The waver is, next to the goth, the most original representative of the black scene and descends less from gothic rock than from new wave. Its characteristics are of a musical nature. Roughly speaking, the goth prefers guitar-heavy gothic rock, while the waver feels at home in the electronic world: dark wave, cold wave, new wave. Nowadays, the waver is also often at home in minimal, revels in old NDW treasures and also dares to put on shiny silver or golden spikes. Here and there you notice the influence of the New Romantics, who were the birds of paradise of the alternative-electronic scene in the early 80s.
Typical clothing
The waver possesses some indispensable items of clothing that make him a waver. Pikes are a given, as are harem trousers, also called Aladdin trousers, harem trousers or harem trousers. They are accompanied by wide black shirts with high collars. Numerous crosses dangle around the neck, just like the Grufits. There is a lot of overlap with the dark, ghoulish representatives anyway, which is due to the common origin. Although the waver is more businesslike in his choice of clothing, he also likes to wear colourful, shiny shirts with his coloured pikes and conquer the dance floor as a New Romantic waver.
Typical makeup
When it comes to makeup, the waver is a minimalist. He uses light makeup but also likes bright colour and strong accents to match his clothes. Gold eye shadow and shiny lipstick go with the gold jacket. The whole thing is underlined by large earrings - preferably made of plastic in a geometric shape. Unlike the goth, the kohl, which is also thickly applied, does not end in curved patterns but in geometric shapes. A relic from the 80s. Siouxsie Sioux from Siouxsie and the Banshees led the way.
Typical hairstyles
"The hair is the most important thing!" confessed a young waver in a documentary showing scene members in Cologne in the mid-80s. And indeed, the most striking hairstyles were and are designed among the wavers. Towers describe the hairstyle in which all (longer) hair is brought into an upright position and then fixed in this position with vast amounts of hairspray. This also applies to the plate, a hairstyle in which the hair is transformed into a kind of circular side table. Occasionally, the plate also tilts to the side. The deathhawk, which the waver shares with the goth, is seen particularly often. If you tousle your hair and tousle it wildly as a waver, you're not doing anything wrong. To make the "crow's nest" look especially good, you can crimp your hair beforehand. Also a method from the 80s.
Typical music
Electronic sounds dominate the music of the Waver. Marc Almond and Gary Numan provided the sound for the early Wavers, who then also liked to listen to Depeche Mode, flirted with The Cure and celebrated the Sisters of Mercy in Germany in the mid-80s. Today you listen to Agent Side Grinder or Minuit Machine. But what they like best is to rummage through long-forgotten musical treasures of the 80s.
