Cruel World Looked Kindly Upon Us…
First off, my apologies for being so late to the game in getting this article to you, lovely readers. I flew across the country (from VA to LA) for my first ever Cruel World (FINALLY!), flew back, worked 3 shifts in a row (ER nurse), then hopped back on a plane to Vegas for Punk Rock Bowling (those stories are coming!), flew back to VA for my last 3 shifts (travel ER RN), packed the car, drove home, spent 2 days, got back in the car, and drove back to Vegas for my next contract. So I’m about to inundate y’all with a ton of musings on my recent journey! (And I’m flying to LA on Saturday for the NO KINGS rally, so we’ll see if I end up finishing my articles from jail...)
Lee Thomspon, of Madness, wanted to wow me at my first Cruel World, so he took it all off! photo by kim moenich
Cruel World has been on my radar since I bought tickets to the first one in February 2020, only to have it cancelled due to the pandemic. I bought tickets again in 2023, but an issue at work the morning of my flight prevented me from going. So 2025 was finally the year. I have been part of the CW Facebook group for ages, and, let me tell ya, those people had damned near given me a panic attack about this whole thing! All they talked about was what they were going to wear and how they were going to get back and forth to the stages, and it seriously gave me anxiety!
See what I mean? How am I supposed to compete with that ‘fit?! photo by kim moenich
Having been to No Values in 2024, I was familiar with Goldenvoice’s preference for having massive numbers of bands play in large areas all on one day and expecting concertgoers to run their ever-loving asses off. (I clocked 50k steps at No Values and still didn’t get to see everyone I wanted to see!) I honestly wasn’t feeling that this time. So, being the weirdo that I am, I showed up in line at 0700, so I could claim center rail at the Outsiders stage (apropos, don’t ya think?!) My big draws this year were Nick Cave, New Order, Til Tuesday, Madness, and OMD, so it made sense. I was bummed to be missing the Go-Go's and She Wants Revenge, but sacrifices had to be made. And I’d just seen DEVO last year at Punk Rock Bowling, so I was good.
Nick Cave telling me to just hold my horses, they’ll be time to see them all! photo by kim moenich
True to form, the Rose Bowl was an absolute clusterf--- as far as knowing where each type of ticket holder should stand and when they should be let in. But after a bunch of angry old white dudes pitched their fits, it all worked out. What I’ve learned from all my years of going to big festivals is that those wanting to get in first are almost always running straight for the merch tables. I honestly don’t get it, like AT ALL, but it’s true. I will say that I nearly passed out trying to run the 47 miles across the grounds to where the Outsiders stage was, until I realized there was absolutely no one running behind me. I even tried to bribe a guy with $100 to take me in his golf cart. He just laughed as I slowly died from hypoxia. But I made it to the center rail for what would become one of the greatest nights ever.
Aimee Mann wasn’t the only thing that took my breath away at Cruel World! photo by kim moenich
The first band to take the stage was Social Order, a supergroup of sorts formed during the lockdown by members of Metro Station (Mason Musso and Anthony Improgo), The Mowgli’s (Matthew Di Panni), and NuWave Fighters (Andrew Ward—who actually joined the band after working on videos with them). I was completely unfamiliar with them, but they definitely won me over. Upbeat but with amazing new wave vibes, these boys certainly understood the assignment.
Social Order really brought it for the opening act! photo by kim moenich
Goldenvoice is famous for having rotating stages, so you don’t have to stand around for soundcheck—a necessity when trying to cram a million bands into 11 hours. While standing at the rail gives one a certain perspective, as well as the first glimpse when artists begin to take the stage, nothing could have prepared me for what lay before me as that stage turned around. Kite is a Swedish synth-pop duo who’ve been around since 2008. I tried really diligently to research this group so I could make sense of what was onstage at CW, but, alas, I came up empty-handed. There were scantily clad muscle men riding bicycles, who also sang backup at one point with falsetto-style voices. The background imagery was people with terrible mullets and long, phallic-shaped noses who were mouthing the words to the songs. It was all quite disturbing. But bully on Kite for taking us out of our comfort zone and for playing some very goth-y tunes.
NSFW! Kite really gave us a show… photo by kim moenich
Next up was my favorite “I’ve never heard of you before today” group, Actors. There had been a lot of chatter about these guys on the CW FB page, so I was eager to see them. Actors are a Vancouver-based post-punk/dark wave band who formed in 2012 but didn’t release their first album until 2018, after releasing a bunch of singles and having several lineup changes. They signed to Artoffact Records in 2017 and have since played numerous festivals and gone on extensive tours. While I was watching them, I couldn’t help but compare them to my other fave dark wave band from Canada, Spectres. Then I found out that the founding member of Actors, Jason Corbett, produced and mixed the last Spectres album. If you are a fan of synthy, catchy, dark but fun bands, I cannot recommend these guys highly enough!
Actors wants to know why I haven’t been listening to them this whole time! photo by kim moenich
Light Asylum is the stage name of performer Shannon Funchess, a Brooklyn-based electronic musician. I’ve remarked before that I can’t imagine the guts it takes to go out onstage, in front of a huge crowd, alone. But not only did she perform flawlessly, but she absolutely slayed it. I will admit, I’m not the biggest fan of EDM, but her darker take on the genre had me moving. It was also fun to watch her—what an excellent performer!
Light Asylum with all the moves. photo by kim moenich
My personal highlight of the day surprised me next—and yes, I know I’m a total dork, but I can’t help it! When I bought my car back in 2016, it came with a free trial of Sirius XM. I immediately found channel 33, First Wave. From the moment I started listening, I was absolutely obsessed, and the heart of that channel is the one and only Richard Blade. British-born Blade got his big break on KROQ in 1982 and spun New Wave tunes there until 2000. He’s been carrying on the tradition on Sirius since 2005, and, in my mind, he is the voice of the New Wave scene. When he came onstage to introduce Midge Ure, I literally teared up (I told you I’m a dork...)!
Seriously, my favorite part of the day, the one and only, Richard Blade, ladies and gentlemen! photo by kim moenich
Midge Ure, geez, where to begin?! What has this guy not done?! Co-wrote and produced one of the most iconic songs of my generation, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” for Band Aid. Co-organized Band Aid and Live Aid. Played in Thin Lizzy. Brought Ultravox the success it deserved. He’s had a long and storied solo career as well, with a string of hit songs and popular records. Richard Blade got emotional when introducing Midge, and I got emotional watching his powerhouse performance. He sang some of my favorite songs of the day, and I would happily watch him again and again!
Midge is nothing short of a musical legend, and we were thankful for his presence! photo by kim moenich
It’s never lost on me that most of these bands formed while I was still in diapers. So to see Blancmange for the first time, after they’ve been at it for 46 years (minus a gap of about a quarter of a century!), was a real treat. They played a perfect combination of old hits and new favorites and were easily one of my favorite acts of the day.
Blancmange put on one of the most fun shows of the day! photo by kim moenich
Soooo, I have a bit of a confession to make. It wasn’t until after CW that I realized who Alison Moyet is. Everyone on the FB page had been going on and on about how she was the one act they didn’t want to miss, and I was just too busy at the time to look her up. But once she started singing, I realized I knew most of her songs. Alison was part of the duo Yaz and later had a very popular solo career. Despite being sick at CW, Alison put on one hell of a performance, and I’m sad her tour is over without getting to see her in a more intimate venue!
Alison Moyet plied us with her alluring charm and made a rainy day turn sunny! photo by kim moenich
While I had enjoyed all of the performances thus far, it was finally time for one of the main reasons I had come to CW—Til Tuesday was going to perform for the first time in 34 years! As soon as the stage turned around and I saw Aimee Mann’s flawless face, I was filled with joy! I swear I was convinced up until that moment that something would happen to stop them from performing. But perform they did, and it was sheer perfection. Aimee belted out all the hits, and the band struck every chord with vim and vigor. Because of the tight time frames, Aimee mentioned being concerned that their time was going to run out and the stage would turn with them till performing. While this did indeed happen toward the end of “Voices Carry,” it was still an absolutely soul-emptying performance that left me beautifully emotional and so fulfilled.
Til Tuesday showed the crowd why they were worth the three-decade wait! photo by kim moenich
OMD kept the party moving with their upbeat, ripping set. They nailed all their hits, and the crowd was going nuts. Honestly, they could have been a headliner, as much as everyone was into them. They played an eleven-song set, starting with “Electricity” and ending with “Enola Gay,” and everyone, myself included, sang along to every word. I didn’t realize what a cult following they have, but I was surrounded by diehard fans who knew the band members personally. Pretty rad!
Yeah, OMD was definitely worth the trip! photo by kim moenich
Having just seen Madness last year at Punk Rock Bowling, I knew I was in for a killer time. I had seen them several times back in the day, but it had been quite a while since they had played stateside before their show at PRB. I wasn’t going to miss a chance to see them again, being the massive ska fan that I am! I had heard a bit of rumbling from fans around me leading up to their performance about how people didn’t really know their work and didn’t understand why they were playing so close to the headliners. I just inwardly scoffed and quietly waited. Once they went on, all madness broke loose! People were skanking and singing along, realizing they actually knew quite a few more songs than they had thought. Absolutely mayhem ensued once they really got the crowd going. I’m not sure what Lee Thompson got up to before the set, but it ended with him down to his knickers, playing sax in the rain. It will go down as one of the most hilarious shows of my life!
Madness lived up to their name! The last time I saw these guys was at a poker table in Vegas! photo by kim moenich
Again, speaking honestly, I was not super excited about the next set, and I truly didn’t feel they belonged on the Outsider stage or really at Cruel World at all. I had nothing against Garbage, but I was just never a fan, and they are definitely not a New Wave or Dark Wave band. But let me tell you! Shirley Manson came out, dressed like the Met Gala, and absolutely freaking slayed! I only knew a few songs, but I truly enjoyed the entire set. Everyone around me had felt the same as me going into it, but we all agreed after that we were not expecting the power that just got slammed into our faces. I was wrong, Queen Shirley; I was wrong, and I repent! Check out the new album they have coming out!
This performance was anything but Garbage! Shirley and crew absolutely slayed at CW25! photo by kim moenich
Speaking of rain, it had been steadily pouring for hours at this point. Being center rail and having watched tons of videos of Nick Cave’s current tour, I knew he was planning to come down onto the platform that was directly in front of me. But it was covered in water, as were we all. Thankfully, close to the end of Garbage’s performance, the rain subsided. Crews worked to get everything dried off, and my spirits began to lift.
I could spend a year describing what next transpired and how Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ performance changed my life, but this article is already WAY longer than it should be, and my editor is going to murder me. So I will sum it up in one word—TRANSCENDENCE. He did indeed spend most of his time on the platform in front of me, stomping on my boob on more than one occasion. He also sang at me to live in the moment and put my phone down (not knowing, of course, that I was using it for this because CW vehemently denied my request for a press pass...). But their performance was everything I needed it to be to justify flying all the way across the country and sleeping in an airport. Thank you, Nick, forever and always.
Lastly, New Order. What can I say. You all know them and you all have an opinion about them. There was a ton of negativity online about their performance that night, but I respectfully have to disagree. While it felt quite different from other times I’ve seen them, it was one of my favorite performances of the festival. Again, I’m not much into EDM anymore, but they had a decidedly dance festival vibe going, and it made for an electrifying performance. A guy behind me and I agreed we had never danced so hard to NO! They left me wanting more, which, in my humble opinion, is the hallmark of a great show.
So that’s a wrap on my first Cruel World! I will definitely be going again next year, barring some insane mishap like another world shutdown! You suck, Goldenvoice, for making me choose between so many amazing bands (and for not giving me a press pass!), but I love you eternally for providing me the opportunity to see so many bands I love!
