Teen Gothic

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"Because I feel it all fading and paling and I'm begging to drag you down with me, to kick the last nail in"

I am sixty-two years old now. Forty years ago, tonight, I would be dancing all night long in a goth club, no doubt about it. I grew up in an uneasy, violent home. I was the opposite of that. As a result, I felt like a spectator to life, I suppose. Always on the outside, looking-in at people who were alive in the normal sense.

"Take me out tonight Because I want to see people

And I want to see life Driving in your car Oh, please don't drop me home

Because it's not my home, it's their home And I'm welcome no more"

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How I started wearing a huge black jacket with a face hiding behind a shield of blue-black hair I can't really say. Somehow, I wound up in a goth club, astonished that I had people too.

"We're flying high

We're watching the world pass us by

Never want to come down

Never want to put my feet back down on the ground

I'm taking a ride with my best friend

I hope he never lets me down again

Promises me I'm as safe as houses"

Forty years ago tonight, I would be dancing all night long in a goth club, no doubt about it.

Left: Clan of Xymox – self titled – og 1985 Dutch pressing

Right: Joy Division – unknown pleasures – 1980 Italian pressing

I'd be curious if other countries face a similar decline in numbers on this front as Germany. Over the past one or two decades, many Goth Clubs have closed and respective events are exceeding rare – at least compared to how it used to be in the early 2000s. I've recently moved to Leipzig, which used to be the "Black Capital of Germany" and even here, there are some events every other week – which is still a lot more than in southern Germany, where I used to live before. And even in Leipzig, the last "pure" Goth Club, the "Darkflower", has closed for good in July, leaving only regular clubs with Goth themed nights.

I'm in my mid 30s now and still, whenever I visit some Goth Night in a Club, it feels like the average age drops when I enter the room. It seems like that these events are visited by the same people as 20 or 30 years ago. And outside of these events, in everyday environments, Goths seem to be as rare as black diamonds. (there never used to be "a lot" but you could encounter at least some every now and then)

So, how does it look on your country? Is there still an active Goth "community" or is it dying out as well?

Hi all, I will be seeing Twin Tribes next week and I am really excited! But I've never gone to a goth event before, so I am a little nervous. Is there anything I should know/ be prepared for? I don't want to seem out of place, I'm still fairly new to the scene.

Thanks! <3