Cruel World Festival, Pasadena, CA

Pasadena, California was home to thousands of goths, punks, and everything in between this past weekend for the sold out Cruel World Festival.

Twenty-four artists played on three different stages on Brookside Golf Course at The Rose Bowl. The festival featured up and coming artists like Aurat, Riki, Urban Heat and Gvllow as well as many newer artists who have already earned a dedicated following like Ela Minus, Glass Spells, Twin Tribes, The Soft Moon, Molchat Doma and Boy Harsher. Other post-punk and new wave veterans graced the stages of Cruel World with sets from Animotion, The Vapors, Berlin, Modern English, Gang of Four, ABC, Gary Numan, Echo & The Bunnymen, Love And Rockets, The Human League and Billy Idol. Squeeze rose to the occasion as a last minute addition to the bill replacing Adam Ant who dropped out. Headliners Iggy Pop and Siouxsie returned to play on Sunday.

Sounding better live than on the record is an idea that gets tossed around often, but is only true on a select few occasions. Gang of Four’s performance was one of those occasions. The group didn’t just sound better live, they sounded better live this past weekend than they did forty years ago in the studio. Adding to the excitement of an awesome performance, Jon King and David Pajo’s contagious energy blended perfectly with the funky bassline and backing vocals of Sara Lee.

One of the more surprising sets of the festival was that of Gary Numan whose dark theatrics were almost comical. His set was wildly entertaining and certainly drew fans from other stages to check out the commotion. Echo & the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch was his shy self on stage. He spoke to the crowd exclusively in a mumbled murmur. Only one word could be made out clearly, “twat”, which he must have repeated at least five times, conjuring quiet laughter from the audience. Their set was the sole performance of the evening on the main stage that had no live projection of the band onto the big screen. Instead, there was a large image of the band’s bunny logo looming in front of the killing moon. McCulloch’s vocals have flattened with time, but his shy and mysterious persona have endured.

Following Echo and The Bunnymen’s performance, fans were forced to make a choice: Love and Rockets or Billy Idol. My pick: Billy Idol, who opened his set with his grandchildren waving to the crowd from the stage. His set was one of pure nostalgia where he played classic hits like Dancing With Myself and Rebel Yell along with deeper cuts and newer tunes like Generation X’s 100 punks and his newest release, Cage, which blended into his set perfectly. Iggy Pop and Siouxsie’s sets were rescheduled for the following day after lightning brought the festival to a crashing halt part way through the evening on Saturday. Along with complete sets from Iggy and Siouxsie, Sunday featured a second set from Gary Numan.

By the time doors opened at 5 on Sunday evening, thousands had already lined up and slowly snaked their way around the Rose Bowl parking lot towards the entrance. Many fans who had arrived well before show time, finally got through the gates up to an hour and a half after doors opened as Gary Numan’s set was about to finish. Once through the gates, fans marched like zombies to the main stage as My Name is Ruin rumbled across the field.

As the sun set on the Rose Bowl and fans continued to shuffle in and Iggy Pop took the stage. His set included hits from his time in The Stooges as well as his solo work like TV Eye, I Wanna Be Your Dog, Lust For Life and The Passenger. His band’s blistering and exceptional drums, brass and strings added a new layer to his music. Iggy Pop is a performer through and through. He could have taken the stage with a kazoo and still would have left the crowd begging for more.

Siouxsie was the last and much anticipated act on Sunday evening. Her tendency to hit notes a split second late added to the dynamism of her vocals and impressively, she still hit every single note. For her first U.S. show in 15 years, Siouxsie’s set was nothing short of spellbinding.