John Robb in Conversation, The Art Of Darkness [History Of Goth]

SBD and Spiral Archive presents

JOHN ROBB IN CONVERSATION

Wednesday April 19th

JOHN ROBB – In Conversation & Book Signing

‘The Art of Darkness – The History Of Goth’

Hosted by Alex Novak [Venus Fly Trap / Blitz]

John Robb’s new book 'The Art Of Darkness - The History Of Goth’ is a 650 page deep dive of goth music, culture and history.

‘It’s great, passionate, properly informed stuff,’ Jeremy Allen (Record Collector, the Quietus, Electronic Sound).

‘The Art Of Darkness is an absolute triumph – vivid, insightful and witty’ - The Wee Review

As a journalist, TV presenter, and frontman of 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 Art Of Darkness. The History Of Goth’ is out March 24th via Louder Than War Books. Available for order now, get your SIGNED copy ahead of this evening from

https://membranes.bandcamp.com/merch/the-art-of-darkness-the-history-of-goth-john-robb-signed

The book can alternatively be purchased at the event.

Unreserved limited seating, plus standing at the back.

@ The Black Prince

15 Abington Square, Northampton NN1 4AE

Doors 7.30pm

The venue is 16+ [under 18s to be accompanied by a legal guardian]

The multi-story St Michael's car park [entrance on St. Michael's Road, exit on Abington Square] is a 40 second walk from The Black Prince