’. They hailed a new era of Goth and recruited many more fans to the dark side. They have performed a number of times at festivals such as Reading / Leeds and Sonisphere, for their fans their performances are wonderful, for fans of Slayer they are an opportunity to yell ‘Slayer’ loudly at them. No, I don’t understand this either but it has become a time honoured tradition at almost every festival they play. They have of late been working on a new album which is rumoured to be released in 2013.

3. Formed in 1976 Siouxsie And the Banshees were one of the fore-runners for the Goth movement. Inspired by The Sex Pistols their first live gig consisted of an improvised twenty minute version of The Lord’s Prayer with two ‘borrowed’ musicians Marco Pirroni and John Simon Richie (better known as Sid Vicious). Originally they were classed as a punk band but as they developed their musical style they moved away from their punk roots and into the darker realm of Goth. They released eleven albums between their conception and the bands eventual demise in 1996. Some of their most popular songs include ‘Hong Kong Garden’,‘Spellbound’, and ‘Happy House’. During their 1979 tour Robert Smith from the Cure (who were supporting them) stepped up to fill the suddenly empty guitarist role. Experimentation was at the heart of all their music and without their daring I doubt we would have some of the bands we so love today. The band eventually went their separate ways in 1996 to follow new and interesting careers within the music industry.

2. Now I couldn’t do this feature without at least mentioning the cult Goth goddess Kate Bush with more hits and awards than she probably knows what to do with. Kate herself is not a Goth but she has been taken into our dark little hearts with as much glee as it’s possible to muster whilst still remaining a Goth. She shot to fame with ‘Wuthering Heights’ staying at the number one spot in the UK charts for four weeks in 1978. Her music has been copied by many bands from Placebo to The Futureheads and has black decked figures throwing ethereal shapes on the dance floor ever since to songs like ‘Running Up That Hill’,‘Hounds of Love’, and ‘Babooshka’. Some of this singer songwriters many accomplishments include becoming the first British solo artist to enter the charts at number one and she is, to date, the only female artist to have five top albums in the charts in five successive decades.

1. Perhaps the most famous Goth band of all time has to be The Cure. Formed back in 1976 by Robert Smith they have undergone several changes to their line-up with the current band consisting of Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Roger O’Donnell, Jason Cooper, and Reeves Gabriels. They have just completed yet another European tour playing in many festivals around the continent including Leeds /Reading in the UK, Rock in Rome, BBK Live festival in Spain, and many more. They first hit the Goth-dar in 1980 when their second album reached number 20 in the charts and their single ‘The Forest’ reached number 31 in the singles chart. It was the beginning of a beautiful romance between their fans and the band which continues to this day with thirteen albums released to date and are thought to have sold 27 million albums as of 2004 though Robert Smith himself is not fond of the Goth label the band has worn for several decades feeling that the band has more to offer than the label implies. Some of their best loved classic hits include ‘Love Cats’, ‘Friday I’m In Love’, and ‘Spiderman’.

So there you have it, ten of the biggest and best in gothic music ranging from the extreme and hardcore to the romantic and ethereal. There are more than just these ten that I have mentioned here, a whole plethora of talent just waiting for you to open your ears and hear them.

Despite the prickly image and dour demeanour you’ll find that if you scrape beneath the surface of that carefully applied white foundation most Goths are in fact just regular and usually quite nice people with a decent sense of humour. We have to be with most of the world poking fun at us! But as I say if you can’t laugh at yourself you really need to re-examine your priorities. So this Halloween why not go all out, take a walk on the dark side, and go Goth. Go on, try it, you might find that you like it! Happy Halloween everyone!