Portrait - DJ De'Ath - 2025 (ENG)

Among the DJs we’ve met during our travels with The Last Oath, one in particular left a lasting impression. It was in Warsaw, during Hex&Sex III. We had just finished playing, and after a powerful set by Hielga, the night continued in a nearby club. That’s when DJ De’Ath took over the decks and delivered a truly unforgettable set — a masterclass in gothic playlist curation.

We were lucky enough to chat with him afterward, and that’s when the idea for this interview took shape.

We’re thrilled to share the insights of a man who has a lot to say about the gothic scene.

Interview by Xzvrey, 2025

1/ Hi DJ De’Ath. First of all, how are 1oud oing ? What have been your favorite musical discoveries over the past few months ?

Hi ;) I am quite good. Favourite recent musical discoveries would be Ecco Homo - Gavin Friday(great live too), Ashes And Diamonds(new from Daniel Ash), Nero Kane, Illegal Funeral, Blyski, Black Rain, Magic Wands, Dancing Plague are the ones that come to mind.

2/ Could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about how long you’ve been a DJ?

How did this adventure begin? Despite being into alternative music most of my life, I actually started quite late in djing. At the time I was going every Sunday to the Bar Phono or formerly known as Le Phonographique in Leeds which was the first Goth club to open in the UK a few years before the overhyped bat cave in London. At the Bar phono they played Temple of Love the original version every week and occasionally they would have people at the club do guest dj sets. Despite travelling to Europe and collecting lots of the newer Goth music and making tapes for friends(still was happening in the 90s) I hadn’t felt the urge to dj but my friends kept saying you have a lot better music and could do a great set. So finally I agreed and on 4th July 1999 I made my debut and it went really well even though I had never mixed using decks before but I guess the mixing skill was already there from making mix tapes;) From that I started my first Goth nIght called Black Out in Harrogate which ran for about four editions.

3/ You’re currently living in Krakow, but when we met, you mentioned you were originally from the UK. Can you tell us more about your background?

I was born in Yorkshire. My father was a Yorkshireman and my mother was Irish. I have always felt more connected to my Irish roots (even my father had connections to Ireland) thats also where I get my green eyes and pale vampire skin from ). I lived in a small town near Leeds and used to commute (public transport was rubbish so I passed my driving test and got a small car asap) for gigs and nightclubs, before eventually moving to live in the city. The only one good thing about the pandemic is it delayed the implementation of Brexit rather than falling off a cliff the UK is sliding down a hill in all its standards. My Polish girlfriend and myself decided to quit the UK as it was obvious what was coming and the UK is on the slide. Polish is difficult to learn but I try my best although it is with my Yorkshire accent which can surprise people ;)

4/ When did you start using the name DJ De’Ath?

How did you come up with that distinctive spelling? I started using the name De’Ath as I though it would be better than just using Death, I found the name way back in the 90’s when I stumbled across the story of a French Occultist who also dabbled in Alchemy called De’Ath but due the constraints of searching on the internet and the distortions of history caused by AI it can no longer be found. I chose the Name De’Ath as it symbolises rebirth in this case the rebirth and bringing new music to the audience as at the time most dj’s in my area just played the same old 80s Goth tracks week in week out. I also get contacted quite often by people who share the same surname mainly from Australia asking if I am related ;)

Dj De'Ath & Fangs On Fur

5/ Let’s talk about your connection to gothic culture. When did you first become involved in that world? Was there a specific piece of music that started it all for you? 

I firstly got into punk when I was a teenager at school. I couldn’t afford records but one of my friends worked at his dad’s bakery at the weekend and was able to afford them. A week after the Sex Pistols debut album I was able to listen to it when my parents were out due to the swearing ;) Punk/ New Wave then started a new dark punk sound with Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Cure and The Damned being prime examples. I was an avid listener of John Peel on the radio where you would hear the perfect mix of punk, new wave, dark punk and the new sound of new wave Ska. I became a rudeboy as the music as the fashion swept the UK and especially teenagers in school. Had a typical short madness haircut for awhile. The music captured the anger and social decline in the Uk and opened the door to the 80’s, like Punk after 2 or 3 years it went into steep decline as bands changed - the Specials became the new wave band Funboy 3, bands split or became more pop in sound. So I was listening to lots of new wave without having an allegiance, things like u2, Big Country, Simple Minds, Eurythmics, and Human League and Ultravox who were more punk when I heard them in the earlier years. My hairstyles were quite varied long short, shaved, spiked you name it I had it ;) I started watching a muisc program the Tube on TV which featured lots of bands playing live so I started listening to a wide range of New Wave, Dark Punk.

The first Goth band I saw was The Cult when they released Resurrection  Joe and supported Big Country on their Steeltown UK tour. I got seriously into Goth in January 1985 after seeing Killing Joke on the Tube whilst I was in my local chip shop. It was like the lights had been turned off and I fully embraced the darkness of Goth, black clothes and going to lots of gigs.

6/ Speaking of gothic culture, what does it mean to you today?

Has your perception of what the goth scene is — or should be — evolved over time? 

I think Goth as a culture is very much under attack at the moment, it’s value is being eroded by AI, Social media, biographies written by people not really into the Goth scene at the time. There are various pages on Facebook that show images they mark as being from the 80s when they are not, and so this gives a distorted history for people to aspire to. What I loved about the 80s no social media, no internet, no smart phones so people lived for the moment, supported the scene and were not posing for pictures ;)

There seems to be a total disconnect between image and music due to Insta and TikTok where it seems all about fashion and the black and white gothic version of kiss makeup and the music can be metal, rap, techno and not Goth.

The original Goth scene in the Uk came from Punk and New Wave where it was  firstly a sort of Dark Punk. Most original punks did not have extreme multicoloured hairstyles and original Goths especially the males did not wear lots of makeup - this started late 80s and in the 90s where it became the norm for more extreme styling rather than just hair, clothing and accessories. Goth has definitely changed and evolved. In the 80s it was clearly separate to mainstream music and especially metal, but as it entered the 90s the UK started to decline with the last 3 big goth bands being Rosetta Stone, Nosferatu and Dream Disciples. With the decline it was natural that Goths would look to other music so more electro and rock elements joined the sound. Germany, France, Belgium and The USA were now heavily driving a sound with darkwave more prevalent.

At the start of the millennium  Deathrock  enjoyed  renaissance with the USA and Germany driving the new wave of bands. Then it followed that Italy was a driving force for more darkwave and postpunk  bands. I do think the pandemic had major negative affect on the Goth scene. As the scene has always been built on gathering to make an active community and for two years it stagnated. New bands had no opportunity to play for couple of years so they did not maximise the potential of a new  album release. At the time I did try streaming but my internet was so poor in the UK, the stream kept disconnecting so I just put more mixes on Mixcloud. During the Pandemic I could see the benefit of live streaming for peoples mental health, but I think those who continue to stream now are damaging the scene as people should be encouraged to go out to parties, see bands, form bands and join the goth community rather than sitting at home watching streams, listening to Spotify or believing everything that is on social media ;)

At the moment I am still waiting for the new wave of bands to drive the scene forward, usually its one or two countries as good as She Past Away are they have been going nearly 20 years and Lebanon Hanover for 15 years. For me Warsaw (has the spirit of the 80s) and Poland has the most potential to be that wave but we shall see.

It could be in 10-15 years people are watching holograms, playing AI music or 70% of music is AI generated on streaming services  as smart phones seem to have made people dumb as they don’t hear or care if a band is real or not. Good example of this is a band called Transportna which is 100% fake Ukrainian band created by two guys in Lithuania who studied Ukrainian and then used AI to generate the songs. In English you can easily spot AI on the way a song is sung but not so easy in another language. OnYoutube Transportna’s most popular video has 357K plays. I would also recommend my website https://djdeath.co.uk/ to readers which has very good informative article written my friend Paul Lanyon RIP which talks about the start of Goth as he was went from Punk to Dark Punk To Goth as was one of the first Goths in the UK.

7/ Who are your reference artists? Could you name some classic cult bands that you admire, as well as some current ones you really enjoy? 

I would say Killing Joke are still my favourite as out of the old bands who kept going they were only the one that still had fire in their live performances. So I was greatly shocked and saddened when I heard of the death of Geordie Walker and its sad that in the years before his death the band never completed another album. Since the split of Fields of The Nephilim for me they have never matched the level of musicianship  of the original members but when I saw them at soundedit in Lodz they were very close to the old days and the choice songs made it a Great concert.

Older bands would be Cactus World News, Blue In Heaven, Gentle Ihors Devotion, Rosetta Stone, Dream Disciples, Nosferatu, Flesh For Lulu, The Bolshoi, Ikon, Decoded Feedback, Butterfly Messiah, Antiworld, LOUD, All About Eve, Drug Free America, The Marionettes, Suspiria, The Wake, The Last Dance, Sopor Aeternus, Wumpscut, Corpus Delicti, Violet Stigmata, Leather Nun, Faith and The Muse, Judith, Deine Lakaien, The Soft Moon, Xmal Deutschland (plus lots more).

Current bands that I like are Date At Midnight, Eat My Teeth, Ductape, Black Rain, 25 Jesuses Of Fear, Illegal Funeral, Lathe Of Heaven, Ashes and Diamonds, New Skeletal Faces, Natures Mortes, Undercut, Shad Shadows, Denuit, Dlina Volny, Dancing Plague, Poison The Vicar, Magic Wands, Pororoka, Gavin Friday (plus quite a few more)

8/ My friend, you were there for Hex & Sex 3 in Warsaw (where my band The Last Oath also performed!). How did the event go for you? What memories do you keep from that night? I really enjoyed what I saw of your DJ set, by the way. How did it feel for you?

I visited Hex and Sex the previous year as I had already seen Eat My Teeth supporting Lathe Of Heaven and they really impressed me with their attitude and potential and reminded so much of the spirit that was present in bands in the Goth scene in the Uk especially in Leeds area. Hex and Sex had a brilliant atmosphere and a great mix of people just as person attending it ;-)

So I was honoured and happy to invited to Dj on the afterparty ;) Having met EMT and Nameless Creations before we are friends and think this friendliness is also part of the ethic of the festival where we are all there because we love Gothic music without any pretentiousness or this star attitude and it was great to meet Hihelga and yourselves. I think you could see everyone enjoyed being there and delivered great performances which all added to the great atmosphere.

I appreciate the hard work of the organisation  and I hope very much they will do it again next year as its a great festival and proves biggest don’t always mean the best ;)

9/ Let’s take a quick fun break — what’s the funniest or most unexpected thing you’ve experienced in the post-punk/goth scene?

One of the most funny or bizarre things I have experienced was when I was in the middle of a mini tour between Vilnius and Minsk. The first gig was at Dark World in Minsk, then the next night I was in Vilnius for Halloween II. There was already a lot of snow so I was dressed in a black furry ushanka and I had borrowed a long furry coat(a bit like Uncle Fester). In the middle of nowhere and heavy snow the internal police got  on and despite having the correct visas and paperwork they wanted to me to get off the train but they were speaking russian so I said I did not understand when they went to the other carriage the people all said to me don’t get off the train as they are trying to get money off you as they are corrupt just stay in your seat. They walked through again spoke again and left as I did not get up. At the final Dj set at Darkway in Minsk there were quite a few people who had seen me the first time I was there 2 years before.

The set was going really well and the floor was packed, then some guy either high on drink or drugs or both decided to get onstage to the left of the dj desk and started a striptease, I think it was about the third one from the end. He was still dancing halfway into the next song when part of the crowd started shouting for him to get off the stage. It then became a fight as women and men attempted to get him off the stage. The final song was Ice Will Brennen by ASP and from the stage the full lefthand side of the dance floor was fighting and the right continued on dancing.

At the end I was escorted from the stage for my safety and I think the fight ended about 10 mins after my set.

10/ Back to your DJ work, if you don’t mind. In your opinion, what makes a good DJ set? What’s the purpose of a DJ set for you, and how do you achieve it?

A good DJ set should always include new music as its important to promote new bands and new songs from old bands otherwise its pointless. You know its worthwhile when someone asks you what a track was or when you mix in a new track in and people are dancing on the first hearing ;) I always play the music from the genres advertised for a party as there is nothing worse turning up to party which for example has the word Goth in the main party name and then you hear Manson, NIN, Depeche Mode, Type O and Gaga or 5 Sisters of Mercy track in an hour when its not a tribute night to the band. Music is the most important  language and unites so many people from different countries.

The more you DJ the more you know your songs, which ones to switch genres or tempo, to pack the floor etc. I think most Dj’s always prepare in their head or when you dj with CD’s or Vinyl you do give careful thought which ones you pack and with digital its no different, you would at least plan a basic Skeleton in your head and then flesh it out on the night ;)

11/ Still as a DJ — when you’re listening to tracks, what are you looking for before adding them to your playlists? Do you build your playlists differently depending on the event you’re playing at? 

Even now after 26 years I am still fortunate to get promos mainly digital from old and new bands. When listening to tracks I don’t just look for a track with a good beat and tempo, as I like all the sub genres that can be played at a Gothic party and where I can I will include slower or more atmospheric tracks as intro segment at the start of my clubnights as people are usually arriving, getting drinks or chatting before hitting the dancefloor. For a guest set I try to find a track the builds atmosphere at the start of set just one, and then its bang into the main set ;) When I am guesting somewhere I usually tailor the set as I want t be a great set for people coming to the event and you will feel this at the end ;)

12/ Besides being a DJ, are you (or have you been) involved in the post-punk/goth scene in any other way — like zines, organizing shows, playing in bands, etc.?

I must say first and foremost I am a DJ who really loves music and supports the post-punk/ goth scene. Sometimes I like to challenge myself.:) When I was in Leeds I joined with couple of friends to put bands on. I think the first one was Dream Disciples.

I was lucky enough to DJ at Gothcon in New Orleans which was held in a hotel with a ballroom over Easter weekend which was really great all the bands and fans staying in the same place and having great time. This idea gave me the inspiration to do my own festival Beyond The Veil in Leeds by finding a hotel with a ballroom which we could put bands on in. Again we chose Easter as the hotel was not very busy at the time, From djing I had lots of contacts to bands and labels overseas and we decided unlike other events we would try to invite mainly new and none UK Bands to play.

The first line up was Diva Destruction(USA), Antiworld (USA) UK premier, Butterfly Messiah( USA) UK Premier, Dance on Glass (PL/UK), In Mitra Medusa Inri (Ger) UK premier, Psydoll(Cap) - European premier and The Last Days Of Jesus (SK)- It became very much and event that created  great memories for the bands and the people who attended as we managed to make special event even with some big bands like ASP playing later they were able enjoying being at event where everyone could enjoy the pre-show party together and the concert the next day. The Beyond The Veil festival(an extension of clubnight Black Veil in Leeds) ran for 6 editions. Made some really good friends with al the bands who attended but it was a lot of work. I usually enjoyed  DJing Black Veil party the day before and then once the last band had finished I could relax. If readers are interested in who else played the festival details can be found on https://djdeath.co.uk/. We also did quite a few other gigs and organised debut gigs for Ikon, The Cruxshadows, The Birthday Massacre axe well as bands like The Royal Dead and Euthanasie from Japan.

I recently helped organise a couple of gigs in Krakow for Miserea and Eat My Teeth, 25 Jesuses of Fear and Miserea. I realised again I don’t really enjoy it until everything has completed successfully. Tip I would give to anyone organising live events, you need to love Goth music, work how much its costs and ask yourself no-one turns can you afford it, If the answer is yes, Do it, its hard work, stressful but you will create great memories for others and have some working with nice people.

Bands I must say I am guilty of dabbling in music mainly to help friends out. The first band I played with for some live gigs was The Eternal Fall from Spain where I played some of the guitars parts. The second one was as keyboard dolly for Deviant UK playing several eventful gigs and one gig in front of 2000 at a festival. More recently I did vox and lyricsfor a DIY punk protest band Rockwell Bombers. Just away to let off some steam;)

At the moment I am thinking of writing my biography, as I could cover quite a few things that seem to be missing in most books about the 80s/Goth music scene, it would have some black humour and swearing, I guess I just need  ghost writer or someone to help capture all my adventures.

Also guess at some point since I have so much bits of goth memorabilia I need to find someone who would like maybe create a Goth museum to visit ;)

13/ How would you describe yourself as a person? What are your other passions in life? How does your passion for the post-punk/goth scenes interact with your daily life?

SinceI have been into Goth for 40 plus years thats its very difficult to separate it from my identity.  Suspiria used to have a T-Shirt in the 90’s  which on the back send “Once You Turn Black You Never Turn Back” I have worked in quite few Corporate management jobs like Banking, Telecommunications and Pharmaceutical businesses. In banking for example I was the only guy with long hair when I joined and so you are different to the norm, you can be great at your job but its takes longer to progress as people like to judge you on your appearance rather than on your ability. I can say I was the first Gothic band manager in the UK ;-).

It’s quite funny I can be dressed down and out walking on a Sunday just in very plain black and I might hear the comment Satan which is funny as with a white collar would they say priest ?

I like travelling, I have a couple of Tarantulas which are a lot easier to care for than a Cat or a Dog.

14/ Brace yourself — you’re not getting out of this one. What are your favorite dishes and drinks? Got a special recipe to share with us?

I do miss Fish and Chips from the UK, the best one I found was Carlos at Almwick place on the Northumbrian coast, well worth a drive a long walk on the beach and then Fish and Chips. I also like traditional Yorkshire pudding with onion gravy. Also if you ever visit Northern Ireland I would recommend an Ulster fry which is very big breakfast, great if you have been drinking the night before ;)- I must admit all these now are like guilty pleasures as I tend eat a lot more healthy. I tend to cook for myself quite often but nothing too complicated as I don’t like to spend lots of time on it ;)

Drinks I do like Jager Bombs. Kopparberg Pear cider, Baileys, Archers Peach Schnapps, Amaretto, Duval Beer,  and  red wine, - but not all at the same time ;)

15/ As a DJ and goth scene enthusiast, what would be your wildest dream? 

To design and own an authentic goth club which would include decor of an ossuary, a stage that would also accommodate bands which would be in the basement and the top floor would be space where goth alternative vendors could rent it for one night or week or a month max to sell their goods, short term contract so they can tell if there business ideas would work or not rather than having to commit to a long term rental agreement and loosing money.

16/ Dear DJ De’Ath, it’s been a pleasure having you here in Jeu D’Ombre. Thank you so much for answering my questions. Hope to see you again very soon 😊