Since moving back here, I’ve noticed that many goths have come out of the woodwork, particularly since The Cure played a sellout show in Edinburgh a few weeks ago. But there are many goth/goth- adjacent artists that are often not revered so much. Here are some, and the reasons why.
Danielle Dax
A former member of arty oddballs Lemon Kittens, Dax had a few indie hits, like this psychedelic pop song from 1986, a satire on organised religion and child abuse that’s deceptively fun and funky sounding. She was a theatre kid, sang opera as a girl and now she’s a successful interior designer, still wild and beautiful. She was too much for the mainstream, too pop for some alternative types, and difficult to pigeonhole in the genre-driven eighties. Boo, I say.
Soft Cell
We all loved naughty SC, all sleaze, sadness and faded glamour, but sometimes they went deeper than mere synth pop, which was the label they were stuck with. ‘Martin’, their homage to the Romero horror film, kicked it up a notch. Almond’s voice was forever caught here between lascivious fascination, and sheer terror. A shame the video cuts off before the eerie samples at the end.(Underneath Danielle Dax, as it were.)
Anna Von Hausswolff
This woman is so goth she was once banned by the Catholic church. This song is like being massaged all over with stinging nettles. In a good way. She’s like the witchy offspring of Nico and Andrew Eldritch, were that possible. There’s some Swans in the DNA too… Always compelling, 💯 per cent goth.
Patrick Wolf
Another lone wolf yielding Magick. He’s been tied to the alt -folk scene but believe me, he’s goth, right down to his little pixie boots. He took his surname from Angela Carter’s ‘Company Of Wolves’ I believe, or perhaps ‘Wolf Alice’. Angelic voice, multi-instrumentalist, and he’s such an open and honest cutie. Speaking of wolves, this one’s named after Virginia Woolf, of course.
Miranda Sex Garden
This is forever a favourite of mine . Katharine Blake unleashes her Spoilt Victorian Child in a howl betwixt child tantrum and adult catharsis. ‘Suspiria’ is of course a horror film by Argento, recently remade, but MSG named their classic album after it.
Hit The North 