My personal blog as a 'grown-up' Goth and Romantic living in the Highlands of Scotland. I write about the places I go, the things I see and my thoughts on life as a Goth and the subculture, and things in the broader realm of the Gothic and darkly Romantic. Sometimes I write about music I like and sometimes I review things. This blog often includes architectural photography, graveyards and other images from the darker side of life.

Goth is not just about imitating each other, it is a creative movement and subculture that grew out of post-punk and is based on seeing beauty in the dark places of the world, the expression of that in Goth rock. It looks back to the various ways throughout history in which people have confronted and explored the macabre, the dark and the taboo, and as such I'm going to post about more than the just the standards of the subculture (Siouxsie, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, et al) and look at things by people who might not consider themselves anything to do with the subculture, but have eyes for the dark places. The Gothic should not be limited by what is already within it; inspiration comes from all places, the key is to look with open eyes, listen carefully and think with an open mind..

Wednesday, 22 February 2012

30 Day Goth Challenge, Day 5

Is there a local Goth band in my area? Quite simply, no. In Inverness there's a venue called The Ironworks that hosts a few small (but good) metal and alternative/indie bands, but I don't think there's a local Goth band in terms of a band with a sound similar to that of the 1980s Goth bands. I don't live in Inverness itself,  and am quite rural. Inverness, while designated a city, is not very big, and I've been to plenty of towns that are larger. The Highlands of Scotland are quite rural, on the whole, and mountainous. It does attract a lot of artists, musicians and creative types because there's a certain peace in its wild nature - it's not the sort of bustling place full of mundane distractions, and there's always something beautiful happening as even the weather is interesting to look at.
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6 comments:

  1. App'y22 February 2012 at 08:20

    Way back in the 1980's I worked for a short time at the Ice Rink in Inverness, I believe sometime after that they used to have some medium sized bands that toured the north. otherwise what about the Avimore Centre, PS does that still exist ?

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    1. The HouseCat22 February 2012 at 08:44

      Do you mean the shopping precinct opposite the Tesco in Aviemore? There's a couple of cafes and bars there, and there's the Vault nightclub by the (recently re-landscaped) river area. The Osprey Arena occasionally gets decent vaguely Goth stuff - it had Vampires Rock recently and is a large enough venue. There's still Thunder in the Glens (Harley festival) at the MacDonald Resort in Aviemore - I went there last time :D Apparently there was an attempt at a Goth festival in Aviemore back in 2007.

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    2. The HouseCat22 February 2012 at 08:46

      Emilie Autumn is coming to Glasgow, and to London. I will be in Scotland while she's in England, and in England while she's in Scotland... just my luck!

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    3. App'y22 February 2012 at 10:38

      Avimore sounds diffarant to the last time I saw it 20- odd years ago.

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    4. The HouseCat22 February 2012 at 10:46

      Large swathes of the town look like they're less than 10yrs old, so that's probably true. There's a few nice Victorian buildings, and some mid 20thC housing, but a lot of what's there now is rather modern. They're still building some large projects. I don't tend to go to Aviemore much - a bit of a train-journey - but it's VERY tourism focused now, especially stuff to do with hiking, skiing and snowboarding. Last time I was in Aviemore was because it was en route to the dog sled races.

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  2. Nightwind22 February 2012 at 08:21

    To the best of my knowledge there are no Goth bands in my area either. There used to be venues here that hosted weekly and then monthly Goth nights, and both bands and DJs came here to participate, but no more.

    Still, we have an active metal scene in town and there's a big show coming up in mid March. The excitement is already building.

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