The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle

[danny_e11]

Yep, back from my first ever Whitby - I did say they'd have to book me to play for me to go there, and this year they did, so I kinda had no choice really

Comments

[alterred]

Welcome to Whitby! Please leave your soul and talent at the cloakroom on the way in.

;D

[caveynik]

I agree with a lot of what you say there mate.....Stick with Europe I say! ;-)

[danny_e11]

Oh, but make no mistake - there's plenty bad things about the other countries and festivals too - it's only when you live somewhere that you fully appreciate the crapness of things, after all. But nonetheless yeah, on average German festivals are better at this moment in time - it wasn't always so, back in the 90s when Sacrosant was on NOTHING could come even close to that, but sadly those days are gone...

[jud_niggli]

Rararararara....rantrantrant!(quite true though)
It was fun nevertheless, wasn't it ;-)and the bestest breakfast in England.

[danny_e11]

yep, the brekkie alone was good enough reason to go, I'll give you that (though they didnt have black budding, which is BAD) ;-)

[danny_e11]

err, make that black PUdding even, not sure what a black budding is ;-)

[djpsyche]

I'm sure it's more palatable than a black pudding!

Agreed re: the wankers who go to Whitby and don't even buy a ticket. For me the worst wankers aren't the ones who go to get dressed up twice a year, they're the ones who go simply to get trashed for three days, as if they couldn't (and don't) just do this in London?? For the small town people, sure, have at it, but do catch a band or two while you're at it eh?

[omnisppot]

Carter? So that'll be a live gig with no live music then ;-p

[danny_e11]

see that's the thing - I know (most) goths like to dress up, but like I said when I got into the goth scene (a LOOONG time ago, admittedly) nobody would have accepted or admitted that clothes came before the music... and that's the way it should have stayed IMO; without the music there would have never been any scene in the first place after all

[omnisppot]

I've seen them twice - first ime was 16 years ago and they sang live, second time was 12 years ago and they mimed. Can't speak for what they do now

[danny_e11]

I don't (have a problem with people enjoying themselves), I just fail to see what dressing up in all sorts of costumes (the smurf and pink fluffy bear are the most extreme examples, but whether they looked good or not, goth or not is besides the point) has to do with a music festival, that's all. And like I said I thought the goth scene, like all other subcultures born between the early 70s and the mid/late-90s, was a music scene BEFORE and MUCH MORE THAN anything else - I'm obviously wrong now, though I know for a fact that it once was.

I guess what I'm saying is that the 2 events (music festival and fancy dress weekend) might as well be completely separate and held on different dates, so the 2 sets of people wouldnt get in each other's way and (presumably) both would have more fun.

[dj__twisted]

I have never been to Whitby, but I guess I would feel the same way about it you do. I think I may be going in April next year

[danny_e11]

When I got to an Art-Rock event I expect to hear Art-Rock. When I go to a Punk event I expect to hear Punk. When I go to a Folk event I expect to hear Folk. When I go to a Drum & Bass event I expect to hear Drum & Bass. When I go to an Experimental Electronica event I expect to hear Experimental Electronica. And the funny thing is, when you tap into those scenes you find they do exactly what they say on the tin. Ronseal like.

Sadly when I go to Goth events I tend to find the opposite.

Yep, totally with you on this one.

[dj__twisted]

Problem is expressing this kind of view gets you branded as a musical elitist.

As if that is a bad thing!

I am quite happy for nights to experiment. I am not going to get upset by a Goth night playing early Wire, or Ultravox! or Magazine. I am not a huge fan of Mid 80's onwards Goth Rock, but at least it makes sense as a development of Goth's Punk and Post-Punk roots. I don't mind minimal industrial or minimal EBM, there are some musical links there after all.

But Hard Dark Trance and in particular Heavy Metal strike me as the opposite of Goth as a musical direction. I don't go to Metal Nights, request the Southern Death Cult and then get grumpy when people won't accept me as a Metaler. I don't go to Psy-Trance nights and ask for early Killing Joke and get mopey when folks don't get my music.

So why the flying fnark do these people turn up at Goth nights and why do people pander to them? I have good friends who enjoy these genres and more, but they are quite happy to enjoy them in their own scenes.

[danny_e11]

yet again, totally with you - I love all sorts of music, my only caveat is that it has to be guitar-based (I accept it's a limitation but hey, that's what I like), tomorrow night I'm going to see Carter USM and look forward to it tremendously, my 'gig of the year' for 2006 was Madness and the year before Psychedelic Furs... hardly any of the above can be classed as goth, and you are much more likely to find Billy Bragg or The Clash than The Sisters of Mercy (who are still one of my fave bands, mind) in my stereo these days. But when I go to an event that's labelled as Goth I don't expect to hear any of those, or complain that they never play them.

Oh well, we are a minority it seems - I accept that, things change, but what gets me is that people call me elitist/snobbish when I say I'm NOT a goth: I'm sorry, if goth is what it is today (and based on sheer numbers that's what it is) I am certainly not one, and probably never was!