Various Artists - Dark As A Batcave, A Gothic-Post Punk Mix

The Dark As A Batcave compilation serves as a raw, high-energy homage to the legendary London nightclub, bridging classic 1980s post-punk with modern deathrock to capture the "dark glamour" aesthetic. It features a blend of pioneering and revivalist bands, including Specimen and Alien Sex Fiend, that define the club's signature sound.

Back in 1982, the original Goth club opened over at Soho in London (most notably at the building that housed Gossips, at the club formally known as Billy’s, located on 69 Dean St) This was an event organized by the members of the dark and glamorous Specimen, and featured Dj’s such as Hamish Macdonald with his project Sexbeat, and Anni Hogan, who would become a long time collaborator with Marc Almond, who was also a regular attendee.

In fact, this was a club attended by nearly every Post-Punk musician in London at the time, such as Robert Smith of The Cure, members of Siouxsie and The Banshees (Note that Steven Severin and Robert Smith wrote music for Marc Almond and Anni Hogan’s project Marc and the Mambas, this, along with The Glove was surely a collaboration inspired by hanging out at The Batcave), Nick Cave, Nik Fiend (Alien Sex Fiend), Andi Sex Gang (Sex Gang Children), Ian Astbury of Southern Death Cult—they all haunted this club.

Indeed, the Batcave was the place to be, and the highly stylized dark glamour of the attendees went on to define what would be considered the “Gothic” subculture, even connecting with bands in Los Angeles, such as Christian Death, and with the legendary Danceteria nightclub in New York.

Various Artists - Young Limbs Rise Again - The Story of the Batcave Nightclub 1982-1985

Young Limbs Rise Again is a compilation album that celebrates the subculture of Goth via the music that was played, and the bands that performed at the legendary Batcave, a weekly club night hosted in London’s Dean Street (and later in Leicester Square) in the early 1980s. By the summer of ’82, The Batcave became a focus for alternative club culture, just like The Roxy and The Blitz before it and it’s “No Funk, No Disco” rule set it apart from other club nights at that time. Famous regulars included musicians and singers such as Nick Cave, Robert Smith of the Cure, Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin, members of Bauhaus, Marc Almond and many others. Acts would play live (the club even had its own house band, Specimen) and visitors could enjoy four-hour DJ sets.

The Young Limbs Rise Again collection attempts to capture both the fun and freedom of The Batcave while also looking back to reflect the musical influences on the scene and examining how that scene pointed forwards. There’s plenty of space in which to do that, since it’s offered as a 5CD or 6LP vinyl set. Both come with an 80-page hardcover book with an introduction from Kris Needs, packed with flyers, record sleeves, over 100 photographs, many previously unseen, and the whole story of the club as told by the people who were there. Both big sets are broken down into themed albums and the 6LP vinyl offers 63 songs while the more generous (and cheaper) 5CD large format box delivers 89 tracks. There’s a 2LP vinyl edition for a more concise overview. Specimen’s Jon Klein and Jonny Slut, along with Sophie Chery (from another stalwart Batcave band, Sexbeat), have worked with the record company to help putting together this musical and visual accompaniment to this very specific moment in time.

Young Limbs Rise Again: The Story of the Batcave Nightclub 1982-1985 was released on 24 February 2023, via Demon Music.