Author/Music Scribe/TV Presenter and Bass Player for perennial post-punk survivors The Membranes, John Robb is a man who cannot sit still. When he’s not touring with his band, he’s presenting, moderating or writing for his popular UK music site Louder Than War. John has previously written best-selling books like ‘Punk Rock: An Oral History’ and ‘The North Will Rise Again: Manchester Music City 1976-1996’. His latest opus is the 650-page ‘The Art Of Darkness: The History of Goth’, an in-depth account that he feels presents the first major and comprehensive overview of Goth music and culture and its lasting legacy, covering the music, culture and history of the scene from its post-punk heyday to the modern times.
“My deep-dive into the wider culture begins with the goths sacking Ancient Rome…” – explains Robb expounding on his overview: “subsequently covering gothic architecture, Lord Byron and the romantic poets, European folk tales, Gothic architecture and painters; running through the first band to be called gothic – The Doors. We then journey through the Stooges and the Velvets and then on though glam rock and punk and the coalescing of all this into goth” –stresses John, talking about the cultural crossroads starting with the fall of Rome, Jim Morrison’s references to the occult to modern-day Instagram influencers.
The book is built mainly around the 80s post-punk Goth period featuring interviews with Andrew Eldritch, Killing Joke, Bauhaus, The Cult, The Banshees, The Damned, Einstürzende Neubauten, Johnny Marr, Trent Reznor, Adam Ant, Laibach, The Cure, Nick Cave and many others. …it looks at the music, style and the political and social conditions that spawned the culture and the great music, fashions and attitudes – clubs that defined it, and is also a first-hand account of being there at some of the legendary gigs and clubs that made the scene happen…
‘The Art Of Darkness. The History Of Goth’ is coming out March, 24 via Louder Than War Books. Pre-order now to get your SIGNED copy of this definitive deep-dive into the dark side!
Order via Bandcamp – HERE
Order via Rough Trade – HERE
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