Goldenvoice’s Cruel World Festival Day 2 at The Rose Bowl on May 15 2022 in Pasadena California

  • International Concert Reviews, International Festivals

 

Brookside Park at the Rose Bowl was Sunday’s destination. I left San Francisco Bay at 4:00am heading south to Pasadena California. The Cruel World festival presented by Goldenvoice was an 1980’s kid’s dream festival. Unfortunately, I was only able to make the second day but, the lineups were the same both days. Most of the bands on this bill are 80’s icons that I have been listening to for the better part of my life. I arrived at about 9:30am, grabbed a quick breakfast and made it to the Rose Bowl by 10:30am. Doors were supposed to open at 11:00am but, unfortunately, didn’t open until 12:00pm or so. Upon entering I realized, this place is huge! There were three stages featured, Outsiders stage, Sad Girls stage and the Lost Boys stage. The weather was a perfect mid 80’s (just like most of the bands haha) with a light breeze. The evening culminated in the best way possible for such an event. A lunar eclipse happened during Bauhaus and Morrissey! 

 

 

Outsiders Stage

The Outsiders stage bands consisted of The KVB, Automatic, Sextile, Cold Cave, TR/ST, Public Image Ltd, The Church,  Devo, Bauhaus, and Morrissey. This was definitely the main stage. Due to the distance and timing of the sets, I missed the first few bands but, while I didn’t get to see them, I for sure heard them.

The first band I caught at this stage was Public Image Ltd. John Lydon was on point as was the rest of the band. They came out with “Public Image” and went straight into “This is not a Love Song” Love or hate Lydon, he is a showman and a great one at that.

 

Public Image Ltd band members:

John Lydon – lead vocals, keyboards, violin, saxophone

Bruce Smith – drums, percussion, programming, backing vocals

Lu Edmonds – guitar, keyboards, saz, banjo, backing vocals

Scott Firth – bass, keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals

 

 

setlist

1). Public Image
2). This Is Not a Love Song
3). Death Disco
4). I’m Not Satisfied
5). Shoom
6). Open Up (Leftfield cover)
7). Rise
 

Next up was the Australian band The Church. Opening with “Reptile”, the crowd went crazy and it set the mood for the rest of their set.

 

The Church band members:

Steve Kilbey – lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, guitar

Tim Powles – drums, percussion, backing vocals, guitar 

Ian Haug – guitars, backing vocals

Jeffrey Cain – guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals

Ashley Naylo – guitars

 

 

Setlist

1). Reptile
2). Metropolis
3). Myrrh
4). C’est la vie (Unreleased new song)
5). The Unguarded Moment
6). Under the Milky Way
7). Tantalized

 

Devo was next. Man, I am sure glad I got to see them. Opening with :Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)” and heading right into “Peek-a-Boo”. On the LED screens, they played the videos behind them as they performed their hits live.

 

Devo band members:

Gerald Casale – Bass, Vocals

Mark Mothersbaugh – Keyboards, Vocals

Bob Mothersbaugh – Guitar, Vocals

Josh Freese – Drums

Josh Hager – Guitar, Keyboards

 

 

setlist

1). Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)
2). Peek-a-Boo
3). Going Under
4). That’s Good
5). Girl U Want
6). Whip It

Costume change

7). (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones cover)
8). Secret Agent Man (P.F. Sloan & Steve Barri cover)
9). Uncontrollable Urge
10). Mongoloid
11). Jocko Homo
12). Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA
13). Gates of Steel
14). Song played from tape / DEVO Corporate Anthem
 
 

Next up, the iconic, Bauhaus. Seeing Bauhaus life was a dream come true. Not just for me but, I think pretty much everyone there.  “Double Dare” was their first song accompanied with full on strobe lights. Every song they played was perfectly executed.

 

Bauhaus band members:

 Daniel Ash – guitar, saxophone 

Peter Murphy – vocals, occasional instruments

Kevin Haskins – drums

David J – bass

 

 

setlist

1). Double Dare
2). In the Flat Field
3). A God in an Alcove
4). Spy in the Cab
5). She’s in Parties
6). Kick in the Eye
7). Rose Garden Funeral of Sores (John Cale cover)
8). Bela Lugosi’s Dead
9). Silent Hedges
10). The Passion of Lovers
11). Stigmata Martyr
12). Dark Entries
13). Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie cover)

 

Finally, the ever controversial Morrissey was up. The crowd was huge and totally into it. Coming out on stage in a dark suit, he opened with “Irish Blood, English Heart”. The highlight for me was he played “How Soon is Now” and three other Smiths songs. I will say, I saw him in the early 90’s and he may be better live now. 

 

Morrissey band members:

Morrissey – lead vocals

Alain Whyte – guitar

Jesse Tobias – guitar

Juan Galeano Torro – bass

Matt Walker – drums

Gustavo Manzur – keyboards

 

 

setlist

1). Irish Blood, English Heart
2). Satan Rejected My Soul
3). Knockabout World
4). How Soon Is Now? (The Smiths song)
5). Have-A-Go Merchant
6). First of the Gang to Die
7). Half a Person (The Smiths song)
8). The Loop
9). Little Man, What Now?
10). Everyday Is Like Sunday
11). I Know It’s Over (The Smiths song)
12). Never Had No One Ever (The Smiths song)
13). Let Me Kiss You
14). I Am Veronica
15). Sweet and Tender Hooligan (The Smiths song)

 

 

Sad Girls stage

The Sad Girls stage consisted of Soft Kill, Black Marble, English Beat, London After Midnight, Blaqk Audio, The Damned, Violent Femmes, The Psychedelic Furs and Blondie. 

Soft Kill was up first. While I was unfamiliar with them, they put on a really good set and got the growing crowd going. Tobias worked the stage like a seasoned veteran. These guys are going places.

 

Soft Kill band members:

Tobias Sinclair – Guitar, Vocals

Owen Glendower – Bass, Keyboards

Conrad Vollmer – Guitar

Maximillion Avila – Drums

 

 

setlist

1). Whirl
2). Wanting War
3). Magic Garden
4). Press Play
5). Wake Up
6). Death in the Family
7). Pretty Face

 

Next up was Black Marble. Again, I was not familiar with them coming in but their version of indie rock was well received by both myself and the audience. 

 

Black Marble band members:

Chris Stewart – vocals, bass, guitar, synthesizer

 

 

setlist

1). Pretender
2). In Manchester (Wire cover)
3). Woods
4). UK
5). Private Show
6). A Great Design
7). Ship to Shore
8). Iron Lung

 

As the day started to heat up, so did the stage. The English Beat hit the stage and had everyone skanking in no time. I have been trying to see them for years and this was the day. The Ska legends killed this set and if anyone in the crowd didn’t know what Ska was before, they do now. Busting straight in to “Ranking Full Stop”, this hit filled set was a dream come true. With songs like The Staple Singers “I’ll Take You There”, General Public’s “Tenderness” added to their set, they left the audience craving more.

 

The English Beat band members:

Dave Wakeling – Lead Vocals/Guitar

Matt Morrish – Sax/Vocals

Kevin Lum – Keys/Vocals

Minh Quan – Keys/Vocals

Brad Engstrom – Bass/Vocals

Antonee First Class – Toaster

Fritz Zar – Drums/Vocals

 

 

setlist

1). Ranking Full Stop
2). Mirror in the Bathroom
3). I’ll Take You There (The Staple Singers cover)
4). Tenderness (General Public cover)
5). Save It For Later

 

London After Midnight were up next and really pulled the goth crowd over to this stage. Opening with “Kiss”, the audience exploded from the first note. Even with the rising heat, London After Midnight kept everyone glued to their spot. 

 

London After Midnight band members:

Sean Brennan – founder, songwriting, musician on all albums, vocals, guitar, bass, cello, violin, keyboards, programming, drums

Pete Pace –  drums 

Michael Areklett –  bass 

Jeremy Kohnmann – guitar 

 

 

setlist

No setlist available

 

Blaqk Audio hit the stage next. This two person band consisted of a DJ and singer Davey Havok. Davey made use of every bit of the large stage and then some. He even utilized the risers in front of the stage as well as the isle out to the soundboard to get even closer to the ever growing crowd. 

 

Blaqk Audio band members:

Davey Havok – lead vocals, lyricist

Jade Puget – keyboard, synthesizer, backing vocals, composer

 

 

setlist

1). Stiff Kittens

2). A Distant Light

3). OK, Alex

4). Cities of Night

5). Dark Times at the Berlin Wall

6). Semiotic Love

 

When The Damned came out, the goth presence was in full effect. I had only seen The Damned once before in the early 90’s and it was so great to finally get to see them again. The only downside was that Captain Sensible couldn’t make the US dates. Hitting the stage with “Wait For The Blackout”, The Damned hits just kept coming.

 

The Damned band members:

Dave Vanian (David Lett) – lead vocals

Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns) – guitar, backing vocals , keyboards, bass 

Paul Gray – guitar, bass, backing vocals

Monty Oxymoron (Laurence Burrow) – keyboards, backing vocals

Live members for current reunion tour

Brian James (Brian Robertson) – guitar, backing vocals 

Rat Scabies (Christopher Millar) – drums, backing vocals 

 

 

setlist

1). Wait for the Blackout
2). Plan 9 Channel 7
3). Street of Dreams
4). Alone Again Or (Love cover)
5). Eloise (Paul Ryan cover)
6). Dozen Girls
7). Born to Kill
8). Love Song
9). Neat Neat Neat
10). New Rose
11). Nasty

 

The Violent Femmes were about as opposite as you could get from The Damned. The acoustic Violent Femmes have been a listening staple for me for 30+ years and this was the first time I have seen them live. Coming out with “Add It Up”, they hooked me, and the everyone else, right in.

 

The Violent Femmes band members:

Gordon Gano – lead vocals, guitars, violin, banjo

Brian Ritchie – bass, backing vocals, guitars, shakuhachi, xylophone, keyboards

Blaise Garza – saxophones, percussion, backing vocals 

John Sparrow – drums, percussion, backing vocals 

 

 

setlist

1). Blister in the Sun
2). Kiss Off
3). I’m Nothing
4). Prove My Love
5). Promise
6). Jesus Walking on the Water
7). Dance, Motherfucker, Dance
8). Gimme the Car
9). I Held Her in My Arms
10). Gone Daddy Gone
11). Add It Up
12). American Music

 

The Psychedelic Furs are one of those bands that define the 80’s. The iconicness (is that even a word?) of this band is virtually unsurpassed. Opening with “The Boy That Invented Rock N Roll” They soon visited all of their 80’s soundtrack hits and brought back all of those VHS memories. 

 

The Psychedelic Furs band members:

Richard Butler – Vocals

Tim Butler – Bass

Mars Williams – Saxophone

Amanda Kramer – Vocals, Keyboards

Rich Good – Guitar

Zack Alford – Drums

 

 

setlist

1). The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll
2). Mr. Jones (With lyrics from “Dumb Waiters”)
3). Pretty in Pink
4). You’ll Be Mine
5). The Ghost in You
6). Love My Way
7). Heartbreak Beat
8). President Gas
9). Heaven
10). India

 

While, unfortunately, Blondie shut down all the photographers, I did get to hear most of her set. Debbie Harry and the band sounded amazing.  It was so cool to hear some of my favorite Blondie songs live.

 

Blondie band members:

Debbie Harry– Vocals

Chris Stein – Guitar

Clem Burke – Drums

Leigh Foxx

Matt Katz-Bohen – Keyboards

Tommy Kessler– Guitar

 

setlist

1). X Offender
2). Hanging on the Telephone (The Nerves cover)
3). Fade Away and Radiate
4). The Tide Is High (The Paragons cover)
5). Atomic
6). Long Time
7). Call Me
8). Rapture
9). Maria
10). Dreaming
11). Heart of Glass
12). One Way or Another

 

 

Lost Boys stage

The Lost Boys stage consisted of, The Meteors, Christian Death, 45 Grave, Missing Persons, Drab Majesty, Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel and Berlin.

The Psychobilly legends The Meteors were up first. These guys are so much fun! Being one of the originators of the genre puts a lot of expectations on a band and they lived up to it and more. 

 

The Meteors band members:

P. Paul Fenech – Guitar, Vocals

Wolfgang Hordemann – Drums

Hendrik Corleone – Bass

 

 

setlist

1). Hell Ain’t Hot Enough for Me
2). Ain’t Gonna Bring Me Down
3). Blue Sunshine
4). Fire Fire
5). Maniac Rockers from Hell
6). When a Stranger Calls
7). Rawhide (Frankie Laine cover)
8). No Surrender
9). I Hate… People (Anti-Nowhere League cover)
10). Wolfjob
11). Graveyard Stomp
12). The Crazed
13). Wreckin’ Crew
 
 

Christian Death was up next. My favorite incarnation of this band will always be with Rozz Williams but, since he’s no longer with us in this world, Valor Kand it is. That being said, he is an awesome front man and the band was on point every song.  I really want to see them again soon with a full set so I can get my fill.

 

 

Christian Death band members:

Valor Kand – Guitar, Vocals

KOTA – Keyboard and Agitator

Chuck – Guitar

Maitri – Bass

Pao – Drums

 

 

setlist

1). The Alpha and the Omega
2). New Messiah
3). Elegant Sleeping
4). Blood Moon
5). Abraxas We Are
 

45 Grave is a band I have been listening to since high school in the 80’s. Totally worth the wait! This performance was everything my teenage self would have hoped for. Every song was great and their set was solid.

 

45 Grave band members:

Dinah Cancer – vocals

Tom Coyne – drums

Brandden Blackwell – bass

Dylan Thomas – guitars

 

 

setlist

1). Insurance From God

2). Night Of The Demons

3). Dream Hits

4). Evil

5). Riboflavin-Flavored, Non-Carbonated, Polyunsaturated Blood (Don Hinson and the Rigamorticians cover)

6). Partytime

7). Surf Bat

8).Black Cross

 

Missing Persons was the last band I caught on this stage. Dale Bozzio’s slayed her performance and the rest of the band kept right up. I don’t know why it took me so long to see them but, I am glad I finally did. 

 

Missing Persons band members:

Dale Bozzio – vocals

Fred Bensi – keyboard, synthesizers

Karl D’Amico – guitar

Prescott Niles – bass

Andy Sanesi – drums

 

 

setlist

1). Mental Hopscotch
2) .Noticeable One
3). Words
4). My Sharona (The Knack cover) (Snippet)
5). Destination Unknown
6). Walking in L.A.

 

In conclusion, this was the best festival I have been to since the first Lollapalooza in 1991. Every band I heard and watched were stellar. Not a one of them “called it in”. The lineup was amazing. The crowd was energetic and enthusiastic. The lines for everything were quite long but, I guess that is to be expected with so many in attendance. I will say, the merch booth was very well organized and the line, surprisingly, moved very quickly. The staff overall was very helpful and readily available to help if asked. My only regret is that I only went on Sunday. If they have another one and I get to cover it, I will be attending both days. I regret not catching all the bands but, it was just not possible in just one day.   I do hope to catch the bands I missed out on the road this summer during their individual tours. If they have it again, I would 10/10 would recommend it to any fans of 80′ new wave and goth music.

 

 

Some of the performances that didn’t get covered due to time and distance.

TR/ST band members

Robert Alfons – Vocals

Lia Braswell – Drums

Esther Blue – keyboards

 

Cold Cave band members:

Wesley Eisold – Vocals

Amy Lee – live performer, photographer, videographer, and designer.

Nils Bue – Guitar

Ryan McMahon – Drums

 

Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel band members:

Jay Aston – Guitar, Vocals

James Stevenson – Guitar

Peter Rizzo – Bass

Chris Bell – Drums

 

Berlin band members:

Terri Nunn – Vocals

John Crawford – Bass

David Diamond – Keyboards

Dave Schulz – Keyboards

Carlton Bost – Guitar

Ric “Rocc” Roccapriore – Drums

 

Drab Majesty band members:

Deb Demure (Andrew Clinco) – Vocals, Guitar, percussion

Mona D (Alex Nicolaou) – Keyboards, vocals

 

Sextile band members:

Brady Keehn –  Guitar, Vocals

 Melissa Scaduto – drums, Vocals

 

Automatic band members:

Izzy Glaudini – synths, lead vocals

Lola Dompé – drums, vocals 

Halle Saxon – bass, vocals

 

The KVB band members:

Nicholas Wood – Vocals, multiple instruments

Kat Day – Keyboards, Vocals

 

 

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