Teen Gothic

NONE OF WHAT FOLLOWS IS INTENDED AS A COMPLAINT OR CRITICISM. I know some people will probably be a little sensitive about this stuff, so I think it's worth stating that from the outset. I don't think The Sisters of Mercy have to work harder or be better. I don't think they owe us anything. If Eldritch & Company are happy, that's good enough for me. I'm largely just curious about why they operate the way they do. I don't read interviews or articles about the band, so I'm not sure if any of this has ever been addressed.

That said, I went to the Boston and NYC shows last month, and I got into a discussion about the band with a friend who picked me up from the airport. He owned and enjoyed Floodland, but knew little else about The Sisters. For the life of me I couldn't really explain certain decisions they've made over the years, namely stuff like:

They have not released a studio album in almost 30 years. Clearly they've been writing new material all this time, and performing it live. Why aren't there studio tracks? Eldritch seemed pretty fed up with record labels in the 90's, so that was understandable at the time. But we now live in an era of self-published music. Surely they could record stuff and sell it digitally, or sell self-pressed CDs at live shows. I would love to hear what their new stuff sounds like with proper production. I think in interviews Eldritch has made excuses about the cost of making new recordings, but certainly far less notable acts have managed to release music despite the cost.

They have virtually no presence on the internet. There is no official account for the band on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. The Sisters' official web page was pretty clearly designed in 1999, and hasn't been significantly updated since. Visiting their site is like stepping into a time machine, in a pleasant way. I kind of like how weirdly sterile and threadbare it is. Their merchandise page only accepts payment in UK pounds sterling, which is going to inherently limit the number of people buying merch. I don't want or expect them to be crazed capitalists, but it'd be nice if I could buy stuff without jumping through hoops.

They stopped touring in America for 15 years. The Sisters used to swing through North America every 2-3 years in the 2000's. I went to a few shows at the House of Blues Orlando during this time, and admittedly each one had diminishing returns in terms of crowd size. The first show I went to was crazy-packed, and the last one had a pretty sparse crowd. Maybe they thought a hiatus was necessary, and that their American audience was dwindling? Maybe they just run a lean-and-mean operation, and doing the Europe/Latin America festival scene was easier or more profitable? The 2023 American tour seems to have gone pretty well, so I hope they will come back soon.

The "new" logo. Why was the fairly beloved old Merciful Release logo replaced with the weird alien design? Aliens were in vogue in the 90's so I kinda get it, but we're 20 years on now and the "new" design feels much more dated and passe than the old one. Why do they insist on the newer logo when the old one is much more beloved and recognizable?

Is there any rhyme or reason to all this? Or should I just chalk it up as "Andrew Eldritch is a weirdo with strong convictions we'll never understand"?

I have two extra tickets to see The Cure tonight in Mansfield. My friends cannot make it and I refuse to let these go to waste. Anyone in the area? Show is at 7.

I recently got interested into goth, and I'm trying to make things clear to myself.

I kind of know what is considered goth music (post punk, gothic rock, dark wave, cold wave, ethereal wave, grey rock, etc…). I also know that gothic metal is not goth.

But I am wondering if goth as a subculture is just about goth music, or it encompasses kind of broader lifestyle and worldview that would encompass things like appreciating other kinds of alternative music like metal, industrial music, art rock, indy, then of course gothic literature, horror movies, or dark romantic psychological thrillers, like film noir and stuff like that like Mulholland drive for example, or stuff like Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker, or Kubrick's Clockwork Orange.

Is it also open to stuff like classical literature, like Dostoevsky's "Notes from Underground", existentialist literature like Jean Paul Sartre, absurdist stuff like Beckett's Waiting for Godot, stuff like Steppenwolf, or BDSM classics like Venus in Furs etc. Some forms of classical music like Wagner's operas, Beethoven's Late string quartets or "Grosse Fuge", stuff like Richard Strauss Also Sprach Zaratustra, Carmina Burana, etc. Or even Bach's "Toccata and Fugue".

I guess the answer I'll get is "You're welcome to appreciate all that stuff but it's not required to be a goth, nor is it a part of the subculture".

But I'm still kind of wondering… Limits of goth genre are well known to me. But I've always considered subculture to be more like a lifestyle kind of thing, certain attitude to life, certain sensibility. I mean if the this elusive thing that makes goth goth is important enough for goths to influence their fashion and style, wouldn't it then be be surprising if there was no broader effects on attitudes to life, lifestyle, and artistic / aesthetic tastes?

Is any of the things I listed close enough / adjacent enough to goth to be considered a part of it (even if it's kind of on periphery and not in the very core of the subculture).

Is there anything else goths have in common frequently enough to be considered a part of subculture (even in "sort of" kind of way) besides goth music, and a certain fashion style?

Is goth subculture broader than goth as a music genre?

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What happened this week that made you happy?

Maybe you found a great new album or just an album you hadn't heard about before? Maybe you found a new cuddly kitten that now is a part of your family?

Share it with us!

That's right, it is that time of the week again. When all the moody goths can get things off their chests and complain about life being unfair. Because life is unfair always and especially to you. We all have our own demons to battle (or kiss – you do you) and all our demons seem worse than everyone else's because everyone is me, me, me as we are all single entities in this big bad place we call the universe. But you didn't come here for a philosophical lecture – and a bad one at that. No, you are here to gripe, complain and tell stories about negative stuff that happened for catharsis and entertainment.

Or you can complain about a joke being made by me IRL on people who ironically are people who are complained about in this weekly thread by someone nearly every week because they did something to misrepresent goth. And the people in question I joked with IRL got the joke better than so many people in here did. But I don't blame you, you saw a chance to tear me down and went for it. Not the first time people have tried and won't be the last.

Enough about me, let's hear from you.

Hey what’s up everyone, Philadelphia’s Academy Order are doing an East Coast tour in July (full dates announced soon) and playing this mixed bill gig at the goth club QXT’s in Newark. This line up is right at the center of hardcore/punk and goth, I hope to see you all there 🖤🦇🦇

I'm gonna be honest, I was dumb enough to doubt the performance quality of the band based on other people's experiences that I read on the Internet. Yesterday I had the opportunity to see the band here in Santiago and it was honestly amazing, the venue was really small so we were really close to them, the band was awesome, Andrew had some interactions with the audience, the sound was good (yes, Andrew's mic volume is a little low but you can still hear his voice and he really put up a good show for us). It was a really good concert overall and I'm glad I had the opportunity to go, so if you're doubting if seeing them live is worth it or not, I would recommend you do. (Sorry if my english is not that good, it's not my first language)

One thing I generally notice is that people tend to over look the hidden gems of goth music coming from Latin America. I found out about this band from Chile not that long ago. They are definitely worth a try. Here is the link: Vacvvm (the band name)

If you have any other cool underground band suggestions from Latin America, please share them! I am always open to new music.

White foundation would definitely be a start but if anyone has any tips would massively appreciate