You can read a fantastic history of black lipstick here, that addresses its origins from Pharaoh’s Egypt through Maori culture and Hollywood’s genesis, to the early Punk and Goth scenes where it gained a foothold as a staple of appearance for alternative culture. Kudos to Broadly, a woman-focused division of the sprawling VICE media empire for an interesting and informative article.
What really chimed with me, and inspired this article, was writer Arabelle Sicardi’s closing statements on the appropriation of alternative fashion by the mainstream, repurposing it to serve as some bizarre ‘rebellious’ look.
“That’s the thing with alternative identities: they get adopted and made into something entirely different. Culture eats culture and spits it back out, an undying monster.”
A monster indeed; it allowed me to finally addressing the rising black-tinged tide of news about the Kardashians and their ‘Goth look’ that has been seeping into my inbox. The sentiment, the ideal goal, has always been not to judge people on their appearance, considering how many times such assumptions are inflicted upon us.
However, it is hard to see the ‘socialite’ Kardashian family as doing anything more than holidaying in another culture. Such things occur of course, and we’ve stopped reporting on how – as the seasons turn colder again – fashion ransacks our wardrobes and repurposes all our unfashionable clothes as suddenly haute couture.
It’s that this suddenly renders our look and lifestyle somehow acceptable to trash media, consumed by people who normally hurl insults and even violence at us in the street for the way we look. The irony and insincerity is palpable and offensive.
So, thanks for the informative article, Broadly. And thanks for ending on a corny, dismissive note. Don’t forget, we seem to be the source of new ideas for when mainstream fashion has finished eating its own tail, again and again and again.
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Several articles, interviews and videos have recently appeared around PRAYERS, a duo in San Diego that fuse the diametrically opposed sounds of early Goth and cholo gang culture.
Singer Leafar Seyer cites influences like Joy Division, has handpainted images of David Bowie and Aleister Crowley on the wall, and wears black nail-varnish and customised leather biker jackets.
He’s also fiercely proud of his heritage and his continuing membership in the Sherman Grant Hill Park 27 gang, his entire body tattooed with blood and gang ties. Watch their latest release, an incongruous cover of the Pet Shop Boy’s ‘West End Girls’ and see how proud and aggressive gang culture is mingling with the brooding melancholia of alternative music. This is Cholo Goth.
It’s a mashup even more difficult for the UK Goth community to envisage. Britain simply doesn’t have gang culture on the same level as the US, and what examples we do have are fiercely isolated from even mainstream culture, let alone any of the alternative groups.
Seyer cites legendary LA deathrockers Christian Death as another major influence, one which is visible throughout his work. This is a prime example of how US alternative culture has headed in a similar but notably different direction to the UK.
Whilst we had bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division and UK Decay arise from the ashes of Punk, America conjured up Deathrock, with bands like The Flesh Eaters, Gun Club and Rozz Williams’s Christian Death.
They created music tinged with horror, dark pop culture and religious influences that owed more to American Southwest voodoo than central European reformation Christianity. Their nearest UK equivalents were the original Batcave bands like Specimen and Alien Sex Fiend, embracing tongue-in-cheek horror-movie schlock rather than the ponderous, dirge-like rock of British second-wave Goth bands like The Sisters of Mercy.
Generations of subsequent bands in England would be influenced by Eldritch, but it’s clear that Rozz Williams is one of the guiding lights to PRAYERS music. Once again, America is taking Goth music in a startling new direction – embracing much of the established aesthetics but also encompassing new aspects like the tight-knit, familial bonds of gang and chicano culture.
Personal preference will count for much, but should they continue to ascend and build popularity, PRAYERS – handpicked by Ian Astbury to open for The Cult last year – could signal a major shift for American Goth culture.
All images taken from the PRAYERS facebook page, with thanks.
A few news organisations have run with the story that Belfast City Hall will reopen its doors, permitting the public to tour parts of the building on a weekend, after a ten year ‘blockade’ enforced by Goths.
Well possibly. In reality, nobody can remember exactly why the decision was made a decade ago, but the Councillor who has reversed the decision dredged up this gem;
“They [the goths] apparently behaved in a unruly fashion one day and thereafter the front door was closed…”
“I was told that they’d invaded and some had come in on skateboards, which may or may not be the case because I’m told skateboarders and goths don’t really mix.”
Well, quite. Unfortunately this scenario does seem likely; many city centres have a location where the disparate alternative tribes congregate – in my experience, it was the Corn Exchange in Leeds and Queens Gardens in Kingston-upon-Hull.
Bored teenagers with nothing better to do might well wander into a public building and, being teenagers, cause havoc. This is universal regardless of subcultural affiliation! Friends of The Blogging Goth living in Belfast have expressed surprise at the news however, as they were under the impression there were only four Goths in the whole city, and none of them bothered hanging around City Hall anymore.
Nevertheless, it’s a prompt return after last year’s performances at Sonisphere, Scotland and Ireland when The Blogging Goth caught them in the unfamiliar surroundings of Dublin (the last Sisters gig was in ’97).
We’ll be finding something equally bright and loud for the spiritual homecoming gig in Leeds, and maybe other dates if money / transport / accommodation / inclination permits. See you there?
Goths have been holding out for the fabled ‘darker than black’ for their wardrobes since the first fishnets. Last year, we were all impressed with the research that yielded ‘Vantablack’ (which would also make a great band name), a material that broke records by absorbing all but 0.0035% of visual light.
Unfortunately scientists clearly have no sense of priority, and instead of a brand new range of ultimate aviator sunglasses for the upcoming Sisters tour, the latest development in nano-engineered ultra-black coating is a revolution in collecting solar energy!
One place the sun won’t be a problem is the North Yorkshire town of Whitby, at Halloween. This auspicious date will mark the second Whitby Goth Weekend of 2015, a more sedate affair after April’s four-day multi-band bonanza.
The line-up has been confirmed, with headline acts provided by firm fan favourites Spear of Destiny, and the surprise appearance of Altered Images. This Scottish-based band had an originally post-punk sound, supported Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1980 and had a debut album produced by Steve Severin in ’81.
Thereafter, however, they took a more mainstream and pop approach with some minor chart success before breaking up in ’83. Lead singer Claire Grogan has since performed several times since, and their headline appearance at WGW continues a theme set by bands like Heaven 17 and Toyah; a broader net that encompasses artists active during the Eighties who have some affiliation to the alternative scene.
Both those preceding artists pulled large, enthusiastic crowds so for door tickets alone, it’s understandable why the organizers are fielding bands like this, but it’s dividing fans on the WGW page – not that it’s exactly difficult to upset people online, or Goths, or both!
Will you be going to Whitby in October, and how do you feel about the lineup? Watch the latest trailer to help make up your mind!
Talking of Goth musicians, beloved Eighties synth superstar Marc Almond tweeted an intriguing image from the premier of Sky’s Hannibal season three. As many have observed, it’s the first time in a long time old colleagues Siouxsie Sioux and Steve Severin have been seen in public together.
Many more were speculating wildly and hopefully about any potential collaboration between Almond and Sioux, but the Softcell and Banshees singers wouldn’t be drawn! We can but hope!
Trudy Moorhouse, who has not commented on the matter, has had to adopt the requirements after eight years with her employer with no issue. The Co-Operative Food Group issued a statement saying,
“There is a clear policy in place regarding dress code and how colleagues present themselves in our food stores. An amicable arrangement has been put in place at the store with Trudy.”
You can engage in the discussion with others, and visit the petition set up by a friend and customer to have the Co-operative reverse its decision, on our Facebook page.
Tell us if you’ve had to adjust your appearance to meet your employer’s requirements, or if you’d prefer staff to adhere to a workplace dress code.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr and submit any content or stories you think we’d find interesting!
It’s quite bright here in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where The Blogging Goth is keeping an eye on Facebook and Twitter and watching as the Goth community comes together to celebrate – even more than on Halloween!
So far, only persistently poor paper The Metro has managed to churn out some fairly inaccurate guff about Goth – hardly surprising, as this free rag is part of the hated Daily Mail publishing group!
“But not as you know it!” – Like, accurate? Entertaining?
Still, Goths online have been keeping the celebrations going; Twitter in particular has been exceptionally lively, with the sharing of events, memes, jokes and – for the Shopping Goth – special offers! You can see an exhaustive roundup on the official World Goth Day website.
Today also we’re celebrating the birthday of a couple of pretty iconic people as well! There’s sullen, pouting Fairuza Balk – famous for playing sullen, psychotic Nancy in 1996’s “The Craft” and revitalizing the Goth look towards the end of the Millenium – and be-quiffed flower-thrower and rent-a-rant indie maestro Morrissey, who – like The Sisters of Mercy – influenced and counts many Goths as fans, but otherwise has nothing to do with the subculture at all. Many unhappy returns to them both!
Finally, you can read a chat with the man whose fault it all is, DJ Cruel Britannia, in this fantastic little interview. He comes across as just the wry, sarcastic bloke he is in the real world, and – I hope – adroitly punctures a lot of the misconceptions and outright lies people believe about Goths.
It’s almost the end, anyway – because as we all know, when night falls, Goths really come out to play! Do so – get out there, hit up your local club or catch a gig or just get down the pub and see what’s on the jukebox. Confounding all stereotypes, Goth is more than just sitting in your room listening to the same records over and over.
OK, a lot of it is that but at the same time, the whole culture benefits from people getting out there, supporting the efforts made to bring new blood into the scene.
Don’t let it die on us – keep Goth shambling ever forward!
However, it is hard to see the ‘socialite’ Kardashian family as doing anything more than holidaying in another culture. Such things occur of course, and we’ve stopped reporting on how – as the seasons turn colder again – fashion ransacks our wardrobes and repurposes all our unfashionable clothes as suddenly haute couture.
The Blogging Goth 