Goth Night, Credit: Fiona Gell
From Saturday 14th June to Sunday 22nd June, Leeds Lit Fest 2025 took over venues across the city, celebrating Leeds’s vibrant and growing literary scene. Among the many events was ‘Goth Night: the darker side of books’, a conversation between Stu Hennigan, Simon Price and John Robb that delved into goth music and subculture. Drawing on Simon Price’s newly published ‘Curepedia’ and John Robb’s ‘The Art of Darkness’, the discussion explored the intersection of literature, music and identity. Tsota Editor Millie attended the event to learn more about goth culture – and how events like this are reshaping the boundaries of what a literature festival can be.
Literature festivals are often perceived as exclusive, commercialised spaces, catering to a niche audience with deep literary knowledge and a taste for complex narratives, philosophical ideas, and emotional depth. But while Leeds Lit Fest 2025 celebrated books, poetry and reading – it also embraced music, theatre and community building. integrating literature into a wider cultural fabric and challenging that sense of exclusivity.
On Monday 16th June at Hyde Park Book Club, the Lit Fest turned its attention to goth music with two legendary writers who’ve written extensively on goth culture. Simon Price, a British music journalist and author, is known for his reviews in The Independent on Sunday and books including ‘Everything (A Book About Manic Street Preachers)’ and ‘Curepedia: An A-Z of the Cure’. John Robb, journalist and founder of the ‘Louder Than War’ website, has written several books on music, most recently the landmark history ‘Art of Darkness: The History of Goth’. Interviewed by writer, poet and musician Steve Hennigan, the pair explored the deep connections between goth music and literature.
As Simon and John delved into the literary underpinnings of goth music – from the haunting imagery of enchanted forests and age-old folktales to the brooding weight of Shakespearean tragedy and evocative poetry. It’s unmistakably clear: goth music and literature are not merely adjacent but inextricably intertwined. Simon reflected on the literary dimension of The Cure’s work as an enriching layer to their music. The more you listen, he observed, the more those literary undertones begin to surface – a peripheral texture that quietly deepens your understanding of where the band’s music comes from. John added that music functions today much like sitting around a fire to share stories once did. Just as readers shape their own interpretations of a tale, each listener hears something unique in a song.
The conversation then turned to goth culture more broadly, touching on major musical influences – from The Doors to David Bowie – and exploring what goth really means. Both Simon and John emphasised its roots in DIY spirit. Simon, for example, noted that there was no obvious goth scene in Barry (South Wales), where he grew up – it was simply about daring to do things differently, without relying on the approval of others. Similarly, when I caught up with John after the event, he told me that events like this are important because “we don’t celebrate our culture enough—especially cultures like goth, which are created by people, not prescribed by trends, branding, or rules.” He explained that his book on the history of goth is largely about people doing what they want: “because people who say no are interesting, and we should celebrate that.”
Goth Night, Credit: Fiona Gell
Goth Night was certainly a celebration of difference – of people, culture and expression – inviting that difference into literature and broadening our understanding of what a literature festival can be. By weaving together music, identity, subculture, and storytelling, Leeds Lit Fest showed that literature doesn’t exist in a vacuum of fiction and poetry – it lives in lyrics, zines, memoirs, and conversations shared in dimly lit rooms. John told me that he decided to take part in the festival because “it is fun to get to kick around ideas.” He continued, “the beauty of music culture is fluidity – there is no hard or fast rule meaning every time you talk about it, you come up with different version.” Echoing this sentiment, the Leeds Lit Fest programme doesn’t just celebrate books; it redefines literature as something fluid, accessible, and deeply embedded in wider culture.
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To learn more about Simon Price and John Robb and keep up to date with all their writing and events you can follow their Instagram accounts (@simon_price01 and @johnrobb77). For more information about the events of Leeds Lit Fest 2025 and the impact it has had on the city, you read their website and follow their Instagram.
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