tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55403540627242939922012-02-28T03:10:19.534-08:00Plunder the TombsAn exhumation of the first wave of goth and death rock 1979-1988.James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.comBlogger651100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-49285659348206977232012-02-24T01:22:00.001-08:002012-02-24T01:22:48.571-08:00Share and share widely...James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-88101138482736510182012-02-14T04:56:00.000-08:002012-02-14T21:34:09.199-08:00Cadaver Finesse – Allegedly no recordings (circa 1982)
Aha! And it is mystery band time as we explore the enigma
that is (was?) Cadaver Finesse. There are no videos and there are (allegedly)
no recordings. This might seem at first glance to make this a fairly pointless
entry, but I think it important both for the sake of completeness, and also to
save overly enthusiastic Goth train spotters like myself from wasting their
time searching for James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-32569653985447255752012-01-28T00:30:00.000-08:002012-01-28T11:06:35.572-08:00Save the Blogosphere Part Deux
Thanks to Wikkipedia’s blackout, SOPA and PIPA have been
sent back to what ever dark cyberspace hell they came from.
Unfortunately, it’s not all over by a long shot. Following
the demise of Mega Upload the FBI is actively investigating a number of other file-sharing hosts, with
the current state of play neatly summarized on the Desolation Infinite blog. If
these sites are taken down, James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-74329668056630385152012-01-20T02:15:00.000-08:002012-01-25T23:24:37.417-08:00Save the Blogosphere
If the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) or the Protect
Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) get passed, or the FBI carries on raiding file
sharing sites as it did with Megaupload.com this morning, blogs like Plunder The
Tombs and thousands of others like it will be TOAST.
If you live in the US
please contact whoever your representative in Congress is and make sure they
know that you do not James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-76357936644902364052012-01-15T01:05:00.000-08:002012-01-15T01:13:20.172-08:00UK Decay and Dead Can Dance - Pleasant little surprises
Since reforming with new drummer Ray Phillpott in 2008, Luton’s
Godfathers of Goth, UK Decay have been
playing the festival circuit around Europe and
conjoured up enough new material to return to the recording studio for the
first time in almost 30 years. They need your help to make this happen though
kiddies, and following the very effective strategy employed in 2010 by The March Violets haveJames Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-9447207298796485992012-01-14T00:33:00.000-08:002012-01-14T03:20:32.786-08:00As Promised...
Yes, as promised, all the downloads are back up and available once more, for anyone who missed out the first time around.
What's more, we've moved to a (hopefully) faster file sharing provider and all the downloads are now in a .zip format for those of you not working from a MS Windows platform.
There's the two-disc Plunder the Tombs compilation The Atrocity Exhibition, both 12"s by Perth James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-72548755702833462822012-01-07T00:20:00.000-08:002012-01-09T06:53:23.320-08:00News from the Tombs
So, having just returned from a brief working trip
interstate, it seems like a good time to kick off the new year and make some
small improvements to the blog and some news about what’s being planned for the
near future.
Firstly, in addition to the traditional ways of following
blogs and the Plunder the Tombs Facebook
page, it’s now possible to receive notifications of new posts usingJames Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-67846105802846075672012-01-01T03:44:00.000-08:002012-01-01T03:45:52.128-08:00Happy New Year
News to follow - watch this space...James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-19662489209909951242011-12-31T02:17:00.000-08:002011-12-31T21:47:18.290-08:00Anorexic Dread – Tracy’s Burning 12” (Criminal Damage, 1984)
Falling somewhere in the gap between Alien Sex Fiend and a slo-mo
version of The Cramps, the short-lived Anorexic Dread appeared out of DanielleDax’s hometown of Southend, Essex in 1983, lasting until just 1985. Perhaps
best described as a kind of Horror-Punk / Psychobilly outfit, other obvious
influences included The Birthday Party and Killing Joke. If they’d been
American, it’s a fair James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-89595462038517029222011-12-21T00:15:00.000-08:002011-12-22T01:15:34.574-08:00Wasted Youth – Wild and Wandering (Bridge House Records, 1981)
Not to be confused with
the LA hardcore band of the same name, The UK version of Wasted Youth formed in
1979 at the notorious Bridge House in East London’s Canning Town, which became at
once pub, home base, gig venue and record label. Not that the lads were
complete newbies to the music scene; brothers Ken and Andy had previously
played in the Tickets, and bassist Darren was formerly in James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-10499223225381008552011-11-29T08:00:00.001-08:002011-11-29T09:34:12.004-08:00Artery - Oceans EP (Red Flame, 1981)
Artery actually have a pretty sizeable back catalogue, so
it’s almost surprising that they’ve somehow ended up languishing in Obscurity
Corner.
These Sheffield chaps first
materialised in 1979 from an earlier incarnation with the slightly pretentious
moniker of “The”, before a name change and debuting with the single Mother Moon (Limited Edition Records,
1979), but at this point, James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-83301176125389105872011-09-30T10:20:00.000-07:002011-12-30T22:56:23.136-08:00Ipso Facto – Give it To Her EP (Zodiak Records, 1984)
This will be a short entry I suspect, given the almost
complete dearth of information available on line. Research here is made doubly
difficult by the emergence of the much more recent all girl outfit of the same name who inconveniently have been widely labeled as “Goth”.
(For the record, they’re not. But from what little I’ve heard, are not too bad
either, and I suspect fans of Ladytron James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-48371021428240462262011-09-11T04:18:00.000-07:002012-02-02T17:52:45.614-08:00Ritual – Songs for a Dead King (unreleased – 1981 / 1983)
It’s been almost a year since we last discussed Ritual in an
article that led to my discovery of the unreleased Songs for a Dead King. In
bizarre mea culpa – it’s sat on my hard drive unheard until yesterday,
and the loss is totally mine, because it’s very good indeed.
That Ritual never formally released this is almost a crime –
it’s vastly better than the stuff they released through RedJames Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-48941402298967658832011-08-20T06:56:00.000-07:002011-08-24T04:53:07.659-07:00Sleeping Dogs Wake - Toys for Alice / Confined to memory 12” (One Little Indian, 1988)
For a band who managed to knock out no less than five
full-length albums and had sufficiently decent distribution to see their CDs
make it all the way to isolated little Perth, finding hard information online
concerning these kids is surprisingly difficult. Their CD liner notes aren’t
much help either.
Sleeping Dogs Wake were initially a two piece consisting of
Robert Wilcocks and Karin James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-29631229057040664552011-08-14T05:14:00.000-07:002011-10-29T00:44:58.585-07:00An Amusing Interlude - The Second Wave of Goth
I know – I do give 90’s Goth a lot of shtick.
Retrospectively, much of it was just plain clichéd, if not outright ridiculous. Much of it did consist of very sub-par Sisters and Nephilim clones. It was simply depressing that the much more exciting and adventurous developments in Darkwave like Printed at Bismark’s Death, Das Ich, Die Form, The Eternal Afflict and Ghosting that were emerging James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-73707340381213236892011-07-23T04:52:00.000-07:002011-11-11T01:12:20.527-08:00Actifed – Dawn of a Legion 12” (Jungle Records, 1983) / Crucifixion 12” (Jungle Records, 1984)
A curious enigma Actifed present us with here – while it’s very easy to find downloads on the net, it’s also very difficult to locate any solid information. Even that Mercer chappie isn’t much use here, with Gothic Rock (Pegasus Publishing Ltd, 1991) omitting them altogether and mentioning them only in passing in The Gothic Rock Black Book (Omnibus Press, 1988) with the description
“James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-24581275420624294752011-07-17T00:06:00.000-07:002011-07-24T02:27:10.877-07:00Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Talk About the Weather (Red Rhino Records, 1985)
Yet another of the sprawling Horde of Leeds, The Lorries actually released their debut single “Beating My Head” (Red Rhino Records) right back in 1982, but it would be another three years and two Peel Sessions before their first full-length Talk About the Weather would see the light of day.
Their first single which for a band who by popular perception
became slotted into the Goth genreJames Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-45639208535535504822011-06-25T04:00:00.000-07:002011-07-24T02:29:16.656-07:00The March Violets and The Danse Society: Back From the Dead
My, what a busy little week or so it’s been in resurrection
land, with both The March Violets and The Danse Society gracing us with actual
factual output.
First up we have The March Violets pre-empting their own
first full-length album, Made Glorious due out later this year with the Love
Will Kill You EP. Worth owning on the strength of Road of Bones and Dandelion
King alone, but there’s James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-36765444082854637502011-06-22T08:07:00.000-07:002012-01-13T22:58:58.862-08:00And An A – Ambition / Affirmation 12” (Cherrytop Records, 1985), Taken as Gospel / Haloes and Wings 12” (Square World Music, ???)
No trace of the Taken as Gospel / Haloes and Wings 12" is to be found on line.
Readers will have to enjoy this pic of my own copy taken with my very own hand,
using photographic skills that I optimistically describe as "modest".
And so it comes to pass that I must finally get around to
inspecting a contribution from my own home town.
Ahh! Perth,
Western Australia – James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-45540983108180283182011-05-24T05:10:00.000-07:002011-05-24T05:10:54.376-07:00The March Violets – Road of Bones promo (self release, 2011)An unexpected blog entry here, having just heard the first release, the teaser if you will, from the upcoming March Violets EP.
I must confess to much trepidation where reunions of bands I love are concerned – so often it seems that something vital has been lost and somehow things are never the same.
In the case of Road of Bones though, nothing could be further from the truth and what’s more, it James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-17853212897312284442011-05-24T04:55:00.001-07:002011-05-24T05:05:28.947-07:00The March Violets Part Deux – Dandelion King (Self release, 2011)It’s been a busy, busy month for The March Violets, first with the Road of Bones preview of the “Love Will Kill You” EP, due out in June this year, but now with Dandelion King - the first video, and one presumes single (?) from the reformed band’s upcoming full length album reportedly entitled “Made Glorious” and set for release sometime later this year.
Enjoy!
http://www.pledgemusic.com/James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-12224852258207344362011-04-25T05:26:00.000-07:002011-04-25T23:20:42.671-07:00Gloria Mundi – I, Individual (RCA, 1978)
Another tragic loss to the ravages of time, Mick Mercer once referred to these kids as “lost Goth giants”, thereby contradicting his own earlier statement that the rise of Goth “can truthfully be traced only as far back as the rise of Bauhaus” (Mercer, The Gothic Rock Black Book, Omnibus Press, 1988).
Gloria Mundi started coming to public attention supporting early John Foxx-era Ultravox! James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-1391835316616853952011-03-27T00:24:00.000-07:002011-04-25T23:27:09.030-07:00Malaria! – Compiled 1981-1984 (Moabit Musik, 1991)
She gets around the German music scene does this Gudrun Gut lass.
From being a member of the original line up of the groundbreaking and highly influential industrial outfit Einsturzende Neubauten, she moved on to Mania D before forming Malaria!, an astonishing and brilliant all-girl project who’s early works defy easy classification.
This of course raises the question; if the style of James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-41359380607265166062011-03-08T04:26:00.000-08:002011-04-25T23:31:23.795-07:00Sisters of Mercy – First and Last and Always (Merciful Release / WEA, 1985)
And so, as promised, we return to The Sisters Saga, and indeed an album that along with Love by The Cult (Sire-1985) would prove pivotal in turning what had by now become known as “Goth” away from its earlier arty post-punk roots towards something decidedly more based in hard rock.
As discussed previously, The Sisters triumphant single Temple of Love (Merciful Release, 1983) had set the James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-60321783124362277662011-02-20T06:15:00.000-08:002011-04-25T23:36:12.933-07:00Southern Death Cult – Moya 12” (Situation Two – 1982)
If the only aspect of The Cult you’re familiar with is as the famous hard rock stadium act churning out MTV crowd pleasers like “Love Removal Machine” (Beggars Banquet, 1987), this might be a good time to sit down, because you’re in for something of a shock. The Cult as we know them today is nothing at all like their original incarnation as Southern Death Cult.
The history of Southern Death James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-45161571117097001942011-02-13T02:49:00.000-08:002011-04-25T23:39:57.041-07:00Inca Babies – This Train (Black Lagoon Records, 1986)
I actually own several Inca Babies albums, but This Train has always been my personal favourite. Thundering out of Manchester in 1982 (or was it 83? Their own official site is a bit unclear on this), Inca Babies were another of the bastard children unintentionally spawned by pervasive influence of The Birthday Party and other acts in the Psychobilly vein. C.P Lee, author of several books on the James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-73334554965754741472011-02-05T22:42:00.000-08:002011-12-30T22:40:12.448-08:00Garden of Delight – Blessed Minutes 7” (Moonlight Productions, 1984)
Wait. I know what you’re thinking - but we’re not talking about the much better known German Goth band that emerged in the early 90’s here.
What we have here is something much earlier, much more obscure, and from, of all places, Norway. Indeed, I must confess to having stumbled across them quite by accident on the net while looking for something entirely different.
Apparently one James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-37780271019187372882011-02-03T05:41:00.000-08:002011-04-25T23:52:30.155-07:00Clan of Xymox – Medusa (4AD, 1986)
Well, this is going to be a difficult one to cover since the band’s official sites, their Wikkipedia entry and Discogs.com entry don’t actually seem to be able to agree on any basic facts like dates and much information like who played what and when is simply absent.
Perhaps we can focus on what we do know and simply hope for the best?
Coming out of the Netherlands in 1983 (or 1981, depending James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-20673146674907120622011-01-24T07:05:00.000-08:002011-10-28T00:04:31.308-07:00Brigandage - Pretty Funny Thing EP (Gung Ho, 1986)
And so we come to Brigandage, once described as “the other half of the Positive Punk equation, the other half being Blood and Roses.” (I forget who said that – could it possibly have been that Mick Mercer chap?). Speaking of the mighty Mick, in The Gothic Rock Black Book (Mercer, Omnibus Press, 1988), he suggests the band may have originally been named Pistolian Brigandage, but I can’t find James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-82926917311894914572011-01-18T04:54:00.000-08:002011-04-26T00:19:41.209-07:00March Violets fundraiser a success!!!More great news on the reunion front as The March Violets announce that they’ve met their target pledge amount that will enable them to record a brand new album. Better still, having made a pledge myself, I now get a free download of the album and a T-shirt, which naturally makes me a very happy chappie.
Looks like they’re still accepting donations though, and they’ve still got lots of loot to James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-86397571500283364482011-01-16T20:18:00.000-08:002011-04-26T00:20:32.916-07:00Plunder the Tombs' New Facebook PageI know some folks can’t be bothered starting up a Google account just so they can follow their favourite blogs.
So to make life easy for you, I’ve started up a Plunder the Tombs page on Facebook. Just go to it, hit “Like” and you’ll receive a notification whenever this blog puts up something new.
Clicky!James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-82727176758545205402011-01-16T05:22:00.000-08:002011-04-26T00:22:09.582-07:00Psi Com – self titled EP (Mohini Records, 1985)
Another entry in the “before they were famous” category, Psi Com being the first band to feature the talents of Perry Farrell, later of Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros and Lollapalooza fame. Percussion was far from orthodox, utilizing hubcaps and car engine blocks as well as more conventional drums.
The self-titled EP was the only official release by Psi Com. Pressings were limited to 1500 James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-10156625543963226472011-01-12T08:22:00.000-08:002011-04-26T00:32:14.713-07:00Bauhaus – In The Flat Field (4AD-1980)
Seriously, what do you want me to say?The mere idea of trying to objectively review this one actually terrifies me beyond belief.
As with any scene, there is justifiable argument about where Goth started; Siouxsie, Joy Division, Gloria Mundi, Killing Joke, UK Decay and others all laid the groundwork, but it was Bauhaus with the deliberately toungue-in-cheek Bela Lugosi’s Dead (Small Wonder James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-82960074585759873312010-12-31T13:17:00.000-08:002012-01-13T22:52:29.786-08:00The Atrocity Exhibition (Plunder the Tombs, 2010)
A very happy new year to all of you who’ve visited Plunder the Tombs during its first four months of infancy.
And so, look what we have for you to kick off the new year – a free compilation documenting all (well, almost all) of the archeological discoveries so far uncovered.
To be honest, I’ve never tried doing something like this before, and hope like hell the download actuallyJames Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-85903205648051810792010-12-22T05:54:00.000-08:002011-01-03T07:50:07.804-08:00Specimen – Batastrophe EP (Sire Records, 1983)
It would be easy to ridicule Specimen if one was to approach them from the point of view of a serious music critic, but to take that stance would be to completely miss the point.
There was nothing profound or deeply artistic about Specimen, they were purely and simply a goth party band who made an artform out of campy tackiness with androgenous sexuality set to overdrive.
The origins of James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-16221810184108932232010-12-14T06:37:00.000-08:002011-03-10T02:28:47.681-08:00Kommunity FK – The Vision and The Voice (Independent Project Records, 1983)
Another trip on the Way-Back Machine, this time to Los Angeles 1978 where we find a young man, Patrick Mata becoming increasingly disenchanted with the LA punk scene. Heavily influenced by Bowie’s “Berlin period” and Dadaism, Patrick’s frustration with having no bands really reflecting what he and his clique were into led him and his girlfriend into developing a band of their own, despite their James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-6364807433717979852010-12-07T06:21:00.000-08:002010-12-28T03:43:19.332-08:00Clair Obscur – La Cassette Noir (Self-released, 1982)
For a band almost unnoticed outside of French arts circles, Clair Obscur has been a surprisingly prolific outfit over the many years of their on again-off again existence.
Much of their later material from throughout the late 80s and 90s remains easily obtainable through the wonderful world that is teh internetz. However, exposure to the experimental neo-classical music of their albums of thisJames Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-71377919815397525962010-11-26T22:13:00.000-08:002010-11-26T22:13:19.631-08:00The Danse Society Reborn!!!
Fantastic news – The Danse Society have reformed and are recording a new studio album for release in 2011.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-DANSE-SOCIETY-REFORMATION-PLOT/227357422417James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-27258058455983539292010-11-23T05:33:00.000-08:002010-11-23T06:17:27.053-08:00Sex Gang Children – Song And Legend (Illuminated, 1983)
Oh why Lordy me! It’s been absolutely years since I last listened to this, and now I can’t stop listening to it. The Song and Legend album stands as an excellent illustration of how listening to the original album is often a much more rewarding experience than best-of compilations. Thumping tribal drumbeats, Andi’s screaming strangled cat vocals, and lyrics that clearly demonstrate how at this James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-64945023775336799812010-11-16T03:33:00.000-08:002010-11-16T03:43:28.980-08:00Cold Dance – Medusa 7” (Xcentric Noise Records, 1985)
Easily the best thing about starting a blog project like this one is when I stumble upon something I missed the first time around that despite its obscurity turns out to be brilliant and happily, Cold Dance are one of these, sounding pleasingly like a more laid back English version of X-Mal Deutschland.
I must admit that my conception of UK geography is not my strongest suite, but I get the James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-56488955256568106282010-11-14T06:16:00.000-08:002010-11-14T07:57:08.655-08:00Diamanda Galas – Masque of the Red Death Trilogy (Mute Records, 1986-1988)
I interviewed Diamanda way back in 1992 as part of a two hour documentary spanning her career up to that point during which she vehemently denied having ever had anything to do with the Gothic movement or subculture, claiming that she thought it was something “bored kids do and that gothic had more to do with Edgar Allan Poe or something”. The obvious contradiction that here we have a trilogy James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-69266154992240428422010-11-07T01:30:00.001-07:002010-11-07T01:31:16.126-08:00Plege and support the new March Violets albumJames Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-91279726041966052582010-11-06T06:58:00.000-07:002010-11-06T22:56:52.941-07:00Burning Image 1983-1987, (Alternative Tentacles 2004)
Of course, the term “Deathrock” for most people most readily conjures up images of outfits like 45 Grave, Christian Death and Kommunity FK.
Burning Image rarely get a mention, and indeed have been largely lost to memory. It must be admitted that in many ways, the band must bear some responsibility for this by virtue of their sole release when they were originally around being the self-released James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-13407260952903381452010-10-30T06:52:00.000-07:002010-10-30T06:55:52.809-07:00Beast - Love in a Dying World 7”, (Amdusias, 1983)
The year is 1980 and guitarist Bryan Gregory has abruptly left The Cramps, reportedly absconding with not only his girlfriend Andrella but also with most of The Cramps’ stage equipment. It seems a strange move, as journo James Marshall would observe at the time;
“It’s hard to imagine The Cramps without Bryan, but it’s harder to imagine Bryan without The Cramps. Where does a human reject from a James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-77162303638481666712010-10-24T02:24:00.000-07:002010-10-25T06:16:53.789-07:00Siouxsie and the Banshees – Juju (Polydor, 1981)
As bands being covered on this blog go, they don’t come much bigger than Siouxsie and the Banshees, all the more impressive for a girl who started out life as a hanger-on with the Sex Pistols, and part of a social clique that would become known through the writings of journalist Caroline Coon as “The Bromley Contingent” and which also included a very young Mr Billy Idol who would go on to form James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-59651002650820261332010-10-18T06:06:00.000-07:002010-10-18T07:34:04.146-07:00Ausgang – The Teachings of Web 12” EP (Criminal Damage Records, 1984)
Yesss….Strong with The Birthday Party this one is - hmmmmmmmm.
Needless to say, Ausgang were one of a number of first generation Goth bands to be heavily influenced by the early doings of Nick Cave and his cohorts.
Beginning life in an earlier incarnation as Kabuki they released a solitary 7” “I am a Horse” / “My Hair” (Kabaret Noir, 1982) before deciding a name change was in order and that James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-47530725938467297622010-10-12T06:07:00.000-07:002010-10-12T08:42:03.657-07:00Children’s Hour – Flesh 12” (Flying Nun Records, 1983)
Thanks to my good friend (and occasionally steadying rudder) Lightning Baltimore for showing this to me. You’ll find a link to his excellent and eclectic blog Lightning Jukebox in my bloglist below.
Considering that the prime exposure to New Zealand throughout my life has been Murray Ball’s cartoon strip “Footrot Flats” it’s probably unsurprising that the idea of New Zealand Goths conjures up James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-70353047848647585112010-10-09T08:36:00.000-07:002010-10-10T00:33:56.745-07:00Positive Punk -The South of Watford Documentary (ITV, 1983)When I started this blog I always considered it as much a labour of love or a museum exhibition as a research project. In that sense, it seems relevant to look at this attempt at a documentary, although I’m very unclear it adds anything of actual worth, its real value being as an artifact of a bygone era rather than anything genuinely informative.
Music journalist Mick Mercer first bought it to James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-86933179348528812222010-10-08T21:11:00.000-07:002010-10-08T23:34:19.524-07:00March Violets – Religious as Hell 7” (Merciful Release, 1982)
Along with The Sisters of Mercy, Skeletal Family and Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, The March Violets were yet another outfit from the hub of the Gothic universe that was Leeds in the early 80s.
Shamelessly nicked from Stylusmagazine.com
Religious as Hell was their first single, issued through The Sisters’ own label Merciful Release with the two bands often sharing gigs before The March Violets James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-72883121967978839262010-10-05T06:44:00.000-07:002010-10-09T02:51:39.695-07:00K.U.K.L. – The Eye (Crass Records, 1984)
It seems inconceivable that this little Icelandic number has been almost completely lost to obscurity, not least because it’s quite brilliant in its own right, but also because its primary vocalist was a young lady named Björk Guðmundsdóttir who years later would of course go on to become one of the most famous artists in alternative music.
“Kukl” is Icelandic for “sorcery” or “witchcraft” and James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-51590723421714387722010-10-03T04:57:00.000-07:002011-07-24T00:39:04.450-07:00Fur Bible – Plunder the Tombs 7”/12” (New Rose Records, 1985)
It seems only fair to cover Fur Bible here if for no other reason than that it is from their song “Plunder the Tombs” that this blog takes its name.
Formed by Kid “Congo” Powers and Patricia Morrison on leaving The Gun Club and relocating to London, Fur Bible was a short-lived affair producing only a single and a 12” both sharing the same title. Considering the relative obscurity of the James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-83324455654762096552010-10-01T04:57:00.000-07:002010-10-01T04:57:21.502-07:00The Danse Society – Seduction EP (Society Records, 1982)
Ahhh, The Danse Society – at the time perceived as the most accessible of the new post-punk breed, so much was made of them, and disappointingly, so little of this expectation was realised.
Having released “Clock” and “There is no Shame In Death” and other lesser singles, the band led with the six track Seduction EP as their first “big” release. Opening with “Godsend”, a track that vocally was James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-23045945183001026762010-09-28T05:27:00.000-07:002010-09-29T03:52:23.632-07:00Bone Orchard – Jack (Jungle Records, 1984)Exploding out of Brighton, the five piece Bone Orchard were one of the many early Goth outfits owing a massive debt to the musical legacy left behind by the Birthday Party.
The Jack LP however, represents something quite different from their releases before (Stuffed to the Gills EP - Jungle Records, 1983) or since (Penthouse Poultry - Vax Records, 1985). The Birthday Party influence is still James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-36699573168758530212010-09-26T04:03:00.000-07:002010-09-26T06:13:20.232-07:00Belfegore – A Dog Is Born (Pure Freud, 1983)
Well, this is refreshingly different.
Belfegore began life in Dusseldorf as a part of the Neue Deutsche Welle (German New Wave) movement in 1982. A Dog is Born represented the debut for this German outfit and a wildly divergent album it would prove to be, ranging from the relatively straight-forward Goth sound of “Glashaus”, through the surprisingly upbeat and poppy “Herz Atmetr Echos”, the James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-85296933309912624962010-09-24T03:58:00.000-07:002010-10-04T04:31:26.787-07:00And Also the Trees – And Also The Trees (Reflex Records, 1984)
And Also The Trees are a band most people tend to hear little about although they apparently possess a huge cult following.
Formed in Worstershire in 1979, the band quickly developed a strong relationship with The Cure, and started out life as their support act with early demos and a single (Shantell-Future Records, 1983) being produced by The Cure’s drummer / keyboardist Lol Tolhurst.
Their James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-85286063936106471122010-09-23T08:32:00.000-07:002010-09-24T22:32:38.170-07:00The Sisters of Mercy – Body Electric (CNT Productions, 1982)
From the tone of this blog it could easily be inferred that I have a major axe to grind with The Sisters, but nothing could be further from the truth. They were after all, the band that introduced me to Goth, and a group I’ve loved ever after first seeing Patricia Morrison astride that huge black horse in the video for “Dominion”.
Of course, responsibility ultimately rests with them for James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-81082939998685426122010-09-21T09:02:00.000-07:002012-01-14T23:59:39.239-08:00UK Decay – Rising From the Dread EP (Corpus Christie, 1982)
These days, it’s a popular misconception to attribute “Goth” as having its raw seeds sown in the (presumably flat) field of Bauhaus. Lost in the mists of time though is that Luton’s UK Decay actually beat Bauhaus to the post with their first single, a split with local punk outfit Pneumania (Plastic Records, 1979) preceding Bela Lugosi is Dead by the narrowest of margins and then repeating James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-39801675305570188702010-09-19T08:56:00.000-07:002010-10-09T23:38:40.180-07:00Blood and Roses – Enough is Never Enough (Audiodrome Records, 1985)
Naming themselves after an old vampire flick based on Sheridan le Fanu’s Carmilla, Blood and Roses were destined to become the great lost Goth band that never was.
First coming to major attention in the British musical press along with Brigandage around 1983, the band suffered from too much attention too soon, hitting the front page of NME at a time when the only thing they’d ever officially James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-50489783993035833692010-09-18T06:17:00.000-07:002012-01-18T01:14:19.605-08:00Danielle Dax – Jesus Egg That Wept (Awesome Records, 1984)
It goes without saying that Danielle Dax’s early works are very strange by any measure. The mini-album Jesus Egg That Wept represents her second solo effort after her earlier project, the experimental post-punk of The Lemon Kittens had ground to a halt. A much more coherent effort than the very eccentric Pop Eyes (Initial Records, 1983) that had proceeded it, and as such, constitutes much James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-52973203166586337202010-09-17T03:23:00.000-07:002010-09-17T22:47:09.819-07:00Gene Loves Jezebel – Promise (Situation Two, 1983)
I first encountered Gene Loves Jezebel in 1990 when they were performing their very MTV-friendly “Jealous”, so it was quite the little mind-fuck to discover a few years later that back in the day they’d been a band right at the cutting edge of early Goth.
Formed by the identical twin Aston brothers Jay and Michael, the band began in 1980, and released their first single, the individualistic andJames Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-59265225110430342752010-09-15T09:47:00.000-07:002010-09-17T09:54:44.434-07:00Ritual – Mind Disease 7” (Red Flame, 1982) / Kangaroo Court 12” (Red Flame, 1983)
Starting up in ’79 gives Ritual undeniable status as one of the first bands in the post punk movement to have begun venturing into the dark places that would become Goth. Journalist Mick Mercer speaks highly of them albeit briefly – a shame really, because other available information is scarce indeed. These two singles represent the only official releases by the band although a demo tape and a James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-45074862303840009752010-09-14T05:35:00.000-07:002010-09-15T10:24:51.255-07:00The Vyllies –Lilith (Out of Tune/Fun After All, 1986)
That this Swiss all female three piece has somehow been overlooked by history seems inexcusable. Named after the wilis of Slavic folklore, spectres of betrothed girls who have died before their wedding night, the band began life with two early EPs, an eponymous debut in 1984 containing the very Goth-pop "Purple Gorilla" and Velvet Tales in 1985, before following with their first full length James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-78818366094600823372010-09-13T05:49:00.000-07:002010-10-04T04:39:07.626-07:0045 Grave – Sleep in Safety (Enigma, 1983)
Having formed as far back as 1979 gives the enigmatically named 45 Grave a legitimate claim to being one of the earliest, if not the earliest, acts on the LA Deathrock scene. Sleep in Safety represents their only full-length studio release although proceeded by the Black Cross single back in 1981.
Sleep in Safety and its accompanying EP Phantoms were substantially slower than the band’s other James Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-59609635622704738652010-09-12T02:42:00.000-07:002010-09-30T23:34:05.232-07:00Into a Circle – Assassins (Abstract Records, 1988)
Formed by Bee (aka: Paul Hampshire) and Barry Jepson escaping from the short-lived Getting the Fear (in itself formed from the ashes of Southern Death Cult) in 1985, Into a Circle never really attained the recognition they deserved. Sometimes known as In Two a Circle, or even In2a0, Assassins was the only full length album they ever recorded, ostensibly released in 1988 but in actuality, most ofJames Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540354062724293992.post-7621466655225450202010-09-11T02:28:00.000-07:002010-09-17T02:31:50.471-07:00X-Mal Deutschland – Fetisch (4AD 1983)
Originally an all-female outfit from Germany, X-Mal had already released two singles"Großstadtindianer" and the cult favourite “Incubus Succubus” and shed a member in favour of Wolfgang Ellerbrock on bass by the time they released this, their debut album in 1983. Forever compared to a darker version of Siouxsie and the Banshees, X-Mal were propelled by Anja’s droning vocals and Fiona Sangster’sJames Von Sutekhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17413453557540467548noreply@blogger.com1