Glasgow's goth scene of the 80s was a “real spectacle” according to a man who was there...
Chris Brickley’s photobook Heartlands is bound to strike a chord with anyone who ever hung about on the steps of Royal Exchange Square, or went to the Cathouse, or saw Bauhaus or Sisters of Mercy on stage in the city...
“Going to clubs like Night Moves, aged 17, was a thrill,” says Chris. “Some of the people were a real spectacle. Arty, expressive.
“I recall a guy with a half-shaved long mohican haircut, wearing two kids’ pistol holsters across-ways, with a banana in each instead of toy guns. “It also felt inclusive and accessible. Anyone could buy skinny black jeans, pointy boots, crimpers and start back-combing their hair.
” READ MORE: The Killers' Brandon Flowers covers The Waterboys and Aztec Camera at Hydro show He adds: “It was a bit risky too, you could be a target. But I had never enjoyed general clubs or disco-type venues, so this appealed more. Likewise the bands.
" Chris was 12 when 2-Tone appeared, he says. “That was my thing,” he says. “I was into mod/60s stuff at school but discovering punk, then Bauhaus in particular, coincided with the goth subculture of 1983/84/85.
It felt more current. “It was a good scene, democratic. The pals I had then are still my pals today.
” Heartlands, which looks at the goth scene across the whole of Scotland, is Chris’s fifth photobook. His last, with photographer Martin McClenaghan, was called Post Punk City an.
