Latest news with #WorldGothDay
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Five Fiendish Ways to Celebrate 'World Goth Day' in L.A.
How exactly something becomes a celebratory "day" is questionable, but like falling trees in the woods, if enough people are aware and acknowledge it, that's kind of all it takes. "World Goth Day" became a thing after BBC Radio DJs Cruel Britannia and Martin OldGoth started celebrating dark music in the U.K. on the date annually back in 2009. Most define the "goth" scene (short for Gothic) by its dark fashion and music, but even before this "holiday" came to be —and ever since— there's been contention over the word and what it actually means. There's different sub-categories too: "Trad goth" — traditional lacy, witchy frocks, pale face and dramatic eye makeup; industrial goth — futuristically fiendish looks with cyber vibes; pastel goths and Gothic lolitas — girlish bows, ruffles and doll-like get-ups with edge... And that's just to start. Factor in music artists and genres, and fans of dark culture will almost always have something to dispute. Suffice to say, if you equate "Goth" to Marilyn Manson, Fred Armisen's satirical takes on Portlandia or anything that can be bought at Hot Topic in the mall, you should probably do a little reading, and start HERE. For this round-up, we highlight some obvious and not so obvious ways to get in touch with your dark side tonight, and all weekend long, alongside images of some great gothy get-ups at this past weekend's Cruel World festival that prove this subculture might love death, but it will never die. SHOP TIL YOU DROPYou can snag cheap corsets and tights online, but several stores in Los Angeles offer authentic gloomy glam garb you can try before you buy. (home of the Kreepsville brand) in East L.A. is great for accessories, while Foxblood on Melrose offers the widest selection of black dresses in town (and their sister store down the street offers pretty pastel pieces). At in Burbank, they've got cool tees and DIY clothing; and a drive to Long Beach is worth it for , stocking haunted housewares, accessories and more. IMMERSE IN MUSIC Check out local label Cleopatra Records for the best O.G. deathrock from L.A. and the U.K., plus new artists inspired by the rapturous beats evoking gloom, doom and decadence. TOUCH TOMBS is the ultimate graveyard environment with its gorgeous grounds, historic headstones and wild animals (feral cats, ducks and peacocks). Yes, Marky Ramone's cenotaph is there (he's not), but old movie stars Rudolph Valentino and Cecil B. Demille are even more ghostly & SIPGoths tend to love all things spooky and provides a creepy way to get your caffeine, with freaky and fun flavors inspired by Frankenstein, Edward Scissorhands and more the characters from your nightmares. DANCING TO DIE FORRev. John 's L.A. industrial goth night Das Bunker is one of the most legendary dark dance bashes in the city, but his more sporadic soiree, , going down this Sunday at the Slipper Clutch, provides the macabre mood and dance floor drama that made this scene so popular in L.A. to begin with.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Leeds goth hall of fame celebrates the scene's who's who
A display showcasing the who's who of the goth world in Leeds has been unveiled in a new exhibition celebrating the city's part in the modern of people turned out for the opening of the Leeds Goth Hall of Fame at the city's museum to coincide with World Goth its gloomy atmosphere and aesthetics, goth is one of the most iconic music genres and scenes and has its roots firmly embedded in Rose, of Leeds Festival of Gothica, said: "This is where the scene and genre as we know it was birthed. It was where the bats were really first released." Home to bands like The Sisters of Mercy, Salvation, and The March Violets, the city also had venues like The Faversham and The Phono, which provided space for the scene to develop in the 1980s, before it caught on in Rose added: "The whole crux of why we started to do this was to really spotlight the heritage of the goth scene and the alternative scene in Leeds and give it its place." Ms Rose said the 17 photos featured in the display were chosen from hundreds of submissions of people, objects, bands, shops and venues which were integral to the goth scene. "There's bits around dance, bits around clothing and shops," she said."We've got a real reflection of real life from prolific bands that people know. It's about that real life experience." Maria Martin, who features in the display, said she felt "really honoured" to be recognised, adding that it was "about time" the city did something to celebrate its place as "the goth capital of the world"."These people that say it all started at the Bat Cave in London are just lying, it all started here in Leeds."Ms Martin, who worked in the city's well-know goth clothing shop Bad, said growing up in Birstall she was the "only goth in the village" and later moved to Leeds."When I worked in Bad, I got to see what was going on and how there were lots of other people who looked like me."She said featuring in the hall was about "acceptance"."It means everything. It means acceptance, it means celebration, it means validation."Danny Mass, of goth rock band Salvation, who also features in the display, said: "[Leeds] is definitely where goth started."It's good to have this day to be recognised and for Leeds to be put on the map," he added. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Euronews
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
It's not a phase: How to celebrate World Goth Day in Europe
Five, six, grab your crucifix - and Robert Smith, because World Goth Day has arrived. First suggested on a MySpace blog in 2009 by a UK-based Goth DJ known as 'BatBoy Slim', Goth Day has since become a global annual celebration where "the Goth scene gets to celebrate it's own being." via GIPHY While most Goths prefer to stay out of the spotlight (unless carrying a black parasol), World Goth Day keeps things appropriately dark and inviting, with a range of community-hosted events that span the week. The 22 May date was originally chosen to highlight a special set of musical subculture-focused shows on BBC Radio 6, then stuck ever since. And why not? From dark wave DJ sets in Poland, to a gothic clothes swap in Dublin; Black pizza in London, and a trip back to the subculture's 80s, 90s and 00s origins at a club night in Madrid — there are plenty of opportunities knocking at your coffin. Plus, it's a great way to support your local Goth gang. Alternatively, you could just draw the curtains, blare some Bauhaus and be your usual black-hearted self with extra pride. After-all, some Goths have faced genuine persecution and violence just for daring to be different - one devastating example being the 2007 murder of Sophie Lancaster, a 20-year-old Goth from the UK. "There are quite a few Goths who have fought damn hard to retain their identity despite peer pressure, family pressure and indeed, any pressure to conform," the World Goth Day organisers state. "And if you've gone to all that trouble to preserve what you believe is the 'real you', don't you think you owe it to yourself to shine for a day?" Chipped nail polish, dancing skeletons, synth wave, hair spray, black cats, 'Bela Lugosi Is Dead'. Neon leg warmers, glow bands, pastel chokers, septum piercings, coffin-shaped cat trees, posters of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey. Goth is whatever you want it to be. There are no rules, baby! It's about breaking conventions and going against the bland, suffocating monotony of traditional societal expectations to spread your bat wings and express your truest, fang-bearing self. At its core, being Goth is about finding a curiosity and fondness for the things others find disturbing. From music to film to fashion to art, there's a focus on themes like melancholy, death, gore and rebellion, expressed through subversive aesthetics and lifestyle choices. The subculture's origins can be traced back to the UK's late 70s post-punk underground music scene, with record producer Martin Hannett notably describing the band Joy Division's music as 'Gothic' in 1979. It's a term that spread to encompass any bands with a certain melancholic sound. These included The Cure (even though Robert Smith would argue otherwise), Bauhaus, The Psychedelic Furs, Alien Sex Fiend and Siouxsie and the Banshees, to name but a few. Meanwhile, in America, deathrock emerged as a sort of sub-genre of Goth, similarly taking the anarchy ethos of punk music and immersing it in horror-inspired theatrics. While the 80s and 90s are still seen as Gothic hey days, it's a subculture that's managed to stick throughout the decades - albeit morphing into various subcategories such as 'Cybergoth' and 'Pastel Goth', which take inspiration from steam punk, BDSM, Lolita fashion etc to create new forms of contrasting expression within 'Trad Goth'. No longer a marker of only youth culture (although the #Goth has been used 4 million times on video sharing platform TikTok), many older adults that grew up being Goth are still putting on their studded leathers and setting their faces with white powder. Millennial Goths in particular have carved themselves a niche on YouTube, with 'Emily Boo' and 'Of Herbs and Altars' two of the most popular, sharing their looks and experiences within the scene and offering advice to "baby bats". While Mods and Rockers come and go, Goths are here to stay. And contrary to popular belief - they don't only wear black. via GIPHY You can celebrate wherever you want! Although official events are listed on the website for World Goth Day and are as follows: UK & Ireland 22 May: ACAB Celebrates World Goth Day - DJs, Alt Drag & Market (Dublin) 22 May: Cabinet Sinister Bite Me! At Lost Souls Pizza (London) 22 May: World Goth Day gig at O'Reilly's (Hull) 24 May: Goth Meet Up at The Ruin Bar and Kitchen (Birmingham) 25 May: Gothic Clothes Swap WGD at Pawn Shop (Dublin) Europe 23 May: Gothic ball at Klub UNDER (Belgrade, Serbia) 23 May: Bunkerleute Dark Underground Party at Waaiberg Event Hall (Leuven, Belgium) 23 May: World Goth Day celebrations at Emerald CLUB (Bucharest, Romania) 24 May: World Goth Day celebrations at the Undead Dark Club (Barcelona, Spain) 24 May: Spain Goth Day at Sala Pirandello I - II (Madrid, Spain) 24 May: Shadowplay Afterparty oficial IMAMX + WGD, at Paseo Del Pintor Rosales (Madrid, Spain) 24 May: Dark goth wave synth at Wydział Remontowy (Gdańsk, Poland) 24 May: (Un)Pure Session: World Goth Day Special at Vamptasia Club (Valencia, Spain) via GIPHY Well, if you insist. Here are some Gothic movie and music recommendations instead: 🖤📽️ Movies House of Usher (1960) — Dir. Roger Corman Eraserhead (1977) — Dir. David Lynch Hellraiser (1987) — Dir. Clive Barker Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993) — Dir. Brian Yuzna The Crow (1994) — Dir. Alex Proyas Suspiria (2018) — Dir. Luca Guadagnino 🖤🎶 Music Bauhaus: 'In the Flat Field' (1980) Joy Division: 'Closer' (1980) Siouxsie and the Banshees: 'Juju' (1981) The Cure: 'Pornography' (1982) — bonus shout-out to The Cure's 'Songs Of A Lost World', which made our best-of 2024 albums list) Cocteau Twins: 'Head Over Heels' (1983) Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds: 'Let Love In' (1994)
