The goth phase

My brief flirtation with goth was pretty much over by the time the 90s were upon us. I was what you might call a ‘closet goth’; I liked the scene, the music, the people and the fashion (or should that be anti-fashion?), but I rarely showed any outward signs of it other than wearing the mid-length black overcoat I bought from the local Army surplus shop.

I was kind of aware of goth by the time I was attending college (1987-88), with Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Cure the two bands that I had come into contact with. I didn’t necessarily know they were goth bands though, and there is an argument that both were far too eclectic to be labelled as such. The first ‘proper’ goth record I remember was the Sisters of Mercy’s epic This Corrosion, an absolute beast of a track. The 12” version weighed in at 9 minutes (the full-length album version was even longer) and boasted a choral section, deep growly vocals and trademark 80s goth production (which sadly makes it sound rather dated today). It’s only surpassed in the Sisters’ canon by Temple of Love, another monster which was always guaranteed to fill the floor with black at college dances. Every goth in sight would leap into the air as soon as the first chorus kicked in!

One of my college mates had a secret crush on a girl called Stella, who clearly modelled herself on Patricia Morrison of the Sisters of Mercy. Stella was your textbook goth – long black hair, plenty of dark make-up, long black dress, etc. The one thing that went against her was that she bought her clothes new, not from second-hand shops. This faux pas led to her being unfortunately tagged as ‘the plastic goth’.

I have to admit to having a soft spot for goth girls, always have. This is probably one of the reasons I became such a fan of All About Eve. Fronted by the divine Julianne Regan, All About Eve were kind of ‘goth-lite’, more a folk band with goth leanings. I bought the 12” of Wild Hearted Woman on a hunch from Woolworths in Bideford for 99p and was enchanted[1]. Julianne had the voice of an angel, and it was a really good song to boot. I ended up seeing them live twice, buying all their future releases as soon as they came out, and even paying obscene amounts of money for their very rare early singles from various second-hand shops.

I also saw the Mission and bought records by the Rose of Avalanche, the Cure and Joy Division. But that was about it in terms of my goth phase, such as it was. I never ventured into Fields of the Nephilim or Bauhaus territory, or stuck around long enough to embrace the next wave of goth, the significantly heavier and more aggressive tones of Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails. I never wore make-up or used patchouli oil. Neither have I ever read Anne Rice’s ‘Vampire Chronicles’, nor become an ardent aficionado of gothic horror movies.

I do, however, count myself as a huge fan of Nick Cave, and I also love Dead Can Dance and Killing Joke. I’ve read and enjoyed Edgar Allan Poe stories and poems and often wear black. Oh, and I’ve seen Beetlejuice several times. Does that count?

Soundtrack:

• This Corrosion – The Sisters of Mercy (from ‘Floodland’)
• Wild Hearted Woman [12" version] – All About Eve (original from ‘All About Eve’)

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[1] When I heard the album version of Wild Hearted Woman I was disappointed. I always felt (and still do) that the 12" version was so much better.