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[themacabre70s]

joy division: goths that weren’t goth

content and trigger warning for discussion of suicide. it not graphically discussed but it is mentioned.

as the title says Joy Division is goth, but it's also not. Joy Division from what i have read is better classified as post punk today. i know the sub genre labeling in the punk/rock community is very nuanced but it would feel wrong not to include joy division in my blog. instead, this post is more about remembering the band's influence on the goth culture musically. a staple band for goths of the 70s.

there will be no style section in this post because while their utilitarian look was iconic they did not influence the fashion scene well enough for me to write too much about it. if you wish to learn more i direct you to these:

https://husbands-paris.com/en/joy-division-austere-sound-and-style/

anothermanmag.com/style-grooming/10919/ian-curtis-joy-division-lead-singer-frontman-style-fashion

https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a38894373/joy-division-1970s-style/

music: gloom and doom

joy division released their first EP “An Ideal For Living” in June 1978

a year later their debut album “Unknown Pleasures” was released in June and sold over 10,000 copies, Jon Savage of Melody Maker described the album as an “opaque manifesto” and “one of the best, white, English, debut LPs of the year”

in November of 1980 joy division released a single called “Transmission”

joy divisions second and final album “Closer” was released in July 1980. Closer reached #6 on the UK album chart and peaked at #3 in the New Zealand charts.

since then many outtakes, live editions, and compilation albums have been released.

joy divisions music at first listen is undeniably gothic with haunting lyrics sung by ian curtis' low gravelly voice. joy divisions style helped influence a new era of artists famous today such as Radiohead and The Cure.

an article by the blog "Thred" comments on Unknown Pleasures saying, "It’s a monster of a record, one that embraces the complex suffering of human experience decades before we even began to talk about anxiety or mental health. Joy Division opened the door for punk and rock to express more than simply rage and frustration."

joy divisions sound is described as industrial. echoing bass with guitar waiting for its turn in songs about the bleakness of manchester life.

the imagery surrounding their albums reinforces this idea with black-and-white stone settings and shadowy figures.

they feel restless, almost ghostly, like they're waiting for something lurking behind the beat of drums.

its clear this style of sound mixing helped pave the way for goth bands of the future, those forming, and those who would form.

band history: becoming joy division

joy division was formed in 1976 by friends Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook after seeing the Sex Pistols live and being inspired to start a band. they recruited friend Terry Mason who had gone to the concert with them and Mason became the drummer, Sumner the keyboardist/guitarist, and Hook the bassist. after placing an ad for a vocalist they were joined by Ian Curtis.

joy division first went by the name Warsaw, a reference to David Bowies song Warsawa.

Warsaw would debut on May 29th 1977 and was received with a lot of praise. Terry Mason became the bands manager and they had two drummers Tony Tabac and Steve Brotherdale before settling on school friend of Ian Curtis, Stephen Morris in August of 1977.

later in early 1978 the band renamed themselves Joy Division to avoid confusion with a London punk band called Warsaw Pakt. in January of 1978 they had their first show as Joy Division.

tragically, on May 18th 1980 vocalist Ian Curtis took his own life.

the band disbanded because of a pact made earlier saying they would rename the band should any members leave.

Joy Division became a new band called New Order which released their debut single “Ceremony” in 1981. in New Orders early years they struggled under the shadow of joy division but achieved greater success playing in a different style & genre of music.

[themacabre70s]

bauhaus: fashion and music

music: the start of the gothic subculture

originally called bauhuas 1919 (in reference to the year a german art school named Bauhaus opened) but shortened in 1979, Bauhaus formed in 1978 in Northampton England. their music was haunting and moody. The band became a staple pioneer for the gothic rock genre and are known to have “introduced”the world to the genre. they did mix many other genres though including dub rock, psychedelia, dub, and funk.

known for their 9 and a half minute long hit Bela Lugosi’s Dead they were the first band to dive into such a depressing sound. this song was a harbinger for gothic rock music and was influential on contemporary goth culture.

Bauhaus consisted of lead vocalist Peter Murphy, lead guitarist Daniel Ash, bass guitarist David J and drummer Kevin Haskins.

their debut album In The Flat Field is regarded as one of the first gothic rock albums. with their third album The Skys Gone Out they achieved mainstream success with the album peaking at number 3 on the UK albums chart in 1982. They reached number 15 that same year with a cover of David Bowies “Ziggy Stardust” which earned them an appearance on Top of the Pops.

In 1983 the band disbanded when Peter Murphy fell ill and spent a lot of his time away from the band leaving the other members having to compensate for his absence. this created tension between the bandmates and they disbanded on July 5th a week before their fourth and final studio album was released.

Bauhaus has since reunited for tours in 1998, 2005-2008 and then again in 2019.

fashion: dark image

unlike siouxsie and the banshees, bauhaus’ influence on fashion is not quite as influential. they had a flair for the dark and dramatic as many goths do and dressed the part of a goth band.

with Peter Murphy and Daniel Ash often sporting the signature spiky teased goth hair Kevin Haskins and David J were more tame opting for a more standard slightly styled look.

The band as a whole did have a dark and gloomy look with all of them wearing dark eyeliner and clothing. Daniel Ash most notably adopted a very androgynous look during their time together as a band wearing fishnet tops, flowing shirts, lipstick, eyeshadow and a lot of other distinctly feminine fashion and accessories.

In comparison with Daniel Ash the other members did not quite have a style like his.

David J and Kevin Haskins stuck with a lot of traditionally masculine clothing like trenchcoats, suit jackets, t shirts, and jeans or dress pants.

notably David J wore a pair of sunglasses all the time as his signature piece.

Peter Murphys relys a lot on his hair, it was styled very uniquely a lot of the time and he wore a lot of ties and dress shirts with tight pants as did Kevin Haskins and David J. Peter Murphy also wore eye and lip makeup but not quite as much as Daniel Ash. The band experimented with style a lot and would put together a lot of really cool outfit combinations. Bauhaus’ style is really important to mention when you talk about them because they just look so freaking cool in all of their pictures. i really like the kind of effortless fashion they wore and even if its not mentioned you can tell they definitely influenced goth style and gave it a more concrete idea of what goths of the time commonly wore.

[themacabre70s]

siouxsie and the banshees: music and siouxsie sioux

siouxsie sioux: style icon

siouxsie sioux was one of the biggest goth influences in the 1970s and 80s despite not even calling herself a goth and rejecting the term as a description for herself.

siouxsie sioux’s early days started in the 1970s London Punk Scene as part of the Sex Pistols entourage. this shifted as she formed her own band and musical path with The Banshees. this shift was also reflected on her style.

her early outfits were very revealing, androgynous, sexual and bold. nipples out, fishnets, suit jackets, spikes, elements of mens fashion, big black eyeliner, and spiky hair.

as siouxsie shifted into her own musical career her outfits and makeup became more intricate. her lips were painted and angular, her makeup was very geometric and colorful, her hair would be striking no matter how she cut it. siouxsie began wearing and incorporating a lot of geometric patterns into her look. her clothes were layered and flowy. she still wore fishnets, spikes, and elements of men’s clothing but it had more twists. her style didn’t completely change from that of her Sex Pistol days but evolved.

siouxsie is known as the “Godmother of Goth” as her outfits when she was with The Banshees influenced stylistic choices, early goth culture, and fashion trends.

music: siouxsie and the banshees

her music however was not quite as dark and edgy as she was. it fast paced and dramatic. her singing was unique and inflective. she had an amazing vocal range that was reflected in her songs.

their first album “the scream” released in 1978 was a key influence for the rock and punk genres. it was an almost instant success peaking at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart.

it was named best debut album of the year and was only the beginning of the bands success.

this album was followed by Join Hands in 1979, Kaleidoscope in 1980, Juju in 1981, A Kiss In The Dreamhouse in 1982, Hyæna in 1984, Tinderbox in 1986, Through the Looking Glass in 1987, Peepshow in 1988, Superstition in 1991 and The Rapture in 1995.

the band disbanded in 1996 but influenced many other popular post punk and rock bands such as Joy Division, The Cure, The Smiths, and Radiohead to name a few.

[themacabre70s]

corsets, fishnets, big flowy clothing, leather, spiky hair, piercings, lots of eyeliner, dark lipstick, and over the top jewelry have been staples for goth fashion from its beginnings to now.

the goth style began flourishing in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. headlined and influenced by musicians such as siouxsie and the banshees, bauhaus, the cure, adam ant, and joy division.

my next few posts will go over the musical and style influences of the bands mentioned above and below

siouxsie and the banshees

bauhaus

the cure

adam ant

joy division