came across this persons tiktok account and they’re claiming you can’t be goth if you don’t dress the part, even if you listen to the music ??? is this not nonsense? (Edit: I don’t use reddit often, so sorry that this was an annoying post. I wasn’t asking genuinely, more rehotorically because I’m in disbelief people like this exist haha.)

I've been collecting records for about 16 years and just this past couple years expanding my Goth selection. Bands in my selection so far: Deceits, Twin Tribes, Obskuros, Mouth Ulcers, Dark Chisme, She Past Away, TRAITRS, Ploho, The Kentucky Vampires, Bauhaus, Joy Division, Mochat Doma, The Cure, London After Midnight, HIM, The Sisters Of Mercy, and Elvira!

Darkwave acts French Police (Post Punk, Chicago) & Social Order (Synthpop, Las Vegas) played live at Charlotte, NC’s Neighborhood Theater in September 2026. Ash Reminisce took photos and reviewed the show for Charlotte Dark Scene.

This post isn't blaming anyone, I just wrote it to put the bigot infiltration into perspective so that we can prevent it from getting worse now.

Please read before commenting and listen to the experiences of the people directly affected/concerned by these situations. Listening and understanding are the ingredients to create safe spaces, so please refrain from calling bigots "fake goths", because:

1. This doesn't solve the fact that they are still among us.
2. Not recognising the issue prevents us from enacting any positive change.
3. This argument inadvertedly shuts down POC speaking up about their experiences with racism in goth spaces.

That being said, I have never seen anyone talk about this and I think we are at a great moment to do some retrospection.

MAGA goths are a thing now, but the subculture has been infiltrated and INFLUENCED by white supremacists over the decades, and I refer to honest to god nazis.

"Parfrey was co-editing the art magazine EXIT with George Petros. (Petros would go on to co-edit the 1990s music magazine Seconds, and become a contributing editor at the art magazine Juxtapoz and senior editor at the goth magazine Propaganda.)"

EXIT was a nazi magazine and I am not linking it here to not make it available, but is incredibly easy to find online. Also, it is super easy to find nazi symbols in Propaganda magazine, like the Combat 18 logo (a Totenkopf) on the covers, which looks worse with this context.

I know that the awful iconography was pretty trendy in alternative circles as a shock marketing strategy, but hiring people with a history of working in explicitly racist media is at the very least suspicious. Not to mention how this kind of "satire" makes any non white person feel really unsafe in alternative spaces.

None of this is new

Next Sunday in Birmingham... and it's a matinee!

A guy just said to me "I thought you were more goth" when I told him my fav song isn't a goth one. Clarification: Of course I really enjoy goth music; Tenochtitlan, Slice of Life, and Red Right Hand (though I heard he's not goth, I dunno) are some of my favorites! But still my fav is one from a non-goth band 'cause it was part of my "weird kid" childhood and adolescence.

I'm kinda new, I've only been in the scene for almost a year because I'm just now discovering my identity, so those comments sting a little as a baby bat, although I don't blame him, he thinks that gothic subculture was based solely on appearance.

¿What do you think about that? I don't know, those comments make me feel a little strange even though I know that I identify with and feel comfortable in the subculture and it's music, ideology, art, literature, etc, I actually feel less.

Good day to whoever is reading this btw 🖤

When Joy Division started they were considered goth pioneers. Of course this changed as New Order became more dance oriented. Their influence is indisputable to say the least. This will be an epic show 🙏.

Magazine ads from Alternative Press magazine (April 1993 Issue) promoting their live album : Play With Children on Cleopatra Records in America.

I'm part of the team behind NITEBOX.TV, a new 24/7 alternative music television channel coming to Google TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV.

Think old-school MTV or 120 Minutes, but dedicated to post-punk, goth, deathrock, darkwave, new wave, synth-pop, and underground alternative music.

No searching, no playlists, no algorithms. Just a continuous stream of music videos curated by people who genuinely love the scene.

We're currently putting together our initial lineup and looking for independent bands and labels interested in having their music videos featured on the channel.

Submissions and airplay are completely free.

If you're in a band, work with a label, or know an artist with a great music video, we'd love to hear from you.

Submit your video: https://nitebox.tv/

What are some more popular/praised bands you just can't get into?

I have trouble getting into Sex Gang Children. I'm so sorry but I just don't like the singers vocals. Maybe not as popular, but I can't really get into "weirder" Deathrock like Deadchovsky and Kommunity FK. They're just not my sound, honestly.

https://www.instagram.com/club_abattoir/

https://www.facebook.com/events/28623254134040707/

I’ve recently for a couple months been listening to a band called DREI HEXEN and the problem is from what I’ve encountered there’s no much of them online except and old YouTube or myspace if anyone has any information or cds of the band please let me know I need more.