Deathrock.com - The Home of creepy rock and roll. Gothic Punk Dark Alternative Horror Rock, music reviews, interviews, features, photos and news.

  • Black Tango

    Location: San Diego

    Active: 1981 – 1987

    A very early gothic band from San Diego active in the 1980s. After punk band Fifth Column split up, members Tamara Henry on vocals and Jeffrey Hamblin with drum programming, guitar and piano formed Black Tango as a two piece band. They present a Cocteau Twins/4AD-Blood & Roses sound with cascading, dissonant guitar, primary over drum-machine, though towards the end of their run they incorporated live drums.

    Scott Blackstone, on loan from Forbidden Chant joined them on bas for a Wall of Voodoo gig in 1982, followed by Shane Flanery. Charles Cole of The Brood stepped joined on a more permanent basis in 1983, when they released the ‘Sequel Avalanche Ritual’ cassette EP. They supported Sex Gang Children in Los Angeles later that year. 1984 however saw little activity from the band and they were essentially split up until reviving in 1985, including a supporting gig with The Jesus & Mary Chain.

    Their seven track album ‘Maggots in the Icing’ was released on cassette in 1986. Following that, Peter ZO and Matthew Rabe joined as drummers replacing the synthetic percussion. Unfortunately that October, they played their final gig. In 1987 they came to an end.

    The Black Tango track ‘Ritual’ appeared on the 1983 ‘Our Blow Out’ compilation from Slow Death Cassettes. Also appearing on that various artists tape is 5051, Battalion Of Saints and a slew of other punk bands from that scene. 5051 played with Cramps and Christian Death in 1981, and Battalion of Saints were a thrash hardcore band with a significantly sinister bent that often lent them towards appearing with deathrock and gothic bands.

    ‘Maggots in the Icing’ was reissued in 2013 by Normal Heights Records. That year also invited them to a reunion performance at iconic San Diego venue Casbah for its 25 year anniversary.

    Links:

    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/2903827-Black-Tango

    BandCamp: https://blacktango.bandcamp.com/album/maggots-in-the-icing

    Related: Fifth Column, Forbidden Chant, The Brood, Wall of Voodoo, Sex Gang Children, 5051, Battalion Of Saints, Tamara Henry, Jeffrey Hamblin, Scott Blackstone, Shane Flanery, Charles Cole, Peter ZO, Matthew Rabe, San Diego, Our Blow Out

    This profile is in development. Contributions?

  • Sex Gang Children

    Location: London, England

    Active: 1982 – 1984

    Formed in 1982, London and one of the original bands to fly the term ‘gothic’ as a banner, Sex Gang Children’s unique sound helped define the broad reach and playful, experimental nature of the genre. They were a formative element in the legendary London Batcave club, with bands like Specimen, Alien Sex Fiend and Ausgang. They were initially called Panic Button, while the name Sex Gang Children taken from a Burroughs poem, was intended by Malcom McClaren for Bow Wow Wow, but subverted by Boy George after leaving them, but dropped it in favor of the more record-deal friendly name, Culture Club. He left the provocative band name where Andi Sex Gang could pick it up, and the rest is history.

    Andi Sex Gang (vocals), Dave Roberts (bass), Terry McLeay (guitar), Rob Stroud (drums) were the initial lineup, though Nigel Preston and Ray Mondo served on drums after the first album, both of whom left in turn to play in Southern Death Cult’s second iteration, Death Cult, shortly before becoming The Cult. Cam Campbell replaced Dave Roberts, and the band became Andi Sex Gang and the Quick Gas Gang.

    Dave Roberts joined the lineup again in 1991 for a reunion and the Medea album. He also was responsible for putting together the classic Whip compilation LP in 1983 with bands like Blood And Roses, Brilliant, Play Dead, Slave Drive, Dave Vanian of The Damned, and others.

    Andi Sex Gang, alongside a solo career, still performs as Sex Gang Children from time to time.

    Links:

    Official: https://www.sexgangchildren.com

    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/101640-Sex-Gang-Children

    BandCamp: https://liberationlondon.bandcamp.com

    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Gang_Children

    Related: Specimen, Alien Sex Fiend, Ausgang, Panic Button, Bow Wow Wow, Boy George, Culture Club, Southern Death Cult’s second iteration, Death Cult, shortly before becoming The Cult, Andi Sex Gang and the Quick Gas Gang, Blood And Roses, Brilliant, Play Dead, Slave Drive, The Damned, Andi Sex Gang, Dave Roberts, Terry McLeay, Rob Stroud, Nigel Preston, Ray Mondo, Cam Campbell, Dave Vanian, London, Batcave, The Whip Compilation

    This profile is in development. Contributions?

  • Death Cult

    Location: London, UK

    Active: 1983 – 1984

    Transitioning from Southern Death Cult in April of 1983, by January the next year they would formally be known simply as The Cult. Taking Bass player Jamie Stewart and Drummer Ray Mondo of the early gothic band Ritual and former members of Theatre Of Hate Billy Duffy and also Nigel Preston who soon replaced Ray Mondo

    They released two brilliant EPs, later collected on full length albums in 1988 and ‘Ghost Dance’ in 1996. In 2023 the Cult resurrected Death Cult for limited live performances.

    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/271349-Death-Cult

    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cult

    Related: Southern Death Cult, The Cult, Ritual, Sex Gang Children, Theatre Of Hate, Ian Astbury, Billy Duffy, Jamie Stewart, Ray Mondo, Nigel Preston, London

    This profile is in development. Contributions?

  • Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

    Location: Leeds, UK

    Active: 1981 – 1991, 2003

    Nature/sound

    Formed in Leeds by Chris Reed, Mark Sweeney, Steve Smith and Mick Brown in 1981. Under the name The Lorries, they released the‘Crawling Mantra’ EP. They broke up in 1991. Reunited briefly in 2003

    Links:

    Official: https://www.red-lorry-yellow-lorry.com/

    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/146588-Red-Lorry-Yellow-Lorry

    BandCamp: https://redlorryyellowlorry.bandcamp.com/

    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lorry_Yellow_Lorry

    Related: The Lorries, Leeds

    This profile is in development. Contributions?

  • Reality Control

    Location: Newcastle, England

    Active: 1983 – 1984

    Taking their name from Orwell’s novel 1984, Reaity Control are dark anarcho punk, formed in Newcastle, England. The lineup of Ken Fawcett, Paul ‘Rid’ Ridley, Michael Barlow and Michael Scott was on the 1983 ‘The Reproduction Of Hate’ single released by record shop chain and label, Volume Records (primarily outputting Toy Dolls catalog) with a demo cassette that same year. In 1984, they were on a split flexi 7” with Blood Robots featuring the track ‘Tears of Blood’, and yet another self released cassette with Carl Craig joining on vocals. James Murphy of peer band Alternative is also attributed to membership. A retrospective compilation was released in 2013 by Antisociety Records.

    For 20 years the ‘Hell Farm’ track was a Radio Ghoul School favorite, though it remained an unidentified tune ripped from a handmade mixtape. Prior to the prominence of YouTube and Discogs.com, and more importantly, the fantastic book on England’s anarcho punk scene ‘The Day The Country Died’ by Ian Glasper, identifying rare demo casette tracks was a specialized and often doomed pursuit.

    Links:

    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/317228-Reality-Control

    Related: Blood Robots, Alternative, Anarcho, Newcastle, England

    This profile is in development. Contributions?

  • Danse Society

    Location: Barnsley, England

    Active: 1980 – 1986

    Danse Society

    One of the best combinations of synthwave and postpunk, without the sterility of other bands that spearheaded the electronic dance music genre. Like Human League, and Gary Numan before them, they had a clear direction towards synthesizer based music but with a darker, tragic romantic motif.

    Early incarnations of the band began with names like Y and Danse Crazy. Original lineup of Steve Rawlings, Paul Nash, Lyndon Scarfe, Tim Wright, released primarily on their own Society Records label. The band ended in 1986. Various lineups consisting of some original members (now all left or deceased) sans original singer Steve Rawlings reformed in 2011 with instead a female vocalist.

    Related: Danse Crazy, Y, Johnny In The Clouds, Society, Steve Rawlings, Paul Nash, Lyndon Scarfe, Tim Wright, Barnsley, England

    Official: https://thedansesociety.co.uk

    BandCamp: https://dansesociety.bandcamp.com

    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Danse_Society

    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/104174-The-Danse-Society

    This profile is in development. Contributions?

  • BIRTH!

    Location: Denver, Colorado

    Active: 2008-2010

    The solo project of Douglas Halbert (founding member of Radio Scarlet) utilizing samplers, mutilated electronic backing tracks and a boundless energy to below forth aggressive distorted sonic poetry.  A regular on the Drop Dead festival circuit and for a time based in Los Angeles. Released ‘This Head Is For Burning’ in 2009 and ‘I Will’ in 2010. Douglas Halbert passed away in 2022.

    Links:

    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/1285620-Birth!

    BandCamp: https://realiciderex.bandcamp.com/album/i-will

    Related: Radio Scarlet, Denver

    This profile is in development. Contributions?

  • Braineaters

    Location: New York

    Active: 1986 – 1989

    Gothic punk from New York in the mid 1980s. Joe Truck (formerly of Chop Shop and Scare Crow, later Snakecharmers, more recently of Drezden in Northern California) and Damien after he split from Glen Danzig’s post Misfits band, Samhain.

    They released a single 7” and a casette in 1986. In 2022 a retrospective compilation was released, followed by a brief reformation in 2024 by Joe Truck before forming Drezden.

    Links:

    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/6423740-Brain-Eaters-3

    BandCamp: https://braineaterspunk.bandcamp.com

    Related: Chop Shop and Scare Crow, Snakecharmers, Samhain, Drezden, Joe Truck, Damien, New York

    This profile is in development. Contributions?

  • Asylum Party

    Location:

    Active:

    Nature/sound

    Formation, members (related)

    Releases

    Notable accomplishments (compilations, films, offshoots, collaborations etc)

    Disbandment/reformings

    Links:

    Official: 

    Discogs:

    BandCamp:

    Wikipedia:

    Related: groups, members, location, compilations

    Video: documentary, outstanding live

  • The Fact

    Location: Germany

    Active:

    ‘Always There’ 1986

    Nature/sound

    Formation, members (related)

    Releases

    Notable accomplishments (compilations, films, offshoots, collaborations etc)

    Disbandment/reformings

    Links:

    Official: 

    Discogs:

    BandCamp:

    Wikipedia:

    Related: groups, members, location, compilations

    Video: documentary, outstanding live

    This profile is in development. Contributions?