Editor probably needed to take a few more passes as well as there's a few times where what's in the footnotes reappears in the text (and vice versa). To say nothing of some questionable language used towards trans/non-binary artists... Whether it was their DJs playing The Sisters Of Mercy, Siouxsie or The Cramps, giving people a space to dress up without fear, or giving bands their first gigs…there would be no movement without those places. We must continue to protect them,” he said, at a time when live venues are still under threat post COVID and amid the cost-of-living-crisis.

The Art Of Darkness: The History Of Goth by John Robb - Goodreads

Siouxsie and the Banshees were to create more shimmering Goth classics such as Spellbound, Happy House and Arabian Knights, keeping their pole position for many years. MyHome.ie (Opens in new window) • Top 1000 • The Gloss (Opens in new window) • Recruit Ireland (Opens in new window) • Irish Times Training (Opens in new window) Ok, I love this book; it covers a period of music I lived through and still listen to this very day. The style is very detailed and lyrical, covering the bands and the times. If you have any interest in the history of this music, this is the book to get.The group reformed in 2010 and have since made two highly idiosyncratic and acclaimed albums. ... more A real slog reading this, not very well-edited at all, lots of good info and history but not really collected into a readable whole. A real shame as there is a great book hidden in here. Lots of sloppy errors as well, ie Conny Plank didn't record at Hansa studios, Play Dead (who get one measly paragraph) are listed as producing 4 albums....... there's no mention of Cranes or Every New Dead Ghost (latter weren't that well known but probably more so than some that are included) little info on This is a glorious book, exploring Gothic from its historical roots to the cliches, caricatures and catcalling of the present age. The music, dance and fashion are sumptuously brought to life, but more than that, Robb manages to take us into the psyche, fantasies and imaginations of a plethora of fascinating Goths. The go-to book on all things Goth.' John Robb brilliantly illuminates the realmof imagination and dark beauty. Enter theother side of love. The kingdom of Goth iswithin you’ Johnny Marr Joy Division may not be everyone’s idea of a Goth band, but it can’t reasonably be denied that their take on Post Punk was hugely influential. As Robb puts it “ There would be few bands in the future Goth scene that did not take something from the Joy Division sound – whether it was those melancholic melodic bass lines, that baritone vocal style or the death disco motorik rhythms of the drums.”

The Art of Darkness by John Robb | Waterstones

Set on the wild, heather-tufted moors of West Yorkshire, Emily Brontë's tale of the obsessive passion between Cathy and Heathcliff is the literary equivalent of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart. A masterpiece of Gothic fiction. Shot in the Dark: The Collected Photography of David Arnoff (Red Planet Books) Another expert who spoke to Robb for his book was Johnny Marr. “He’s a musical encyclopaedia and a Bauhaus fan, so that helped a lot,” said Robb. To do this Robb initially takes a different band for each chapter and goes in depth into their history and their relevance to Goth. With this we get what feel like extended essays on the likes of Joy Division, The Birthday Party, Bauhaus, The Cramps, Sisters Of Mercy and more… John Robb is an inexhaustible fact-finding music sleuth, a sturdy writer and a trustworthy guide.’ Henry Rollins

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This really wasn't what I was expecting when I'd read the blurb that promised it to be 'the first major overview of goth music and culture'. While impressive and ambitious that that the book begins so far away in the fall of Rome (410AD!), it makes it lose its detail. Slowly it becomes a little indulgent, with Robb clearly focusing in on personal favourites and rather than going into things like the critical reception at the time and cultural impact. Adam Ant may seem a surprising inclusion to some, but the influence of early Adam and the Ants spread out to the likes of Southern Death Cult and the tribal rhythms of what was initially dubbed the Positive Punk scene and the Ants followers were to become equally influential, with their fanzines, their fashions and their fanatical devotion to following the band around on tour, as detailed in Johna Johnson’s books. He continued: “But no band wants to be trapped by the expectations of a scene. Goth was a retrospective term for something that was already happening. Now, it’s become a shorthand for something that’s darkly delicious and enticing in cultural terms, so we embrace it more now.” Bowie has a whole chapter dedicated to his influence on the genre. “Goth was a kind of dark glam and Bowie helped to create that: he was important in creating the theatre of it all,” said Robb. “His lyrics and music took us into darker places; he gave goth the imaginative space it needed to exist.” Goth is a much derided and devalued genre. It has changed much over the years, but it was, for a while, the dominant form of Post Punk music. It has depth, variety and longevity – much of which it is not generally credited with. Thank the dark lords then for John Robb’s latest book The Art of Darkness – The History of Goth.

The Art of Darkness: A History of Goth - The Wee Review The Art of Darkness: A History of Goth - The Wee Review

One of the most noticeable things that happen when reading the book is the appreciation of the differences between bands who fall under the Goth umbrella, to such an extent that we can imagine the debate about who is or isn’t Goth rumbling on for some time yet, as some of the bands mentioned below prove. Their journey could be said to encapsulate all aspects of what would become Goth, including a journey out of punk, a literate approach to their music, intense emotions and, ultimately, tragedy. Joy Division’s musical and literary influences are discussed, as is their approach to songwriting and recording with “ mad professor” Martin Hannett and, of course, their sad and untimely end. The Cure – Robert Smith, Clifford Leon Anderson, Paul ‘Porl’ Thompson And Lol Tolhurst, Covent Garden – 1984

John Robb has announced a book tour to go with his definitive new book about Goth Music and culture ‘The Art Of Darkness – the History Of Goth’ which is available from here. It’s a thought-provoking question that the author leaves open-ended. But like Schrödinger’s experimental cat, it is clear that Goth is currently both dead and very much alive. Tolhurst’s engaging historical memoir is the third of three books this year to examine Goth music and culture, following on from John Robb’s Art of Darkness: The History of Goth and Cathi Unsworth’s Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth (published in May). Marr also recalled the time he managed a goth clothes shop in Manchester, helping Robb to chart the rise of goths visual identity.