Leeds was never exclusively goth — it was a post-punk, politicized, university city with a lot of diversity.
Leeds was marked by a very specific cluster between 1981–1987:
Political — Gang of Four, Chumbawamba, The Mekons, The Three Johns.
Minimalist goth — Sisters, March Violets, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry.
University indie — Wedding Present, Cud, Pale Saints, Kaiser Chiefs.
The Sisters of Mercy — the epicenter.
The March Violets — flowery, violet, theatrical goth.
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry — dark, repetitive minimalism.
The Three Johns — political, dry, industrial post-punk.
The Cassandra Complex — electro-goth.
The Mission (partially connected via Wayne Hussey, but the band is from London).
Age of Chance — sampledelic dance-rock.
Chumbawamba — anarchists, Leeds/Bradford.
Cud — eccentric indie.
Gang of Four — seminal political post-punk.
Girls At Our Best — pop post-punk.
Kaiser Chiefs — 2000s indie.
The March Violets — Leeds goth.
The Mekons — post-punk → alt-country.
Pale Saints — 4AD, dream-noise.
The Parachute Men — jangle indie.
The Pigeon Detectives — 2000s indie.
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry — minimalist goth.
Send More Paramedics — zombie thrash crossover.
The Sisters of Mercy — the heart of goth.
The Three Johns — political post-punk.
Sky Larkin — modern indie.
The Wedding Present — indie/jangle noise.
Not from Leeds: The Blueskins — from Wakefield, not Leeds.
The Outer Limits — band from Hull.
Dead Disco — trio formed at Leeds College of Music, but members from Wakefield and Lancashire (semi-Leeds).
Soft Cell — Marc Almond is from Southport, Dave Ball from Blackpool; the band originated at Leeds Polytechnic, but they are not "from Leeds".
Wild Beasts — from Kendal, Cumbria.
Scritti Politti — formed at Leeds University, but Green Gartside is in Wales.
