10 performances we saw at Cruel World, ranked

Los Angeles Times

19-05-2025

If you're wondering why so many goths we're wandering around Pasadena this weekend, look no further than Cruel World. The Goldenvoice celebration of all things postpunk, new wave and alternative landed at Brookside at the Rose Bowl on Saturday for its fourth installment, this time led by New Order and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
It ran smoothly, even when the overcast turned into a hard drizzle, creating a vibe reminiscent of England's famed Glastonbury Festival. Gen Xers and fans of the era flocked to the converted golf course to hear their favorite artists take the stage once again, with many only appearing occasionally over the course of decades.
But, as is the case with all festivals, some acts had it together, bringing their best to fans and entrancing them in a nostalgia-ridden high. And some just showed up. Here's a list of the performances we saw at the fest, from best to not-so-great.
1. New OrderIn a recent chat with The Times, Bernard Sumner spoke lovingly about New Order's revival and attributed it partially to the band's newfound cohesion.
'In the early days, we used to get f— up quite a lot and that f— up the shows,' Sumner said. 'We used to play a really good one, celebrate how great it was, and then the next one would be terrible because we celebrated too much.'
He was spot-on with this point, as the band's performance at Cruel World illustrated. Across entire set, it seemed everything was in the right place for the new-wave icons, who delivered perfection to fans. From the get-go, 'Age of Consent' had the entire crowd bouncing around — an impressive accomplishment considering that the band was the last to perform on a wet and muddy day.
But the sky seemingly opened for New Order, who looked all too cool and casual while shouting out, 'This is a protest song, and it's time for a protest song' before treating the audience to 'State of the Nation.'
The set would have been incredible enough on its own, gracefully fitting 'Sub-Culture,' 'Bizarre Love Triangle,' 'True Faith' and 'Blue Monday' into a one-hour window, but the group brought more than that to the table. After Sumner bowed out to 'Temptation,' a minute went by before the band was back out onstage to play Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart.'
Emotions ran high in a celebratory and touching performance, as images of the late Ian Curtis and the words 'Forever Joy Division' flashed on screens behind the band. Headliners are headliners for a reason, and there was no better group than New Order to lead festivalgoers on a victory lap during its stroll through the past.
2. Devo
Devo was incredibly close to topping this list, as the band brought its signature wacky and whimsical show to Pasadena. After being pelted by rain, fans gathered around the festival's Sad Girls stage to welcome the new-wave quintet.
A tape rolled on the screens, featuring returning character 'Rod Rooter,' played by Michael W. Schwartz. In the footage, Rooter meets with the group, pitching the idea of Devo dolls: 'We even got your jumpsuits!'
This was followed by another video, once again featuring Schwartz as Rooter, only years later.
'That was me 40 years ago, dispensing invaluable advice to the band that couldn't shoot straight,' he said, sitting on an indoor bike and wearing a boldly colored tracksuit. 'Now here they are, my biggest career regret, Devo.'
All four then danced out onto the stage, wearing all-black suits for 'Don't Shoot (I'm a Man).' It wasn't long until the musicians donned their signature 'devolution' caps, which were later thrown to the crowd as the band launched into 'Whip It.' This was followed by a quick outfit change into those yellow jumpsuits, which frontman Mark Mothersbaugh tore off during 'Uncontrollable Urge.'
Devo brought everything to the table and gave fans the show they deserved. It's no wonder Goldenvoice invited the band back after it lighted up the Pasadena stage in 2022, and it likely won't be the group's last appearance on a Cruel World lineup.
3. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
It was always going to be a great performance from Nick Cave and his ensemble — it's just their business. Over the entire course of the festival, no one was able to entice a crowd like they were. Throughout the entire set, it felt like gospel was ringing out across the Rose Bowl lawn, and Cave would extend a hand to his adoring worshippers at the stage's front.
'You're f— incredible,' he said. 'Full of drugs and still able to clap.'
Throughout its one-hour set, the band played everything from lively, invigorating tracks like 'Wild God' to mellow, meditative numbers like 'Joy.' Of course, the group made sure to fit in 'Red Right Hand,' which received an eruption of cheers. Cave would often make a mad dash between his piano and downstage, making a show of it as he danced his fingers across the keys.
But the perfomance's peak likely came with a live debut of 'Hollywood,' a 14-minute song (played in full) off 2019's 'Ghosteen.'
'We're gonna try this song, we've never played it before,' Cave said. 'It's extremely long and it's written for … Hollywood.'
The song, explained in a post to Cave's 2018 project 'The Red Hand Files,' is a tale referencing a series of images that came to him while sitting in the back seat of a car driving through Oslo, Texas. In it, a narrator finds himself on a beach, looking out at the sun.
Poetically and almost prophetically, the post said, 'Malibu is on fire and the animals have been driven down from the hills to the shore.'
4. Garbage
Overlapping Garbage and Devo during Cruel World's sets was a decision that left many attendees divided. It was no surprise that many larger groups split up around 7 p.m. and set off to either the Outsiders or Lost Boys stages.
Even lead singer Shirley Manson felt bummed about missing out on Devo and said she expected a much smaller crowd.
'I'm gonna be very honest with you … in rehearsal yesterday we were really freaking out because, of course, the great Devo!' Manson said. 'We are so gutted that we're playing at the same time as one of our hero bands.'
'We're amazed that you're here,' she continued, laughing. 'Thank you so much.'
But Garbage put on an excellent performance — it was all smiles among those who had chosen the alt-rock group. A bonus was Manson's outfit, which was undoubtedly the best of the day.
5. OMD
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark was an unexpected favorite among the lineup. The group came out with high energy and maintained it throughout its entire set. This kept fans on the edge of their seats, as did just the right amount of commentary from the bandto engage them.
'Everybody put two hands up,' lead singer Andy McCluskey said before performing 'Talking Loud and Clear.'
'You have to do it with two hands, otherwise you'll look like Elon Musk!'
It was an expected yet hilarious quip from the band, which has never shied away from making a political statement. Years later, it still felt awkward dancing away to 'Enola Gay,' and even more so after the group flashed images of the notorious aircraft and a mushroom cloud on screens.
During 'If You Leave,' the screens showed images of Molly Ringwald as Andie Walsh in 'Pretty in Pink,' which was a nice nod to the song's inclusion in the film's soundtrack.
6. Alison Moyet
A great performance from an incredible artist — it's no wonder she received an MBE for music service in 2021. During the set, she floated back and forth between songs from her solo career and those she made with Yazoo alongside Vince Clarke, who had previously served as keyboardist for Depeche Mode.
Perhaps the most impressive part of her set was her vocals. It's no secret that some of these singers' voices have declined after 40 or so years. But Moyet, though not as crisp, still delivered on the main stage. In fact, the touch of grit to her voice only added to the songs, which she commanded with gravitas.
7. She Past Away
The Turkish postpunk duo took the stage around 2 p.m. and granted festivalgoers a pleasant peek of what was ahead of them. For a group that formed in 2006, it fit in comfortably in the lineup, entrancing listeners with sounds reminiscent of what its new-wave peers were creating in the '80s. To put a cherry on top, bandmates Volkan Caner and İdris Akbulut adorned their classic black eye shadow and lipstick combo.
8. She Wants Revenge
Another postpunk outfit from the aughts, She Wants Revenge attracted quite the crowd. Lead singer Justin Warfield strutted around the stage in an all-black, all-leather outfit that featured a belt with golden ankhs hanging below it. As far as presence, the group had it down.
Its performance was solid, and fans applauded when the band whipped out a cover of the Psychedelic Furs' 'Sister Europe' mid-set. Hunter Burgan of AFI was brought out and introduced as not only 'one of the raddest bass players ever ripping' but also 'a mean sax player.' In a sentimental touch, the song was dedicated to the Furs' late saxophonist Mars Williams.
9. Death Cult
This one was an odd one. As a preface, the Southern Death Cult was a Bradford, England-born band and a leader of the postpunk movement in the early '80s. The group garnered a bit of attention, played about 20 shows, split after two years and released one album, titled 'The Southern Death Cult.'
After the breakup, frontman Ian Astbury joined forces with guitarist Billy Duffy to form Death Cult in 1983. The band released one EP under this name, simply titled 'Death Cult,' before becoming the Cult less than one year later. In 2023, Astbury and Duffy would revive Death Cult for a series of shows across the U.K. and a one-off performance at what was then the Theatre at Ace Hotel. For Cruel World, the pair followed suit and performed under the name Death Cult, while also celebrating the music of the Cult and the Southern Death Cult.
Going into the show, fans were confused about what they would possibly be hearing from the band, who walked out onstage to the theme from 'A Clockwork Orange.' Needless to say, most attendees were fans of the Cult, the most well known of the three band iterations, and Astbury was seemingly frustrated that the crowd wasn't more reactive to tunes from Death Cult and the Southern Death Cult.
It's no surprise, then, that attendees rejoiced when they heard the Cult's most popular song, 'She Sells Sanctuary,' as well as others from the band.
It didn't help that the sun had just gone down, leaving the small Lost Boys stage dimly lighted, and there were no visualizers to back the group. This meant fans could hardly make out the band unless they were close to the stage.
It's not that Death Cult's musicians were bad showmen. On the contrary, Astbury's vocals were great, and everyone seemed to be on the same wave, except the crowd. Given all the factors at play, the set was just odd altogether.
10. The Go-Go's
Fans arrived in droves, eager to hear their favorites from one of the biggest undercards on the lineup. I mean, it's the Go-Go's; you don't want to miss 'Our Lips Are Sealed' and 'Vacation,' even if you've just spent hours in the rain, shelled out $20 on a cocktail and your soles are starting to scream at you.
It's difficult to put a finger on what exactly went wrong for this performance; the hits were there and the crowd was packed. But every song felt uncoordinated, like the band could have spent a few more hours in rehearsal. The group was not only out of sync from the jump but the entire set was also plagued by feedback and sound mix issues.
'All right, I'm sitting back here motherf— … come on now, I'm working my f— a— off,' drummer Gina Schock said before diving into 'Head Over Heels.' 'I wanna see some movement out there, OK?'
But the crowd stood still. Even when the band finished off with 'We Got The Beat,' the musicians' attempt to lead a H-O-T-T-O-G-O chant — as they had done just weeks before at Coachella — fell flat on its face.
'You know that one,' Jane Wiedlin pleaded, to no avail.