berlinblogger | 
06 12th, 2012| 
The roots of gothic rock can still be traced. It all began in the late 70s when a few lads from Manchester, after a small concert of the Sex Pistols, decided to form a band called Joy Division. Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Summer began their intense yet brief run, being part of the European post-punk movement. After the death of Ian Curtis, from the ashes rose New Order, but that´s another story although, of course, many deny that the roots of gothic rock lie in Joy Division. However, it´s undoubted that the unique voice style of Ian Curtis as well as his lyrics have been important in the development of the genre. His suicide is also another of the misfortunes of rock that left a print on a whole generation that didn´t agree with the state of things.
Other bands that are very important to understand gothic are Bauhaus and The Cure, both with dark atmospheres and lyrics about despair, loneliness, grief and eternal love. We could also state later bands, such as Clan of Xymox, Sisters of Mercy and Asylum Party as essential bands to understand gothic rock. Of course, the influence of David Bowie and Nico, especially in their darkest periods, are also present in the development of gothic style. With music, they created the ´goth´ look, heir of punk: ripped clothes, all of them black, vampire makeup, piercings, pale skin, boots, chains and styled hair.
Today, gothic rock has derived from its new wave roots and also many other popular genres. Now you can listen to gothic sounds in metal, punk, electro, techno and, of course, nu metal. One of the main boosters of the gothic revival and aesthetic is, of course, Marilyn Manson, and it´s also believed that due to the inevitable presence in the media of the Smashing Pumpkins, the gothic look became that ´emo´ personality that has so many detractors today. From a certain point of view, being an ´emo´ is like being a ´hipster´ or a ´modern´, but darker.
Zita Rock Festival in Berlin gathers different bands that can be boxed inside all the aforementioned patterns and styles. We say boxed because at the end of the day, music is music, and falling into categorizing is, in general, a waste of time. Among the bands that will attend these two days of dark rock will be Evanescence, Oomph!, Lord of the Lost, ASP, The 69 Eyes, Saltatio Mortis, Mono Inc., Zeraphine and Staubkind. Zita Rock Festival is a great chance to discover and get to know the more recent and popular dark rock in all of its aspects. For more information and tickets, visit the official website here:Â http://zita-rock.de/
Alexa Ray
Get apartments in Berlin and be part of Zita Rock Festival on the 15th and 16th of June. When it comes to concerts and live music, this summer you can find the best bands and singers of all genres in Berlin.
