Single Review: Nosferatu Upon Tyne

Being an OG (old goth or original goth) from the 1980’s I love me a bit of goth. Stars and the Underground are a nice bit of goth who have just released a 7″ single.

It’s a seldom admitted bit of folklore that many goths have a great sense of humour, it seems the members of Stars and the Underground have a lighter side of the dark side. I come to this conclusion from the title of their single; Nosferatu Upon Tyne.

Referencing a northern English city shows homage to the Sisters of Mercy who hail from Leeds, but to put it into a pun on the city, in my opinion shows a modicum of humour.

The ‘a’ side has a classic late 80’s goth sound, from the PCM (pitch code modulation) synth string melody which begins, before ‘chorus’ effected guitar chords continue.

Singer-guitarist John Mason’s voice reminds me of a cross between Andrew Eldritch and Carl McCoy.

Then there’s the other ‘a’ side, the Robots In Love remix (complete reworking) by Dunedin-based Darkwave genius Elenor Rayner. She takes the song by the throat, shakes it around, and puts the pieces back together in her own distinctive, and brilliant, style.