The artists of the gothic scene take special care with their performance on stage, because they know that their audience enjoys with all their senses. Moreover, anyone who performs dark songs in mainstream clothes is quickly denied authenticity. Moreover, the goth wants the right show to go with the sound. If the music is minimalist, the performance can be too. If the music is loud and aggressive, the singer has to go all out on stage. Robert Smith always chose the somewhat introverted and enraptured appearance for his songs. Probably not even on purpose. Andrew Eldritch of "The Sisters of Mercy" wrapped himself completely in fog and scene artists like Anna Varney of SOPOR AETERNUS do not perform publicly at all.
Some Black Scene artists particularly stand out on stage, for example Alien Sex Fiend. Those who like zombies and horror films also like Nik Fiend's performances. He plays out the complete horror madness to match his music on stage and moves in his stage set of mannequins and the surreal like someone who has just crawled out of the grave. Umbra et Imago also offer something extraordinary on stage with their BDSM shows. However, the performance is somewhat controversial in the black scene because the BDSM scene is not part of the gothic movement.
