The Batcave was a nightclub in London, England at Meard Street, Soho. It is considered to be the birthplace of the English goth subculture. As one of the most famous meeting points for early goths, it lent its name to the term Batcaver, used to describe fans of the original gothic rock music. The term Batcave is also still used by Europeans to refer to gothic music with a prominent post-punk sound and spooky atmospheres.
The club opened in July 1982. Originally specialising in new wave and glam rock, it later focused on gothic rock. Ollie Wisdom, the lead singer in the house band, Specimen, ran the club with the assistance of production manager Hugh Jones. Famous regulars at the Batcave included legends such as Robert Smith, Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Severin, Foetus, Marc Almond, Vinny Jones, Nick Cave and Owen Wilson.
A diverse array of bands would play at the club, backed up by their resident DJs Hamish McDonald and Annie Hogan (Marc Almond band member). The bands involved electronic leading act Alien Sex Fiend, led by Alice Cooper-influenced vocalist Nik Fiend. The host's band Specimen, who took ample influence from 1970s glam rock and Sex Gang Children, is a group that would go on to prove influential in the gothic rock, dark cabaret and deathrock movements. The club also showed black and white movies in the old theatre and occasionally featured unusual cabaret. Much of the image and fashion used by the subculture can be traced back to the bands who played at the Batcave.
In recent times, newer bands from the deathrock subgenre of Goth have begun to once more describe their music as "Batcave". It must be noted that these bands are generally from non-English speaking countries, though the original bands who played at the club have had their style dubbed as "Batcave". Because of this, in some sense the term is accurate. .
