One of the perennial topics over the past couple of decades has been the difficulty that hugely talented acts now face in breaking out of the goth/post-punk ghetto, so kudos to Manchester post-punk act for taking on the mainstream at their own game and copying the marketing ploy of mounting an album launch tour with attractively-priced vinyl or cd + ticket deals to maximise sales and therefore chart position in that crucial first week of release. Attracting a crowd numbering into three figures for a post-punk gig in Edinburgh is never easy on a Monday night in February, and the band’s word of mouth success over a career already spanning a dozen years is testament to their ability, hard work and willingness to do things differently.
Like its immediate predecessor Light A Bigger Fire, fifth album Dagger is worthy of the accolade of an album playthrough show on the evidence of this confident and polished performance at The Caves, an atmospheric venue dating back to the eighteenth century in the bowels of the South Bridge. Opening salvo I Am The Fear sets the tone, a stunning amalgam of 80’s influenced post-punk and electronica, with Andy Keating’s pulsating bass and Adam Houghton’s intense baritone vocal the immediate focal points.
The melodic guitar and swirling synths of Mat Peters underpin the catchy choruses of the next two songs, Makes No Difference and Warning Signs, an early indication that like on the previous album, almost every track is a potential single with crossover potential.
The faithful rendition of the new album, released just three days previously, continues unabated, with Burning appealing to those attracted to the darker side of post-punk, and The Echo’s memorably melancholic refrain appropriately soaring high into the vaulted stone roof, reverberating timelessly around the venue.
The pace drops momentarily during the more experimental opening segment of Encouragement, and the equally subdued I Remember Everything’s sparser arrangement allows Houghton to demonstrate how his signature vocal has improved over recent years. Obligations’ huge chorus, with Houghton (as is often the case echoing the synth motif), is just as powerful as on record, making the contrast with the more muted and subtle Song For Someone even more effective.
Barely half an hour since they took to the stage, the band launch into album closer Ambition, arguably the weakest track on the release, but any sense of anti-climax is immediately dissipated by the two bonus tracked (which are different each night of the tour) selected for this gig, Lost My Shadow and The Kiss, the opening two tracks from the preceding album, which are particularly well-received by an appreciative crowd.
Before ending the show with a “meet and greet” signing session, the band proudly announce that, somewhat incredibly, the new album features at number three in the midweek UK albums chart update, no mean feat for a band who cherish their independence and continue to release their music on their own Kind Violence label. The band will return to Scotland in April as part of a more traditional UK and European tour.
Reviewing a whole year across a notoriously shapeshifting genre is never an easy task, and one made even harder when many of the leading players of the current global goth/post-punk scene - She Past Away, Whispering Sons, Then Comes Silence, Diavol Strâin, Molchat Doma, Ground Nero, Ashes Fallen, Kaela Mikla, All My Thorns, to name but a few - didn’t release any new music at all (bar the odd cover version, live album or remix).
However, the old guard continued to mobilise, to the extent that it’s increasingly hard to think of acts from the original gothic wave of the early 80’s who aren’t still touring and/or releasing new material. This resurgence was reinforced in the UK by the relative success of Forever Now, the one-day festival held at Milton Keynes Bowl, which was billed as a celebration of alternative culture by its (Cruel World) organisers, with a whole raft of pensionable goth-adjacent acts on the bill drawing a reasonable sized audience (which was, however, swelled by late cut-price ticket promotions), finally banishing the spectre of Alt-Fest.
Heritage acts were also prominent on a more low-key local (to me) event, the inaugural Deadinburgh Festival in Scotland’s capital, a genuine gathering of the gothic clan which however paired reinvigorated old school box office guarantee acts like The March Violets and 1919 with newer ones like Cold in Berlin and Witch of the Vale in a successful event which captured the full breadth of the current goth dynamic.
Deadinburgh was part of a very welcome proliferation of goth festivals across the UK, with Nottingham, Leicester, Sheffield, Leeds, Halifax, Whitby and Morecambe all now staging multiple events just in the upper half of England, whilst as will be seen in the countdown below, it was bands from further north-east (like Social Youth Cult and Black Rain) who saw the UK gothic focal point switch to Newcastle, home of scene observer, promoter and commentator The Blogging Goth for the first time.
On a more global level, it has been disappointing (but sadly not surprising) to witness the apparent popularity of the Goths Against Cancel Culture movement which, despite its protestations to the contrary, seems fully at odds with the genre’s basic ethos, whereby all are welcomed and respected for who they are (until they breach others’ rights or behave in an offensive, misogynistic, homophobic or racist manner, for example). By nature, goths are often more sensitive souls who gain strength through uniting with others who feel similarly at odds with mainstream culture and society in a mutually supportive manner, and those who have felt emboldened by wider political movements and have been fuelled by illogical fears to positively revel in spreading hatred and division have done nothing but demonstrate why cancel culture was so necessary in the first place.
On a more technical level, one of the bigger challenges facing goth (and indeed all) musicians has been the rise of AI, and how (if at all) to harness its power without harming artistic integrity and creativity. Bandcamp has always hosted many genuine single person multi-instrumentalist goth acts with no ‘live’ performances, but it is increasingly difficult to differentiate between these old school creatives and those tech boffins churning out swathes of generic goth thanks to ever more powerful iterations of AI. Whilst some are open about using AI in order to obtain seemingly more impressive final product, others are less forthcoming about its use in the creative process, whether in composition, performance or production, not to mention sleeve photography and video production.
Despite a clear increase in scene nombrilism and the fallow year for so many outstanding talents, fortunately there were still many excellent releases, which are hopefully exemplified in this year’s highly subjective ‘Best Of’ list. Before highlighting this year’s Top Ten, an honourable mention for those who just missed out and fill positions 11-20 in this year’s countdown…
At the deathrock end of the spectrum, both veterans Altar da Fey and Cataphiles deserve great credit for the quality and energy of their releases respectively, with trad goth act In A Darkened Room and post-punkers Lathe of Heaven both producing fine guitar-based sophomore albums. Both Vacios Cuerpos and Piel de Lana upheld Mexico’s deserved reputation as purveyor of the world’s best minimalist darkwave. Ash Code’s Synthome saw the band continue to grow as one of the leading lights of the darkwave scene, with Silver Tears also successfully combining guitars and synths to cross the great goth divide. Further along the spectrum, both The Discussion and Mark E Moon produced high quality melodic albums which would also appeal to those with more mainstream taste. Kudos also to Divine Shade for their stunning début compilation album, and to Dead Spells, Blood Dance and others who just missed out on the countdown.
THE TOP TEN (click on album title for Bandcamp link)
Weighing in at over twenty-two minutes, the four tracks on Light of Eternity’s third EP continue the breath-taking form of 2024’s opening post-industrial salvos from this dark project by former Killing Joke drummer Big Paul Ferguson. Pauly Williams’ ability to bring the fire and conjure up the ghost of the late lamented KJ guitarist Geordie in all of its various guises remains nothing less than astonishing, and Fred Schreck’s alluring storytelling vocal style is the perfect foil for the excoriating, bone-crushing riffs, synth drones and pummelling drumming.
Starting the North of England takeover of this year’s Best Of 2025 list, Black Rain’s up-tempo gothic post-punk blossomed on their eponymous début album which paired five excellent studio tracks with some live recordings. Black Rain may claim to be “too punk to be goth, too goth to be punk”, but their multi-layered guitar-driven sound is very much in the style of early acts like Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and Comsat Angels or more recent ones like Lathe of Heaven). Buzzing bass, some ferocious drumming and a more distant vocal combine effectively on a series of intense yet melodic songs on this impressive début.
Joel Heyes’ impressive flow-rate continued unabated in 2025, with BS&E releasing fourteen new tracks across two extended EPs even before this album’s appearance towards the end of the year, with the quantity of tracks matched by their quality. The brooding, atmospheric ambiance of songs like Stronghold of Night is enhanced by the dancefloor friendly power of dark anthems like Obsession (Kissing with Teeth), with Heyes’ vampiric lyrics adding to the satisfyingly bloody concoction.
Cold In Berlin have flirted back and forth between the goth and metal scenes with their alternative doom rock sound over the past fifteen years, and their fourth album Wounds sees them inching back towards to the welcoming bosom of a gothic scene which they never really emotionally left. As ever, Maya’s haunting vocal is the centrepiece, with that intriguing mixture of purity and other worldliness which Grace Slick first evoked back in the 1960’s, and there’s something timeless about the band which has helped to maintain and extend their appeal across artificial scene boundaries. The beautifully-crafted songs are played with both reverence and perfect precision by the band, translating the passion and raw emotion of their legendary live performances into a studio setting.
This album and its accompanying video from The Jan Doyle Band (aka Derek from Doncaster) in full goth mode is a phenomenal take on the spirit and sounds of the very earliest years of the goth scene, borrowing liberally from both the positive punk and futurist movements to create a thrilling potent mix of spidery guitar, syncopated low-Fi drum machine rattle and descending basslines topped with a louche absinthe-drenched vocal. Featuring tracks from previous releases, the video (which was shot in various Yorkshire graveyards) hints at the breathtaking performance art of the act’s live show, best viewed in a dingy basement club.
Any lingering doubts that 90’s legends might not be able to repeat the magic of their memorable trio of studio albums on their reformation are dispelled within the first minute of impressive opening track Crash. The gossamer threads of Franck’s shimmering guitarwork , Sébastien’s powerful and emotive vocal, Christophe’s busy and unpredictable basslines and the trademark subtle inventive drum patterns (now provided by Fabrice Gouré) are all thrillingly present and correct, but with the added advantage of twenty first century production values. To counteract the perfection of the latter, there’s a deliberate detuning effect on a number of tracks which adds to the dramatic edge to a project which whilst growing older gracefully maintains the charming embrace of its early appeal.
Impressive début album from Polish deathrock act Natures Mortes, featuring some outstandingly eerie guitar work and a full-on gothic punk sound which dips successfully into a variety of neighbouring subgenres for a satisfyingly uncompromising listening experience. This energetic, full-on cemetery experience is available as a digital download and a very groovy purple cassette.
Wonderful album of polished and melodic contemporary darkwave gothic rock which is a fabulous amalgamation of the best-loved components of the previous waves of the genre, whether the driving basslines of the Sisters, the sinister atmosphere of Bauhaus and Christian Death or the dark dancefloor sensibilities of Suspiria and Angels of Liberty. This rich and varied set is from a Californian act which is currently a solo project, which makes this stunning album all the more remarkable. Available as digital download only.
Newcastle’s Social Youth Cult had already gained the de facto title of Britain’s best young goth act on the back of a couple of promising singles, but this stunning début album rightly catapults them straight onto the global scene. The opening pair of tracks show the astonishing rate at which they have developed: opener Venus is a buckle-your-seatbelts deathrock joyride, whilst stripped back atmospheric post-punk lament Close To Nothing has a depth and subtlety which some acts fail to capture in decades-long careers. The Lighthouse is as challenging and rewarding a listen as the stark delights of Unknown Pleasures, Killing Joke and In The Flat Field (three useful reference points) were some forty-five years ago.
Ignore the two high profile collaborations (with Trent Reznor and Boy George) released as singles (as they are by far the worst two tracks). This sublime album ranks as one of the finest in Murphy’s long career, with his mesmerically expressive and rich vocal timbre the icing in the cake of a fabulous set of songs most of which were co-authored and expertly produced by Youth. Epic tracks like The Artroom Wonder, Xavier New Boy and TheMeaning Of My Life build to monumental choruses with Bond-theme levels of bombast and give full reign to the raspier tone in his upper range which Murphy has showcased on recent albums.
The nights are drawing in, the students are back, Halloween is just around the corner and the goth gig calendar in this most gothic of cities is suddenly full to bursting with a cornucopia of aural and visual delights. Two days earlier Twisted Nerve, Revanica and Social Youth Cult had played a sold out gig at the Banshee (which I was gutted to miss), and on the same Monday evening as this gig, goth-adjacent artist Eric13 of Combichrist is belting out some garage sleaze rock with his band the Pinheads at Bannerman’s. In this context, attracting a couple of dozen punters to the cosy confines of Sneaky Pete’s is no mean feat and a reward for the hard yards Joel Heyes has put in over the last decade as his Byronic Sex & Exile project heads out on yet another tour pre-promoting his new Dracula-themed album which will be available within the next month or so.
This gig saw the Edinburgh début of another stalwart of the Yorkshire dark music scene, Jan Doyle Band, here in full goth mode performing the majority of the set which featured in his stunning contribution to the recent Ravenspurgh online goth festival. As with BS&E, performance is very much a key element of a Jan Doyle Band gig, and on this form it is hard to think of another contemporary artist who can as fully and effectively conjure up the true heady spirit of the Batcave circa 1983.
Beginning with the brief Reptile House dirge of I Thought He Was Your Reflection, the pace picked up with the new guitar-enhanced version of Rain On Ice, with the more reflective and more atmospheric Last Rites, Getting Nearer and The Party adding to the louche and spooky vibe. With Williams divesting layers of PVC, leather and fishnet, the set built to a climax with dark disco stomper Sister Sarah, the peerless They with its Daniel Ash-inspired guitar scratching and syncopated March Violetsesque drum track, and finally his stunning and unique unhinged cover of Soft Cell’s Martin, an artist devoted to his craft leaving everything on the stage.
13 Tombs were the Fife filling between the two one-man bands from goth’s own county, and their high octane horror punk’d up deathrock’n’roll was equally well-received, particularly the more overtly goth-influenced tracks like Dehydrating, Dead Roses and a breakneck version of I Drink Your Blood that recalls the cartoonish spirit of Misfits. Although Mark had forgotten his trademark prescription dark glasses and managed to inadvertently kick over his can of lager, his sheer energy and Al’s impressive versatility on the guitar saw the duo successfully through to the traditional set closer, Monkey Pus.
Frustrated by the limitations of a half-hour slot on his last visit to Auld Reekie for this summer’s Deadinburgh Festival, Joel Heyes clearly relished the prospect of bringing the full Byronic Sex & Exile experience to the punters of the Scottish capital, with the full intro tracks to set the scene for the candelabra-lit audience walkthrough, which was later repeated during the doomy lilting lament of The Vampire’s Castle, always one of the highlights of a main set which is deeply marinated in gothic romanticism.
With the customary sword wielding during the impassioned Death Or Joy and a dagger-enhanced Bloodstains from the forthcoming Songs From The Blood album also adding a sense of theatricality to proceedings, Heyes rounded off another great night of varied gothic musical entertainment with four fan favourites, the dancefloor filling Vampire Guitars and Grave Is In The Heart, the brooding Dented Shield and the talismanic Leviathan.
As ever, the gothic scene only continues to survive because of the willingness of artists like BS&E to take the financial risk and constant headaches and setbacks of arranging a self-promoted tour, and because acts like JDB and 13 Tombs accept that they will be unlikely to recoup their own costs for the thrill of performing to a loyal, appreciative but small audience. On tonight’s evidence, it is clear that for all concerned, the game is still worth the (appropriately flickering) candle.
