No. 25 Bauhaus - Kick In The Eye

I was a teenage goth. Some would see this as a badge of shame, but listening to Kick In The Eye (as well as a number of other singles that will eventually make it into this project) and I think it was a pretty sound position. The early and mid-1980s were pretty dark times (no pun intended) musically. Punk was well and truly dead, post-punk was also, in most cases, running on empty and we were still years away from the C86 and ecstasy-fuelled dance culture of the later 1980s. In that landscape goth offered some of the most interesting music made during the period.

Bauhaus are often credited with being the first goth band; this may or may not be the case, but they were certainly on of the most goth bands. Kick In The Eye must also be one of their career highs; the elastic bass-line the skittery, synthetic drums, the slightly feral backing vocals and a really fine performance from Murphy. It certainly challenges the notion that goth was always doom and gloom; I defy you not to want to dance to this.

My own introduction to Bauhaus was, alas, shortly after they'd called it a day. I recall my good friend Rob putting together a compilation of various goth tracks that included at least one Bauhaus tune (I think it was Lagartija Nick) and then picking up the excellent 1979-1983 compilation; a lovely double vinyl set, which I subsequently re-bought so as to have a numbered copy with the photo insert (no. 4978 in case you're wondering).

I never paid the b-side, Satori, much attention at the time, but its actually a neat instrumental, combining eerie post-punk guitar and a hefty dose of dub. Quality stuff throughout.