80s "goth"/ punk/ alternative

[KooKooKachu]

I was just wondering if any MNers were on the goth scene in the 80s? What did you call yourselves? Some groups called themselves goths, some called themselves psychobillies, a lot didnt attach a label to themselves.

I've been watching documentaries on youtube about The Batcave in London and I thought it looked ace. They had bands like The Cure and Bauhaus play there.

I was only born in 86, but I was on the rock/metal/goth scene of the early - mid noughties.

I wonder how much has changed since the 80s. I still listen to a lot of the music but my music tastes have definitely diversified. I wear a very average boring dress code now.

So, if any of you were on the trad goth scene of 80s what was it like and what were the clubs like? Did your appearance get met with 'disapproval' from people or did no one really bat an eye lid?

@everythingbackbutyou - thats it! I think I must have bought my first Barry M makeup in there too, but my favourite buy was a very long black (natch) skirt with a high elasticated waist which did up with hooks and eyes so it looked a bit corsety. To my 16 year old self it was the best thing ever

I was. Psychobillies were v different to goths.
I was v much on the scene and at all the main Goth nights in London clubs such as the KitKat club, Electric Ballroom and Slimelight. Sometimes I went to Nottingham to Rock City. Mostly I had v long black hair extensions, other times long bright coloured hair. Always in black and mostly wore patent DMs.
I saw a lot of bands - Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Alien Sex Fiend, Nick Cave, The Damned etc and lesser known ones.
I don't do it now. Still like the music but I like other music too. Still like wearing black but no one would describe me as goth now. It was a big part of my life for 20 years or so though. Some friends from that time still go to clubs and gigs but I've moved on since I got older and had children (with a non-goth husband).
Really really fun times though that I look back on fondly.

I think a lot of it depends on where you live tbh. I see loads of goths/metal heads in my area (has been mentioned up thread- Rock City)

There's a fair amount of metal/alternative bars/pubs and lots of live music which helps.

Loads of cute little baby goths on the market square too 🖤

Awww I miss all of this stuff! I am an 80s baby so I was early-mid 2000s alternative. Mostly Goth tbh. Still look a lot that way. I used to go to the Krazyhouse and so on in Liverpool. Where I went to uni there was a monthly goth night and a surprisingly large alt-scene which was really nice when you come from scally trackie land!

I was sort of gothish in the 80s - slid into it from being a New Romantic - just the clothes got blacker and blacker :) Bands I loved were The Sisters of Mercy, The Danse Society, The Cure, The Mission, Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Damned etc. etc. Fun times, in a strictly non-smiling sort of way :)

Waves to @magicstar1
I was a rockabilly/ psychobilly back in the day, Night of the long knives and Club foot were my go to clubs - all be it I lived up north so Club Foot was irregular, I also loved Northern Soul and Wigan. Clothes were vintage bowling shirts, jeans and docs with a big quiff, red lippy and black eyeliner. Sadly I've
now mainly succumbed to corporate life, but I still managed to make a nod to the look from time to time

I never called myself a Goth but was generally alternative in a variety of ways from the late 80s on and had a lot of Goth friends. I used to go to Banshee in Manchester which was amazing - the Goths were all about 8 foot tall with the heels and hair and did a funny little dance we called The Goth Trot.

Banshee moved from it's original home (now a Wetherspoons I think) and I spent a new year's eve there in it's new location near Piccadilly Gardens in the early 90s. In typically dour fashion, midnight was not acknowledged or counted down to, the dj just quietly slipped 'New Year's Day' by U2 on at midnight

afaik, 'crusties' were more akin to new age travellers. Greasers were into heavy metal. I flitted between all of them.

A lot of people of our era seem to have quietly slipped into Steampunk these days.

Aww the Goth Trot sounds cute. Probably not supposed to but it does!

Well my kids have just gone to the dads for the night so I'm gonna make me a decent playlist to listen to.

@KooKooKachu

Aww the Goth Trot sounds cute. Probably not supposed to but it does!

I think it was the outlandish shoes - no-one could move very far in them!

Get thee to Whitby Goth weekend, OP 🦇. Lovely vibe, and probably one of the most peaceful and tolerant sub-cultures around.

I was more of a half-arsed New Romantic, with eyeliner that stopped just short of my ears, jumble sale threads and glitter in my hair!

@Craftycorvid

Get thee to Whitby Goth weekend, OP 🦇. Lovely vibe, and probably one of the most peaceful and tolerant sub-cultures around.

I was more of a half-arsed New Romantic, with eyeliner that stopped just short of my ears, jumble sale threads and glitter in my hair!

I'll look into this when covid is over. Whitby is a lovely place. Could make a whole weekend of it.

The Banshee! I'd forgotten about that. My sibling was at uni in Manchester so we'd go when I visited!

I was a DJ in the nineties and early noughties, I played a lot of EBM, darkwave, trad stuff and some of the indie cross over. Oh, and industrial.

Slimes sucks these days, most of the scene has moved north - Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds. There are small pockets of scene dotted around but not like the old days - who here was a member of CovGoth, MancGoff, SoGoth, London Goth Sluts, London Goth Slugs, Brumgoth..... Etc

I'm not "a goth" these days, I'm proud to proclaim my love of bands from outside the scene, but I still look alternative and most of my friends and associates are alternative in some way.

@Thebearsbunny and @Ghostlyglow Me and my boyfriend at the time used to go to phonographique in the mid 80s. Recall there was a little door and you went downstairs ? Leeds/bradford had a massive goth scene. Saw sisters of mercy, fields of nephilim, cult, mission at queens hall and a big venue in leeds. In fact one of the mission was in the year above me at secondary school, can't remember him though.
Re crusties, remember them in leeds too, quite a few wore these clogs and dreds, round town. Loads around when new model army played a free gig in leeds around the time of the poll tax riots...

@Katharinablum yeah saw all those bands in the eighties, and at Bradford St George hall too. I used to catch the night rider bus from outside the Merrion centre at 2:15 am to get home after Saturday night at The Phono. It all feels like about a million years ago! Good Times, though

We saw the jesus and mary chain at st georges hall, got the bus home back to leeds, only passengers on and the driver got pulled over by the police Yes definitely good times !

Not really goth, but loved the Cramps etc. Dh was an ex punk. Did go through the giant hair phase (huge cans of elnet in the handbag) and always loved the psycho billy section of the evening when they all got up to do their dance of shrugging their shoulders and twitching (you had to be there) I was more the androgynous Annie Lennox style, suits and ties with leather gloves and slicked back hair. I do like to freak the kids at school out showing them a picture of me in my 501s and greased doc Martin shoes with an inch of white blonde hair especially as they think they invented the “androgynous” look.

Fab memories shared. Needs a revival ASAP.

I was a 17 year old art student in 89. I never considered myself a goth at the time but plenty of people described me as such, and DH often refers to me looking goth now. But I didn't like the trad goth look at all. Always been a bit alternative looking, but it was more vintage 50s and 60s dresses which I always shortened, Dms, sloopy old mens wool cardigans, tatty tights, big hair, lots of bangles, and I always wore a velvet choker.

Still looking alternative and still listening to the cure, Jesus and the Mary Chain, The cult, Susie....but I've always been more into punk. Still wearing vintage black clothing, love the victorian gothic look if i can be bothered to make an effort, if not its skinny black jeans, still wedded to my DMs, still wearing mad hair. Still listening to the same music. Embarrassing to say, but my eldest DS said "mummy I bet you looked like that at my age" Thankfully the kids have all turned out to like the music and also dress in their own individual and alternative style.

Goth ish I suppose in the late 80s in Glasgow. Was a great scene though. Fields of the Nephilim also my best goth gig at Rooftops. The band emerged out the mist snarled for a couple of hours then disappeared back from whenst they came like wraiths. Never said one word to the audience - who were dressed magnificently. Saw The Cult more times than I can remember. Still see a few baby goths around but my teenage kids say they are called Emo now

My nephew referred to Panic at the disco as goth the other day. I was a bit

@Wishingforanotherlife I saw fields of nephilim in the late 80s in bradford and remember them emerging from loads of dry ice looking like something out of a clint eastwood spaghetti western we saw them in the pub before the gig, literally sitting opposite us, I didn't recognise them at first, boyfriend at the time nudged me to alert me to them.

I was a latecomer and only properly discovered the goth/ alt scene about 10 years ago! I felt at home and had a blast going out lots, discovering new music, meeting interesting people who I wouldn’t otherwise have met through work etc. The scene is fairly small but still going (in London at least!) If it wasn’t for Covid I’d be going to a club night every few months or so! I’m not ‘full on goth’ at all but have a wardrobe dominated by black and still listen to the music