Although Joy Division were a strong contender for the beginnings of Gothic Rock and Goth culture, Bauhaus are considered to be the next step ahead in the matter. They have had a consistent musical influence, alongside a solid fan base over the decades since forming in Northhampton in the UK back in 1978, at the height of Punk Music. 40 years later, this EP was released as a set of very early Bauhaus songs that were recorded back on 26 January 1979, during the the peak of the UK’s Winter Of Discontent (1978-1979). Notably, this EP features the legendary track Bela Lugosi’s Dead which, although much loved, did not make it onto an official album. Therefore, this EP is a really good starting point for people who are new to Bauhaus and the concept of Gothic Rock. The songs were recorded at Beck Studios in Wellingborough, UK, and this EP was released on Leaving Records on 23 November 2018. Bauhaus were: Daniel Ash (guitars and lead vocals); Peter Murphy (vocals, guitars and backing instrumentation); Kevin Haskins (drums and keyboards) and David J (bass guitar and percussion). Let’s take a quick listen to this EP, and we shall hear how it sounds today.

1. Bela Lugosi’s Dead (Official Version) is a nine-minute long piece. It begins with some unusual and edited salsa/samba beats and some intricate electronic editing. Some deep and dark bass guitar parts enter, and this tune begins to get going. It sounds very different to anything else musically out there. The music continues to progress, and the bass guitar continues to remain prominent. A really weird tune to listen to from the start of it all. A very dark and eerie tune with some Syd Barrett-esque guitar parts that sound really good. This is a masterwork in proto-EDM stylings, and the whole thing sounds really cool. It’s dark without being overtly depressing to listen to, which is a bonus. An out there and interesting composition. The vocals enter, and the singing sounds halfway between Johnny Rotten and Ian Curtis. The guitar playing throughout is extremely good, with some Fender Stratocaster-styled licks and playing that sound really very cool. With some repeated, chanted styled singing which turns into pleading, this is a good song but sounds very dated. Nonetheless, it is a good listen throughout. “I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m Dead, Bela Lugosi’s dead!” is repeatedly sung here. In the second half is another instrumental breakdown that sounds extremely cool to listen to. A wonderful and neat piece of well-structured instrumentation that sounds like proto-EDM. Perhaps these guys had a glimpse into the future? In any case, this is a masterwork of dark proportions, and it does sound really great. The music and singing are really quite good. A good song, but not a great one, to be fair. The singer doesn’t fit the band, to be frank. Mind you, this is the birthplace of a new and darker form of music that didn’t necessarily rely on heavy guitars and palm-muted power chords. It begins to wrap up towards the end with the repeated percussion sounds, electronic editing and the omnipresent bass guitar playing. A really cool and interesting song to listen to, this sounds supremely and interestingly cool. A good song, but a bit lacking to be a great one, to be fair.

2. Some Faces begins with some clean guitar riffs and enters into a more straightforward 1970s-sounding song. This sounds like a take on either John Lennon or some of the Punk Music of the time. There isn’t anything special or revolutionary in this song, and it just sounds like another rather average band present on this tune. A worthy and interesting listen, this sounds incredibly and wonderfully cool to listen to. The music is good, but the singer sounds lacking. Okay, but fairly bland music.

3. Bite My Hip begins with some Punk styled muted riffing and percussion thrown into the mix. Gurgling bass guitar follows, and this tune begins to come alive very nicely. A really good listen, although, again, the vocals aren’t the best nor the most recognisable in Rock Music history. This does have interesting pseudo-Surf Rock guitar parts, and yes, it is good for what it is. Nonetheless, a very good listen that is dark without being scary, depressing or stupid. It is certainly unique music as well. All in all, a really cool tune that has promise and character throughout. There is a good guitar figure, followed by a repeated vocal set, leading up to the climax at the end. A better listen.

4. Harry begins with some upbeat guitar strumming, which sounds like it is influenced by Reggae. A bit of a weird tune for such a band as Bauhaus to cover. The vocals are okay but not exceptionally good. This is not the best music combination of Punk and Reggae Music, it just sounds like a bit of an experimental joke to listen to. This tune has some interesting social commentary on it, but in the history of music, this isn’t the best song or EP to hear. It certainly has promise, but aside from that, nothing hugely special about it all. In any case, it’s okay, but music has done far better than this awkward mash-up of styles instead of creating something worthy of substance. Fortunately, it is less than three minutes long.

5. Boys (Original Version) begins with some warped sounding guitar riffing, which actually sounds really cool. This becomes quite harmonically discordant in the process. Soon enough, this launches into another fairly straightforward yet lacking tune that is not overly inspiring to listen to. The music here is a bit mind-numbingly dull, to be fair. Sadly, this is another fairly average band on this EP. It’s okay but nothing overly wonderful or inspiring throughout. A bit of a drag for an EP, and nothing here has aged terribly well. This is a slow-burning tune that fails to spark a great deal of music interest throughout. An okay song, but nothing truly special on this tune, and the EP ends here.

This is not as good as one would have hoped for. Instead of a truly exciting collection of songs, this is the sound of just another average band attempting to cash in on the Punk movement. Really, not on. There is nothing overly bad about this EP, but it does lack magic and is incredibly boring to listen to. Should you listen to this EP? Only if you need a music history lesson or if you are a fan of Punk Music. Otherwise, no.

Rather average and boring.

5/10