The Art of Darkness: A History of Goth

In Conversation with John Robb

Thursday 13 April, 7.30pm

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Join us as we celebrate the publication of The Art of Darkness: A History of Goth written by John Robb and released via Louder Than War Books.

 

The Minister of Counter Culture and post punk warlord, John Robb is a multi-faceted creature of the night and day. A leading UK music writer where he invented the term ‘Britpop’ and was the first person to interview Nirvana he now runs the Louder Than War website - one of ten biggest music and culture sites in the UK. He is also a musician, TV personality and Eco activist. John will be in conversation with former Planet X DJ, Marc Jones.

 

The Art Of Darkness - The History Of Goth is the first major and only complete comprehensive overview of Goth music and culture and its lasting legacy. Starting with a night out in a Goth club it then goes on a deep dive around the culture.  It explores the context that created it in the post-punk period and also spans the fall of Rome, Lord Byron and the romantic poets, European folk tales, Gothic architecture and painters, and the occult to the modern Instagram influencers.

 

The book is built mainly around the post-punk Goth period with many interviews including the Banshees, Bauhaus, Danielle Dax, Robert Smith, Andrew Eldritch, Adam And The Ants, John Cale, The Damned, Xmal Deutschland, Einsturzende Neubauten, Laibach, Pam Hogg 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 the gigs and clubs that made the scene happen.

 

John is also in the acclaimed post punk band, Membranes and has written the best-selling books, Punk Rock - An Oral History, and The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop. He has also created the Eco Education scheme - The Green Britain Academy and runs the Louder Than Words literary festival and is a key driver in projects to change the fortunes of Blackpool and Stoke and several other northern cities. 

 

Books will be on sale at the event, and the in-conversation is followed by a book-inspired DJ set by Marc Jones in the Star Café.

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Our Star Café-Bar will be open from 6.30pm.

 

All tickets £8 (books sold separately)

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Please note, our museum galleries are closed during events.    

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