Goth is a subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. Post-punk artists who anticipated the gothic rock genre and helped develop and shape the subculture include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, the Cure and Joy Division.
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster in the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
Gothic rock is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, and The Cure.
Deathrock is a rock music subgenre that merges punk rock and post-punk with gothic and glam rock visuals and elements of horror film scores. Often overlapping with, and sometimes considered a subgenre of, gothic rock, the genre was pioneered by bands from the early 1980s Los Angeles punk scene, including Christian Death, Kommunity FK, 45 Grave and the Super Heroines. By the middle of the decade, the genre had begun to interact with the United Kingdom's gothic rock scene, leading to the formation of English deathrock bands like Rudimentary Peni, Sex Gang Children and Alien Sex Fiend. However, soon after the genre declined in popularity, and its name largely fell out of use. In the late 1990s, a revival of the genre began, in which groups like Bloody Dead and Sexy, the Phantom Limbs and Tragic Black expanded the scope of the genre to include elements of psychobilly, electronic body music and futurepop.
Gothic fashion is a clothing style worn by members of the goth subculture. A dark, sometimes morbid, fashion and style of dress, typical gothic fashion includes black dyed hair and black clothes. Both male and female goths can wear dark eyeliner, dark nail polish and lipstick, and dramatic makeup. Styles are often borrowed from the Elizabethans and Victorians. BDSM imagery and paraphernalia are also common. Gothic fashion is sometimes confused with heavy metal fashion and emo fashion.
The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in Soho, London, England, opened in 1979 by Don Ward and Peter Rosengard.
Alien Sex Fiend are an English gothic rock band, formed in London in 1982. The current lineup of the band consists of Nik Fiend and Mrs Fiend. Five of the group's albums and 12 of their singles reached top 20 positions in the UK indie charts in the period up to 1987.
Specimen are a British band founded in the 1980s. Their music has been described as spanning many different genres of music, including glam, goth, punk and post-punk, and the band is widely credited as one of the pioneers of the goth subculture, both musically and stylistically.
Oliver John Wisdom was a British musician, and clothing producer, who lived in London. From the 1990s he recorded under the name Space Tribe.
Dark cabaret is a musical genre that draws on the aesthetics of burlesque, vaudeville and Weimar-era cabaret, with live performances that borrow from the stylings of goth and punk.
Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label that has the sub-labels Hypnotic Records, Goldenlane, Stardust, Purple Pyramid, Deadline and X-Ray Records.
Dean Street is a street in Soho, central London, running from Oxford Street south to Shaftesbury Avenue. It crosses Old Compton Street and is linked to Frith Street by Bateman Street.
The Toronto goth scene, the cultural locus of the goth subculture in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the associated music and fashion scene, has distinct origins from goth scenes of other goth subcultural centres, such as the UK or Germany. Originally known as the "Batcavers", the term "goth" appeared only after 1988, when it was applied to the pre-existent subculture. Distinctive features included internationally recognized gothic and vampiric fashion store 'Siren', a goth-industrial bar named 'Sanctuary: The Vampire Sex Bar', and Forever Knight, a television series about an 800-year-old vampire living in Toronto. In Toronto, the goths did not seek to reject mainstream status, and achieved partial acceptance throughout the mid to late 1990s.
Meard Street is a street in Soho, London. It runs roughly east–west, between Wardour Street to the west and Dean Street to the east. It is in two sections, with a slight bend in the middle: the west half is pedestrianised, while the east half is a narrow, single-lane road.
Natasha Scharf is an author, disc jockey, presenter and journalist best known for her work publicising gothic, rock, metal and progressive metal music and subcultures. Since 2019, she has been the Deputy Editor of Prog.
The GargoyleClub was a private club on the upper floors of 69 Dean Street, Soho, London, at the corner with Meard Street. It was founded on 16 January 1925 by the aristocratic socialite David Tennant, son of the First Baron Glenconner. David was the brother of Stephen Tennant who was a prominent member of the social set called "Bright Young People" and of Edward Tennant, the poet who was killed in action in World War I.
The F Club was a punk rock, post-punk and new wave club night in Leeds that ran between 1977 and 1982. The venue hosted early performances by local bands including the Sisters of Mercy, Soft Cell, Gang of Four and New Model Army, as well as touring acts Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division and the Cure. It largely established the post-punk scene of Leeds, and was foundational to the beginning and popularisation of gothic rock and the goth subculture. Beginning as the Stars of Today in a common room in Leeds Polytechnic in the summer of 1977, it was held at various venues across the city during its tenure, which also included the Ace of Clubs and Roots. After moving to Brannigan's in 1978, it changed its name to the Fan Club.
Le Phonographique was a gothic nightclub located underneath the Merrion Centre in Leeds. Founded under the name the WigWam club, the venue's 1979 rebranding led to it becoming a location frequented by members of both the local post-punk and New Romantic scenes. Here, the two scenes collided and created the earliest phase of the goth subculture, becoming the first goth club in the world. Playing gothic rock and dark wave music, the club hosted DJs including Marc Almond and Anni Hogan, as well performances by bands including the Clash. The club experienced various owners during its runtime, having its name changed to Rio's between 1994 and 1995, and being known as Bar Phono from 1998 until its 2005 closure.
