10 performances we saw at Cruel World, ranked

If you’re wondering wherefore truthful galore goths were wandering astir Pasadena this weekend, look nary further than Cruel World. The Goldenvoice solemnisation of each things postpunk, caller question and alternate landed astatine Brookside astatine the Rose Bowl connected Saturday for its 4th installment, this clip led by New Order and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

It ran smoothly, adjacent erstwhile the overcast turned into a hard drizzle, creating a vibe reminiscent of England’s famed Glastonbury Festival. Gen Xers and fans of the epoch flocked to the converted play people to perceive their favourite artists instrumentality the signifier erstwhile again, with galore lone appearing occasionally implicit the people of decades.

But, arsenic is the lawsuit with each festivals, immoderate acts had it together, bringing their champion to fans and entrancing them successful a nostalgia-ridden high. And immoderate conscionable showed up. Here’s a database of the performances we saw astatine the fest, from champion to not-so-great.

1. New Order
In a caller chat with The Times, Bernard Sumner spoke lovingly astir New Order’s revival and attributed it partially to the band’s newfound cohesion.

“In the aboriginal days, we utilized to get f— up rather a batch and that f— up the shows,” Sumner said. “We utilized to play a truly bully one, observe however large it was, and past the adjacent 1 would beryllium unspeakable due to the fact that we celebrated excessively much.”

He was spot-on with this point, arsenic the band’s show astatine Cruel World illustrated. Across full set, it seemed everything was successful the close spot for the new-wave icons, who delivered perfection to fans. From the get-go, “Age of Consent” had the full assemblage bouncing astir — an awesome accomplishment considering that the set was the past to execute connected a bedewed and muddy day.

But the entity seemingly opened for New Order, who looked each excessively chill and casual portion shouting out, “This is simply a protestation song, and it’s clip for a protestation song” earlier treating the assemblage to “State of the Nation.”

The acceptable would person been unthinkable capable connected its own, gracefully fitting “Sub-Culture,” “Bizarre Love Triangle,” “True Faith” and “Blue Monday” into a one-hour window, but the radical brought much than that to the table. After Sumner bowed retired to “Temptation,” a infinitesimal went by earlier the set was backmost retired onstage to play Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”

Emotions ran precocious successful a celebratory and touching performance, arsenic images of the precocious Ian Curtis and the words “Forever Joy Division” flashed connected screens down the band. Headliners are headliners for a reason, and determination was nary amended radical than New Order to pb festivalgoers connected a triumph thigh during its stroll done the past.

Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo performs astatine Cruel World

(Dick Slaughter)

2. Devo

Devo was incredibly adjacent to topping this list, arsenic the set brought its signature wacky and whimsical amusement to Pasadena. After being pelted by rain, fans gathered astir the festival’s Sad Girls signifier to invited the new-wave quintet.

A portion rolled connected the screens, featuring returning quality “Rod Rooter,” played by Michael W. Schwartz. In the footage, Rooter meets with the group, pitching the thought of Devo dolls: “We adjacent got your jumpsuits!”

This was followed by different video, erstwhile again featuring Schwartz arsenic Rooter, lone years later.

“That was maine 40 years ago, dispensing invaluable proposal to the set that couldn’t sprout straight,” helium said, sitting connected an indoor motorcycle and wearing a boldly colored tracksuit. “Now present they are, my biggest vocation regret, Devo.”

All 4 past danced retired onto the stage, wearing all-black suits for “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man).” It wasn’t agelong until the musicians donned their signature “devolution” caps, which were aboriginal thrown to the assemblage arsenic the set launched into “Whip It.” This was followed by a speedy outfit alteration into those yellowish jumpsuits, which frontman Mark Mothersbaugh tore disconnected during “Uncontrollable Urge.”

Devo brought everything to the array and gave fans the amusement they deserved. It’s nary wonderment Goldenvoice invited the set backmost aft it lighted up the Pasadena signifier successful 2022, and it apt won’t beryllium the group’s past quality connected a Cruel World lineup.

3. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

It was ever going to beryllium a large show from Nick Cave and his ensemble — it’s conscionable their business. Over the full people of the festival, nary 1 was capable to entice a assemblage similar they were. Throughout the full set, it felt similar gospel was ringing retired crossed the Rose Bowl lawn, and Cave would widen a manus to his adoring worshippers astatine the stage’s front.

“You’re f— incredible,” helium said. “Full of drugs and inactive capable to clap.”

Throughout its one-hour set, the set played everything from lively, invigorating tracks similar “Wild God” to mellow, meditative numbers similar “Joy.” Of course, the radical made definite to acceptable successful “Red Right Hand,” which received an eruption of cheers. Cave would often marque a huffy dash betwixt his soft and downstage, making a amusement of it arsenic helium danced his fingers crossed the keys.

But the perfomance’s highest apt came with a unrecorded debut of “Hollywood,” a 14-minute opus (played successful full) disconnected 2019’s “Ghosteen.”

“We’re gonna effort this song, we’ve ne'er played it before,” Cave said. “It’s highly agelong and it’s written for … Hollywood.”

The song, explained successful a station to Cave’s 2018 task “The Red Hand Files,” is simply a communicative referencing a bid of images that came to him portion sitting successful the backmost spot of a car driving done Oslo, Texas. In it, a narrator finds himself connected a beach, looking retired astatine the sun.

Poetically and astir prophetically, the station said, “Malibu is connected occurrence and the animals person been driven down from the hills to the shore.”

Shirley Manson of Garbage performing astatine Cruel World

(Dick Slaughter)

4. Garbage

Overlapping Garbage and Devo during Cruel World’s sets was a determination that near galore attendees divided. It was nary astonishment that galore larger groups divided up astir 7 p.m. and acceptable disconnected to either the Outsiders oregon Lost Boys stages.

Even pb vocalist Shirley Manson felt bummed astir missing retired connected Devo and said she expected a overmuch smaller crowd.

“I’m gonna beryllium precise honorable with you … successful rehearsal yesterday we were truly freaking retired because, of course, the large Devo!” Manson said. “We are truthful gutted that we’re playing astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic 1 of our leader bands.”

“We’re amazed that you’re here,” she continued, laughing. “Thank you truthful much.”

But Garbage enactment connected an fantabulous show — it was each smiles among those who had chosen the alt-rock group. A bonus was Manson’s outfit, which was undoubtedly the champion of the day.

5. OMD

Orchestral Manoeuvres successful the Dark was an unexpected favourite among the lineup. The radical came retired with precocious vigor and maintained it passim its full set. This kept fans connected the borderline of their seats, arsenic did conscionable the close magnitude of commentary from the bandto prosecute them.

“Everybody enactment 2 hands up,” pb vocalist Andy McCluskey said earlier performing “Talking Loud and Clear.”

“You person to bash it with 2 hands, different you’ll look similar Elon Musk!”

It was an expected yet hilarious quip from the band, which has ne'er shied distant from making a governmental statement. Years later, it inactive felt awkward dancing distant to “Enola Gay,” and adjacent much truthful aft the radical flashed images of the notorious craft and a mushroom unreality connected screens.

During “If You Leave,” the screens showed images of Molly Ringwald arsenic Andie Walsh successful “Pretty successful Pink,” which was a bully motion to the song’s inclusion successful the film’s soundtrack.

6. Alison Moyet

A large show from an unthinkable creator — it’s nary wonderment she received an MBE for euphony work successful 2021. During the set, she floated backmost and distant betwixt songs from her solo vocation and those she made with Yazoo alongside Vince Clarke, who had antecedently served arsenic keyboardist for Depeche Mode.

Perhaps the astir awesome portion of her acceptable was her vocals. It’s nary concealed that immoderate of these singers’ voices person declined aft 40 oregon truthful years. But Moyet, though not arsenic crisp, inactive delivered connected the main stage. In fact, the interaction of grit to her dependable lone added to the songs, which she commanded with gravitas.

7. She Past Away

The Turkish postpunk duo took the signifier astir 2 p.m. and granted festivalgoers a pleasant peek of what was up of them. For a radical that formed successful 2006, it acceptable successful comfortably successful the lineup, entrancing listeners with sounds reminiscent of what its new-wave peers were creating successful the ’80s. To enactment a cherry connected top, bandmates Volkan Caner and İdris Akbulut adorned their classical achromatic oculus shadiness and lipstick combo.

She Wants Revenge performing astatine Cruel World

(Dick Slaughter)

8. She Wants Revenge

Another postpunk outfit from the aughts, She Wants Revenge attracted rather the crowd. Lead vocalist Justin Warfield strutted astir the signifier successful an all-black, all-leather outfit that featured a loop with aureate ankhs hanging beneath it. As acold arsenic presence, the radical had it down.

Its show was solid, and fans applauded erstwhile the set whipped retired a screen of the Psychedelic Furs’ “Sister Europe” mid-set. Hunter Burgan of AFI was brought retired and introduced arsenic not lone “one of the raddest bass players ever ripping” but besides “a mean sax player.” In a sentimental touch, the opus was dedicated to the Furs’ precocious saxophonist Mars Williams.

9. Death Cult

This 1 was an unusual one. As a preface, the Southern Death Cult was a Bradford, England-born set and a person of the postpunk question successful the aboriginal ’80s. The radical garnered a spot of attention, played astir 20 shows, divided aft 2 years and released 1 album, titled “The Southern Death Cult.”

After the breakup, frontman Ian Astbury joined forces with guitarist Billy Duffy to signifier Death Cult successful 1983. The set released 1 EP nether this name, simply titled “Death Cult,” earlier becoming the Cult little than 1 twelvemonth later. In 2023, Astbury and Duffy would revive Death Cult for a bid of shows crossed the U.K. and a one-off show astatine what was past the Theatre astatine Ace Hotel. For Cruel World, the brace followed suit and performed nether the sanction Death Cult, portion besides celebrating the euphony of the Cult and the Southern Death Cult.

Going into the show, fans were confused astir what they would perchance beryllium proceeding from the band, who walked retired onstage to the taxable from “A Clockwork Orange.” Needless to say, astir attendees were fans of the Cult, the astir good known of the 3 set iterations, and Astbury was seemingly frustrated that the assemblage wasn’t much reactive to tunes from Death Cult and the Southern Death Cult.

It’s nary surprise, then, that attendees rejoiced erstwhile they heard the Cult’s astir fashionable song, “She Sells Sanctuary,” arsenic good arsenic others from the band.

It didn’t assistance that the prima had conscionable gone down, leaving the tiny Lost Boys signifier dimly lighted, and determination were nary visualizers to backmost the group. This meant fans could hardly marque retired the set unless they were adjacent to the stage.

It’s not that Death Cult’s musicians were atrocious showmen. On the contrary, Astbury’s vocals were great, and everyone seemed to beryllium connected the aforesaid wave, but the crowd. Given each the factors astatine play, the acceptable was conscionable unusual altogether.

10. The Go-Go’s

Fans arrived successful droves, anxious to perceive their favorites from 1 of the biggest undercards connected the lineup. I mean, it’s the Go-Go’s; you don’t privation to miss “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “Vacation,” adjacent if you’ve conscionable spent hours successful the rain, shelled retired $20 connected a cocktail and your soles are starting to shriek astatine you.

It’s hard to enactment a digit connected what precisely went incorrect for this performance; the hits were determination and the assemblage was packed. But each opus felt uncoordinated, similar the set could person spent a fewer much hours successful rehearsal. The radical was not lone retired of sync from the leap but the full acceptable was besides plagued by feedback and dependable premix issues.

“All right, I’m sitting backmost present motherf— … travel connected now, I’m moving my f— a— off,” drummer Gina Schock said earlier diving into “Head Over Heels.” “I wanna spot immoderate question retired there, OK?”

But the assemblage stood still. Even erstwhile the set finished disconnected with “We Got The Beat,” the musicians’ effort to pb a H-O-T-T-O-G-O chant — arsenic they had done conscionable weeks earlier astatine Coachella — fell level connected its face.

“You cognize that one,” Jane Wiedlin pleaded, to nary avail.