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“1976-1979: In the beginning was the word. And the word was
punk. Punk begets Siouxsie & The Banshees. Then post-punk begets The Cure
and Joy Division. And as the decade decays, Goth comes creeping into the
light.”- NME
Since its beginnings in 1976, the Gothic culture
has grown and changed significantly. When the scene was born, the music was
heavy, the lyrics dark and poetic, the sound atmospheric. The fashion,
black—tight pants, long coats, velvet, lace, along with torn fishnets and
tight mini skirts. It was a look inspired by the weeping widows of the
Victorian age, combined with the attitude and rebellion of punk.
In 30
years, the Goth aesthetic and the music has become as varied as the people
within the scene itself. I like to think of it as a tree- the roots and the
trunk being the Goth of the 70s, growing larger, branching out continuously in
different directions. While we are all of the same ilk, we branch out into
variations, whether it’s cyber, industrial, military, Lolita. The list
goes on.
My look incorporates a little bit of everything. But my heart
and soul is drawn to the 1800s- the rich and decadent era of velvet, lace and
high collars. And although I wasn’t born until 1977, I am in love with the
Goth bands that started it all, like Joy Division, Siouxsie, and Bauhaus.
I’ve recently come to realize that I am one in a small, dark pool. With
the various permutations Goth has seen over the decades, the truth of the
matter is that the originators, the old-school Goths, are a dying
breed.
At least that’s what I thought until March 10th 2006. The
Sisters of Mercy played the Koolhaus. One of my friends commented: “All
the old-school Goths came out of the woodwork for this
one.”
And he was right. Practically every dark denizen I knew
was at the show. And what really caught my eye was the number or corsets, frock
coats and long trailing skirts I saw. I hadn’t seen so many people dress
that way outside of a Fetish Night at Funhaus. There was enough 19th
century-inspired clothing to fill up Queen Victoria’s closet. It was
stunning. But it made me wonder, where were all these beautiful people before?
And why were they only emerging in their regal wares for the Sisters
concert?
Part of the answer is obvious. The Sisters of Mercy is one of
the first bands to form Goth’s musical landscape. Andrew Eldridge has been
dubbed one of the grandfathers of Goth. As such, the fan-base is older, or the
attendees are bigger fans of the scene’s early music, so they usually
dress the part. But why aren’t they venturing to Queen West?
None
of our clubs hold weekly old-school Goth nights. I can think of two in the last
four years that tanked after only a few months. Attendance was so dismal, the
club was like a tomb, and not in a fun way. One old-school night a month seems
to be the most our clubs can sustain. Savage Garden currently holds Dark Retro,
a fabulous night of dark delicacies. (Egad, does that night deliver us from
evil! Let’s hope it sticks around for a while.) Meanwhile, the Vatikan
hosts “Return to the Catacombs” every Sunday, an all-ages throw-back
to the good old days of Sanctuary.
For the most part, our clubs play a
variety of new and old music. And the crowd is just as mixed in terms of age
and fashion, though most people have shirked the velvet for PVC. There’s
nothing wrong with this. I’m merely pointing out the fact that the roots
of Goth aren’t seen or heard as much as it once was, seemingly overcome by
the shadows cast by the newer variations on the scene.
The old-school
Goths are still out there. They were out in full force at the Bauhaus and
Sisters concerts I attended. But that’s as far as they care to venture
nowadays. I’ve gotten several emails from readers lamenting the days of
yore, when the crowd favoured Sisters and Skinny Puppy over VNV Nation. Now
they’re feeling out of place because of the newer crowd and the music is
not what they once loved.
Maybe they’re also staying away from the
clubs because they don’t like the changes in the scene. Perhaps they hate
standing out in a sea of PVC and plastic dreads. Perhaps it’s the age gap.
Many, though not all, of the old-school Goths are older. Some have told me that
in addition to not enjoying the new music as much, they aren’t keen on the
younger members of our scene. Many recount some sort of tale of the supposedly
belligerent “holier than thou 18 year old” Goth. So aside from
attending the occasional club night and seeing the rare reunion concert, the
old-school Goths have decided to retreat. This is a shame. This takes away a
beauty and romance that the scene once held so dear.
The things that
make our scene so special are the differences within it. But the group that
started it all, the old-school crowd, is fading into the darkness, outnumbered
by the “modern” Goths. Here’s the conundrum: without the modern
evolution, we won’t have anything to propel our scene forward and keep it
growing. But can the scene grow and be inherently Gothic if the originals are-
ahem- dead?
I don’t know the answer. This remains to be seen.
posted May 24 2006
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Darq Angel has been living in
Toronto for 15 years. An avid reader, writer, club-goer, and music lover, she
has been a lurker in Toronto's gothic scene, floating around quietly, casting
her dark shadow over various clubs and events in the city. 