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JOHN ROBB – In Conversation & Book Signing – ‘The Art of Darkness – The History Of Goth’
April 20, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm
$10
JOHN ROBB – In Conversation & Book Signing – ‘The Art of Darkness – The History Of Goth’
7:30pm Thursday 20th April – Bedford Esquires
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.
Starting with a night out in a Goth club, it then takes us on a deep-dive into the wider culture, exploring the social conditions that created ‘Goth’ in the post-punk period. Robb explains his overview: “It then takes us on a deep-dive into the wider culture with the goths sacking Ancient Rome, 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 host for the evening will be Jason Foster who will be conducting the initial Q & A before opening the night up to the audience. Jason has previously played in loads of bands in and around Bedford over the last 30 years and possesses a great musical knowledge, Jason previously hosted the fantastic evening with Don Letts at the venue back in 2021.
‘The Art Of Darkness. The History Of Goth’ is coming out March, 24 via Louder Than War Books. Available for Pre-order get your SIGNED copy ahead of the event for the definitive deep-dive into the dark side! The books will also be on sale at the event for an additional signing after the Q&A.
The event is unreserved seating limited to 80 tickets and there will be some additional barside standing. Tickets priced £10 are on sale on Monday 16th January from Seetickets and are available in person from Esquires Bar & Slide Record Shop from Friday 20th January
‘The Art Of Darkness is an absolute triumph – vivid, insightful and witty’
– The Wee Review –