Alt.Eighties: Goth on the Glam-side

The genre of Gothic Rock has its inspiration in the literature of Gothic fiction and horror with the elements of darkness, fear and supernatural characterising the form. The rock music subculture that emerged from it also derived its traits from the genres of punk and post punk. So, it’s not surprising that many descriptions of Gothic Rock reference late 1970’s artists such as Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Cure and Joy Division.

However, Bauhaus’s debut single, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”, released in late 1979, was retrospectively considered to be the beginning of the gothic rock genre and their debut album In the Flat Field, released in 1980, is often considered the first gothic rock album.

This week on Alt.Eighties we take in tracks from two bands that found their home in the Glam/Gothic rock hybrid form. We are centered in the UK, home of Goth rock, with tracks from the 2nd album by Yorkshire band The Danse Society (Heaven is Waiting), and the contrasting sound of London-based Goth inspired band Gene Loves Jezebel and their album Discover. Both bands clearly embraced ‘Goth on the Glam side’ and approached the genre in very different ways.