The Toronto goth scene, the cultural locus of the goth subculture in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the associated music and fashion scene, has distinct origins from goth scenes of other goth subcultural centres, such as the UK or Germany. Originally known as the "Batcavers", the term "goth" appeared only after 1988, when it was applied to the pre-existent subculture. Distinctive features included internationally recognized gothic and vampiric fashion store 'Siren', a goth-industrial bar named 'Sanctuary: The Vampire Sex Bar', and Forever Knight, a television series about an 800-year-old vampire living in Toronto. In Toronto, the goths did not seek to reject mainstream status, and achieved partial acceptance throughout the mid to late 1990s.
History
In the UK, where goth rock originated, the term "gothic" or "goth" was used to refer to a subculture and style of music since circa 1982; however, in Toronto the usage of the term "goth" and the identification of a subculture as goth did not occur until years later in 1988, when goth rock was already in the midst of what is often referred to as the 'second generation' or 'second wave'.
Early years: "Batcavers", "Blitz", "Punks", and "Freaks" In Toronto, the subculture that eventually would morph into "Goth" was an eclectic and varied group that existed prior to 1982 and was a cultural blend of New Romantic, Post-punk, and Hardcore punk enthusiasts. There were various terms in use for members of this scene, including "Batcavers", "Blitz", and "Freaks", but often "punk" was used to describe the look (especially for outsiders). Inclusion had no specific requirements beyond participation in the music scene, it was more diverse than other goth/punk scenes. The "freaks" at this time included fans of specific music genres, and did not exclude people of colour, transgender people, gay people, or any others who participated in the Toronto underground music scene.
Some "freaks", notably Death punks and New Romantics, were extremely fashion-conscious, dressing in darker styles modeled on old black-and-white horror films, Morticia Addams, Lily Munster, film noir or ratty New Romantic and glam rock fashions, but maintained a local "freak" identity and a general lack of knowledge of burgeoning UK goth scene. Some thought of these individuals as "pretentious, vacuous, fashion victims."Miss Lynx in Outtakes of interview questions from Although the term "freak" was used generically, many punks disliked being labelled freaks themselves, and considered the term to apply only to others. Some punks used the term "Blitz Kids" when referring to the darker styled New Romantics after 1982.
Paul Samuels, co-owner of Goth Club 'Savage Garden', one of Toronto's longest running goth bars, reported "we were wearing [pointy] skull buckle boots, black jeans and tour t-shirts; after that it was the frilly shirts with long sleeves. Then I mashed in make-up and black, backcombed hair with lots of hairspray. We became the freaks of the town."
The word "freak" was not derogatory; those who called themselves "freak" tended to call everyone in this music scene "freak". In this group were the same individuals who would later become known as "the goths" after 1988. However, unlike concurrent goth subcultures elsewhere, many of these "freaks" were primarily fashion-oriented as opposed to identifying as strongly with gothic rock genre of music in particular.
The area between University Avenue and Spadina Avenue on Queen Street West was home to the punks since the mid seventies. It was a place of old garment and textile industry buildings that time had forgotten in the seventies. Punk got its foothold in venues such as the Horseshoe Tavern, Beverley Hotel, X-Rays and the Black Bull patio (pre-bikers) and changed the area into a bohemian, artistic community (pre-current corporate gentrification). As early goth was evolving out of the punk scene these new goths found a kindred spirit and sense of community in Queen Street West as well. However, rent increases and the economic down turn of the early 1990s drove many shops, designers and residents to move to adjacent neighbourhoods, most notably West Queen West, which is west of Bathurst Street on Queen Street West. Kensington Market also attracted underground or alternative lifestyle individuals, including those who later became the goths.
Live venues in the Queen Street West area started refusing to take punk bands, "Instead, they demanded progressive acts who were evolving out of punk like beautiful butterflies from ugly cocoons"; "music here was for connoseurs of post-punk new music," says punk rock journalist S. Black.S.Black "The Toronto Scene 1977–1987 - Some of the Dives" Punk History Canada
Queen Street West was the centre of goth revival at the time of the "Queen Street exodus across Spadina." The area became known as the "Fashion District" for its textile and upholstery wholesalers, which allowed goths to cheaply experiment with styles. Queen Street West near Portland Street became known as "Little Gotham", having the highest concentration of goth subculture in the world. The impact of the goth movement in Toronto continues to show in much of the music and arts that have emerged from Toronto since the 1990s.
Club Scene
The central hub and breeding ground for the subculture later to be known in Toronto as "goth" was the city's after-hours clubs, beginning with Voodoo on St. Joseph Street (1981–1985), Kongo on Hagerman St. (1983-4), Klub Domino on Isabella (and later Yonge St.) (1979–85), Iguana Lounge on Pears Ave, and perhaps the peak of this early period was Pariah, a Wednesday club night that would run from 10 until dawn, which originated at Kongo in 1983, originally launched by Lynn McNeil, with Siobhan O'Flynn DJ'ing. After closing at the Kongo on Hagerman St., Pariah relaunched with Siobhan O'Flynn and Stephen Scott running the after hours night at the much larger Twilight Zone on Richmond Street (1984–87), owned by the Assoon Brothers.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Other prominent DJs from this period included Dave Allen, Pam Barnes, Ivan Palmer, Donny Cochrane, Dan McKay, and others.
Clubs also part of the scene in this period were: the Silver Crown, Club Z (Batcave Night), Catwalk, Nuts and Bolts, and slightly later: Empire Club, Club Noir, Night Gallery, and Lizard Lounge.
Also worthy of note is Century 66 - a restaurant attended and staffed by many members of the scene with a futuristic and dark decor, and the location of many events, including Brian Eno's Thursday Afternoon installation in December 1984.
Emergence of Goth beginning 1988 It was 1988 that "Goth" arrived in Toronto. The term "Goth" began to be used to refer to those "freaks" who centred on Gothic fashion and Gothic rock. Elsewhere, merely being a fan of Gothic rock would generally define an individual as a "Goth","Goth" www.dictionary.com but this was not the case in Toronto, where the idea of being "Gothic" was taken very literally; until the mid '90s, the Goths in Toronto considered Gothic literature, romantic poetry, Gothic fashion and Gothic aesthetics, especially beauty, to be subcultural requirements as well. Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Byron, Bram Stoker and other Gothic romanticist authors were extensively read and considered social obligations. A new, darker vampire fashion became the default definition of Torontonian Goth style."Toronto Goth Subculture" - cached CTV News Toronto - early 1990s news report
The mid-1980s - 1991 saw the emergence of proto-type gothic bands appeared such as Vital Sines, Breeding Ground, National Velvet and The Furies.
The year 1989 also saw the opening of a dedicated Gothic fashion store, Siren, on Queen Street West and by 1998 it eventually became the "world's oldest shop catering to the combined enthusiasms of the overlapping communities devoted to the gothic and vampire genres." Groovella Blak, who owned Siren, also later founded the Gothic Society of Canada with then husband Morpheus Blak (which exists today as "The Dark Place"). Groovella was Toronto's best known "Goth girl", considered a 'fairy gothmother', and at the height of the Toronto vampire craze in mid-'90s had her canine teeth filed into fangs and always wore black or black with red.Liisa Ladouceur Lords Of The New Church This Magazine - May 2005 However, Icewind, the organizer of the Toronto Vampire Meetup Group, stated that obsession with vampire mythology and fashion is simply part of Goth subculture itself and does not make one a vampire, "they're not what we'd call vampires, they just like the culture."
Industrial music became a major additional style popular in the Toronto goth scene; Skinny Puppy a Vancouver-based Industrial band inspired an interest in animal rights in many "Industrial-goths" in Toronto. Also at this time, bands such as Depeche Mode, although not goth themselves, were very influential in attracting mainstream music followers into the goth subculture in Toronto.Alan Cross,"Ongoing History of New Music: (Good) Goth Part 2" CFNY 102.1 The Edge On September 3, 1992, a bar named "Sanctuary: The Vampire Sex Bar" opened on Queen Street West, in step with the increasing popularity of vampiric-goth archetypes. Sanctuary originally imposed a gothic dress code to strictly adhere to the gothic fashion aspect of the scene. Sexual activity did not actually occur in the bar. The book, "Tales From Sanctuary: The Vampire Sex Bar" (1997) documented tales and anecdotes from Toronto's alleged "vampire" scene. Listed by
Fetish fashion had always been associated with the early goth scene having adopted it from the punk scene aesthetics. Leathercraft and later Northbound Leather, both on Yonge Street were key retail outlets for the emergence of fetish culture in Toronto. When it started to gain mass popularity in the Toronto goth scene, many individuals soon equated "Fetish" with "Goth". Similarly pop-culture began to heavily influence the Toronto goths: with Marilyn Manson and Betty Page being perceived by the public as "goth", and the movie The Crow showcasing gothic aesthetics and goth protagonists, more and more Torontonians became interested in being part of the "goth subculture". Although these new emerging movements did not necessarily share the same outlooks as the earlier goths, nor an interest in the same styles of music and fashion, the scene itself flourished with a new emphasis on sexuality.
By the mid 90s, and continuing thereafter, Toronto goths held regular BDSM or goth fetish nights. Costuming was a major aspect of this event. Unlike purist fetishists, goths were more likely to be found laughing or taking turns. Sex and sexuality also played a larger part at goth fetish nights than purist fetishist events.
Increasing mainstream influences
Forever Knight (1992–1996) was an internationally aired television series filmed in and around Toronto about an 800-year-old vampire who becomes a member of the Metropolitan Toronto Police and attempts to regain his humanity. The local references, landmarks and street names intrigued fans as part of a city of vampires.
Canadian fantasy author, Tanya Huff, wrote a series of supernatural detective novels known as the Blood Books between 1991 until present, featuring a fictional historical romance author, Henry Fitzroy, who happens to be a vampire. The series is set in Toronto and uses familiar landmarks. In 2007, this series was adapted for television under the title Blood Ties.
The vampire novel The Night Inside (1994) referred to West Queen West as "a crowd of vampire wanna-bes" with "pale faces, black-lined eyes." Quote taken from