Batcave (club)

The Batcave was a nightclub in London, at Meard Street, Soho. It is considered to be the birthplace of the Southern English goth subculture as it had already been established in Northern England, in particular Leeds Manchester and Belfast. Though when the culture was being developed in the North of England it was commonly known as alternative prior to been given the goth moniker. 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, who would adorn themselves in Batwing Coffin necklaces to distinguish themselves from other less prolific goth nightclubs. 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 Specimen's Jon Klein as Art Director, and initially with the assistance of production manager Hugh Jones. Famous regulars at the Batcave included musicians such as Bauhaus, Robert Smith, Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Severin, Foetus, Marc Almond and Nick Cave.

Batcave

The Batcave is the secret headquarters, command center and safe house of the DC Comics superhero Batman, the alternate identity of playboy Bruce Wayne, consisting of a series of subterranean caves beneath his residence, Wayne Manor.

Publication history

Originally, there was only a secret tunnel that ran underground between Wayne Manor and a dusty old barn where the Batmobile and Batmicrolite were kept. Later, in Batman #12 (August–September 1942), Bill Finger mentioned "secret underground hangars." In 1943, the writers of the first Batman movie serial, titled Batman, gave Batman a complete underground crime lab and introduced it in the second chapter entitled "The Bat's Cave". The entrance was via a secret passage through a grandfather clock and included bats flying around.

Bob Kane, who was on the movie set, mentioned this to Bill Finger who was going to be the initial scripter on the Batman daily newspaper strip. Finger included with his script a clipping from Popular Mechanics that featured a detailed cross section of underground hangars. Kane used this clipping as a guide, adding a study, crime lab, workshop, hangar and garage. This illustration appeared in the Batman "dailies" on October 29, 1943 in a strip entitled "The Bat Cave!"

Batcave (disambiguation)

The Batcave is Batman's secret hideout.

Batcave or Bat Cave may also refer to: