Dark cabaret is amusic genre that draws on the aesthetics ofburlesque,vaudeville andWeimar-era cabaret, generally played by groups with origins inrock music.

The genre traces its roots to 1930sWeimar Republic experimental cabaret ofBertolt Brecht andKurt Weill, and their influence upon 1960srock bands includingthe Doors. In the 1970s, the dark cabaret genre began to emerge withSteve Harley & Cockney Rebel'sThe Human Menagerie (1973) andNico'sThe End... (1974). During the 1980s, the genre was adopted by groups with origins inpost-punk,new wave andgothic rock, includingMarc Almond,the Virgin Prunes,Nina Hagen andSex Gang Children. These disparate forms of the genre were largely codified during the 1990s, through the works ofthe Tiger Lillies, as well asRozz Williams andGitane Demone'sDream Home Heartache (1995). During this decade, theneo-burlesque movement began, which allowed acts in the 2000s such asthe Dresden Dolls,the World/Inferno Friendship Society,Jill Tracy andKatzenjammer Kabarett to gain mainstream attention. Amidst this period, the genre's influence from embraced by some prominent groups in theindie rock andemo pop genres.

In a 2019 article forThe New York Times writer Christopher R. Weingarten stated that "Any journey into cabaret-punk begins with the work ofBertold Brecht andKurt Weill". The pair's work merged Weimar-era cabaret with elements of the country'spop music, Americanjazz music andsocialist themes. Weingarten specifically cited the "Alabama Song" (1930), as performed byLotte Lenya, as a notable precursor, as well as its 1967 cover by rock bandthe Doors. Furthermore, the 1972 filmCabaret's dark and cynical take on cabaret performance anticipated dark cabaret.^[2]

In his bookThe Music Sound, academic Nicolae Sfetcu traced the origins of dark cabaret to German musicianNico's 1974 albumThe End... and its songs "You Forgot to Answer" and "Secret Side".^[3] Dave Thompson's review forAllMusic also citedSteve Harley & Cockney Rebel's 1973 albumThe Human Menagerie as dark cabaret.^[4] andThe Psychomodo.^[5] In the following years, this style was also adopted byMarc Almond,the Virgin Prunes andNina Hagen.^[3]Sex Gang Children, too, incorporated elements of cabaret into their macabre, early 1980s gothic rock sound.^[6]

One of the earliest bands to play mainly or exclusively in a style which might now be described as dark cabaret were theTiger Lillies, formed in London in 1989. In the 1980s satirical cabaret had been revived and popularised by London-based bands such asFascinating Aïda and Kit and The Widow but the Tiger Lillies incorporated themes ofblasphemy,prostitution andbestiality in their songs, sung byMartyn Jacques in a menacing style with afalsetto voice.^[7] A collaboration betweenRozz Williams andGitane Demone – both former members ofChristian Death, entitledDream Home Heartache (1995) – was described by reviewers as "cabaretnoir"^[8] or "glam cabaret".^[9]

The late 1990s saw the rise ofNeo-Burlesque, which revived interest in cabaret, appearance of performers such as the Chicago burlesque orchestraApartment (1997–2005) and the emergence ofgothic bellydance. Collaboration with burlesque performers was given by Brian Viglione as the inspiration for the Dresden Dolls' look.^[10] By the 2000s, burlesque was receiving a revived mainstream interest, with the filmsMoulin Rouge! (2001),Big Fish (2003) andA Series Of Unfortunate Events gaining significant attention, the high profile public persona of burlesque dancerDita Von Teese and the medium being incorporated into music videos released by musical artists includingBig Brovaz,the Killers andModest Mouse.^[11]

Dark cabaret as a distinct musical movement began to solidify around the mid-2000s, notably represented byProjekt Records's 2005 compilation albumProjekt Presents: A Dark Cabaret, which largely popularised the genre.^[12][13] The album included "Flowers" fromDream Home Heartache sung by Rozz Williams together with, among others, "Evil Night Together" byJill Tracy, "Sometimes, Sunshine" by Revue Noir, and "Coin-Operated Boy" bythe Dresden Dolls. Formed byAmanda Palmer andBrian Viglione in 2000, The Dresden Dolls described their music as "Brechtian punk cabaret", a term coined by Amanda Palmer in early 2003 in part to preclude being labelled by the media as goths.^[14] Nevertheless, with their musical style and appearance in white face makeup and reduced period clothing, the Dresden Dolls and their fans quickly became the most readily identified with the newly evident dark cabaret genre, garnering the most mainstream attention.^[15] The band's popularity led to an increased interest in prior acts in the genre namely the Tiger Lillies andthe World/Inferno Friendship Society,^[2] and bands began categorising themselves and their performance as dark cabaret, such asKatzenjammer Kabarett in France, or Ray Childish inAustria.^[16] At this time, elements of dark cabaret also began to be embraced by practitioners ofemo pop music, includingMy Chemical Romance andPanic! at the Disco.^[2]

• Projekt Records
• No Comment Records
• The End Records

• List of dark cabaret artists

• 20th-century music genres
• 21st-century music genres
• Dark cabaret musicians
• Alternative rock genres
• Cabaret

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from May 2015