The Ice Queen of the Scene was the theme of last weekend, with my first chance ever to see her perform live on Friday, then on the following evening to discuss her iconic career as seen on the pages of Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth with author Cathi Unsworth. Back to back Banshee action beckoned!
Continue readingOn Saturday 8 July, please join me at the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle-upon-Tyne where I’ll be discussing “Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth” with author Cathi Unsworth!
Spawned by punk, bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division and The Cure were the architects of a new music that distilled the darkness of the times. Shaped by the politics of an era – from the Cold War, the Miners’ Strike, privatisation, The Troubles and AIDS – its gender fluid, outlaw imagery and innovative, atmospheric music spoke to a generation of alienated youth. By the time Thatcher left office in 1990, Goth had imprinted its will on the cultural landscape as deeply as the Iron Lady herself.
Written by a lifelong Goth, teenage music journalist, acclaimed crime writer and biographer of punk icon Jordan, Season of the Witch is a personal and social history of an enduring counterculture, one that steadfastly refuses to give up the ghost.
Cathi will talk about her book, answer questions from the audience, and then we’ll enjoy “The Company of Wolves” (1984), a fantastical gothic horror story directed by Neil Jordan and starring Sarah Patterson, based on a short story by acclaimed author Angela Carter.
It was described by Ebert as a “disturbing and stylish attempt to collect some of the nightmares that lie beneath the surface of “‘Little Red Riding Hood'”, and even has a cameo from the experimental musician Danielle Dax, familiar to many of us no doubt!
I’m exceptionally excited by this chance to discuss the history and heritage of this strange subculture that resonates so strongly with all of us, and I’ll be delighted to see many of you in the audience. See you then!
On World Goth Day 2023, I thought I’d tackle this thorniest of subcultural quandries. There’s a brief, tongue-in-cheek version on the site itself, but I wanted to expand further on my opinion of what defines Goth – especially now in the 21st century. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments and on social media!
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Firstly, my thanks to John Robb for kindly supplying me with an advance review copy of The Art of Darkness – A History of Goth, published today via Louder Than War. His enthusiasm for the subject has been infectious, with a great array of discussions throughout the media, which can only benefit this strange old subculture of ours. Robb’s history and experience within the alternative music scene at large should only be an advantage to any review of the history of goth.
This mammoth text is heralded by the bold claim “The Art of Darkness is the first major and only complete comprehensive overview of Goth music and culture and its lasting legacy.” This slightly tortured sentence is accurate in one sense, in that nobody else has committed more than 500 pages to attempting to cover every possible influence and aspect of the sprawling web of goth.
Continue readingI was in two minds about responding to The Guardian’s article of 20 February – “Goth’s undead! The dark return of Britain’s spookiest subculture”. For once, I wasn’t being told a B-list celebrity was ‘goth’ for wearing a darker shade of make-up. But the “dark return?” The question, “did it ever go away”? Time to set the record straight!
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The Blogging Goth 