Cruel World Festival 2025 Review: Pasadena, Calif. feat. Garbage, OMD, 'Til Tuesday, the Go-Go's, Alison Moyet, Midge Ure, Madness, Blancmange, Actors, more

Photo: George A. Paul

Halfway through Garbage’s set on Saturday at Cruel World, Shirley Manson (pictured left) confessed how honored she felt to share a stage with so many “all-time heroes” who served as a musical lifeline while growing up in Scotland during the Seventies.

The Edinburgh native cited Madness, Alison Moyet, ‘Til Tuesday and OMD, before adding “this is a dream come true.” Manson also admitted she was a bit disappointed about performing at the same time as Devo but still shouted “We love you” to the energy dome-sporting group drawing a large audience away from everything else.  

For the fourth consecutive year, the Brookside at the Rose Bowl festival presented a well-rounded crop of more than two dozen punk, ska, new wave, goth, post-punk and alternative music acts. Most originated during the late 1970s and ‘80s; other like-minded artists in the Pasadena lineup emerged later.

As usual, plenty of Cruel World attendees were decked out in their finest black leather, studded or fishnet attire; New Order and Devo gear was abundant. Due to the dreary and rainy conditions, multiple U.K. musicians jokingly apologized for bringing typical British weather to Southern California with them.  

New Order closed the main Outsiders stage with a satisfactory set lasting just over an hour. This past Sunday (May 18) marked 45 years since the untimely passing of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. So, New Order including three selections from singer/guitarist Bernard Sumner and drummer Stephen Morris’ former musical incarnation seemed particularly poignant (even though it’s been a common occurrence in concert).

Yet Sumner’s subdued delivery on “Transmission” and “Isolation” wasn’t up to par; somewhat livelier arrangements didn’t help. Two of New Order’s finest career moments, “Age of Consent” and “Regret,” came across marginal at best. At least the new live remixes on “State of the Nation” (which Sumner described as a protest song), “True Faith” and “Bizarre Love Triangle” were a change of pace. The band redeemed itself toward the end with solid renditions of ‘80s dance club classics “Blue Monday” and “Temptation.”

Co-headliner Nick Cave wasted no time getting up close and personal with people up against the Outsiders stage. The Aussie vocalist and The Bad Seeds opened their set with two majestic, spiritually minded selections off 2024’s Grammy-nominated Wild God. Prominent lyrics flashed on the screens. Both “Frogs” and the title track utilized four backing singers well. Then came the sinister seven-minute-long “Tupelo” – the band’s second-ever single in 1985, loosely based on Elvis Presley’s birth. A bunch of musicians (including Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood) built the music into a frenetic crescendo. Cave delivered it like a man possessed. It felt like witnessing a baptism followed by an exorcism. 

Photo: R.Polack, Cruel World Courtesy Goldenvoice

The Go-Go’s performance, which capped a surprise six-date west coast run, could have been their last. 

Drawing a huge crowd at the medium-sized Sad Girls stage, the groundbreaking female pop/rockers battled some sound issues, but still turned in a fun, rousing set similar to Coachella Weekend 2 (the buoyant, harmonious “How Much More” was added here). 

Classic early photos, gig flyers and memorabilia again were fascinating to see on the screens.

When the women accidentally started playing two different songs, exuberant singer Belinda Carlisle quipped, “It’s just like The Masque days” (referencing an old L.A. punk club where the group got its start). Another amusingly moment came when the musicians were talking and drummer Gina Schock could be overheard on a microphone saying, “Does anyone want to play a song?”

Taking the stage to “Laura Palmer’s Theme” from TV’s “Twin Peaks,” Garbage launched one of Cruel World’s more riveting sets with a potent and relevant-as-ever “The Men Who Rule the World.” Manson, clad in a colorful outfit perfect for Mardi Gras, had a “take no prisoners” attitude as she sang and prowled the stage.

Despite the lead singer’s warning that “There’s No Future in Optimism” might not sound great because the musicians hadn’t rehearsed it much, the hypnotic first single from upcoming studio album Let All That We Imagine Be the Light (due out May 30) totally rocked. 

“Only Happy When It Rains,” definitely appropriate on this day, began as a slow piano ballad before transitioning to its regular tempo. Standouts included the ‘60s girl group-meets-industrial-sensibilities amid “When I Grow Up” - bassist Nicole Fiorentino (Veruca Salt, Smashing Pumpkins) was a welcome addition on backing vocals - a fierce “I Think I’m Paranoid,” the chugging “Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go),” and a propulsive “Push It,” which Manson prefaced by saying “Free Palestine!”  

Photo: George A. Paul

Alison Moyet was another Cruel World artist that projected strong “girl power” energy, albeit in a subtler way than Manson. 

Last year, the soulful Basildon, England pop singer released Key, an intriguing mix of reworked solo hits and deep album cuts. 

Backed in Pasadena by a guitarist/synth player and bassist, Moyet delivered a transcendent performance rife with robust vocals and slyly threw shapes that rivaled models at a fashion show.

The alluring synth-pop of “Nobody’s Diary” was the first of four hit songs Moyet played from her early days recording as Yazoo with Vince Clarke of Depeche Mode and Erasure. 

Elsewhere, the multi-faceted singer engaged in some intense electro-funk (“Changeling”), sinister industrial blues (“Beautiful Gun”), dramatic pop (“It Won’t Be Long,” “Love Resurrection”) and fun dancefloor faves that younger audience members probably first heard via frequent movie/TV placements or samples (Yazoo’s “Situation,” “Don’t Go”).  

Blancmange made its first North American concert appearance in 39 years at Cruel World. During the ‘80s, the London synth-pop duo, led by singer/songwriter Neil Arthur, charted a half a dozen U.K. top 40 singles. Some became staples at U.S. dance clubs and college/modern rock radio. Blancmange broke up in 1986, but reformed and put out a new studio album in 2011. 

Photo: George A. Paul

Arthur has recorded often since then. Now he’s touring behind Everything is Connected, a recent compilation with material spanning 1979-2024. In Pasadena, Arthur was skillfully accompanied by keyboardist/backing vocalist Tara Busch of I Speak Machine, which has recorded and toured with Gary Numan.

Dance-oriented new song “Again, I Wait for the World” was a pure adrenaline rush. Early on, Arthur, known for his dry wit, asked the crowd, “Where have I been all your lives?” The litany of thought-provoking questions and demands comprising 2017’s “What’s the Time” received a huge cheer when the singer ad libbed, “What’s the worst president you ever had?” The edgier David Bowie-styled thrust of “Some Times These” saw Arthur make dramatic, expressive gestures. The group’s best known Middle Eastern-tinged hits “Living on the Ceiling,” “Blind Vision” and “Don’t Tell Me” completed the set in fine fashion.

Earlier in the day, Sirius XM DJ Richard Blade (ex-KROQ-FM) enthusiastically introduced Midge Ure and gave uninitiated onlookers a rundown of the Scotsman’s CV including Ultravox, Visage, Band Aid and Thin Lizzy. Ure definitely got the Cruel World prize for dramatic, soaring vocals. He played electric guitar/synthesizer, while Charlie Round-Turner handled keyboards/ backing vocals and utilized various loops, samples and programmed drums (a format Ure dubbed “Band in a Box”).    

Ure’s aspirational 1985 solo British chart topper “If I Was,” complete with billowy synth and an agile guitar solo, was very uplifting and enthusiastically received. So was Ultravox’s “Hymn.” Before the pair started that band’s dynamic international top 5 single “Vienna,” a fan near this writer said, “I think I’m going to cry.” Ure thanked SoCal stations such as KROQ and 91X for being “brave enough to play” Visage’s exotic, still-mysterious sounding new wave classic “Fade to Grey” during the mid-‘80s. “Dancing with Tears in My Eyes” prompted a loud singalong at the end.    

‘Til Tuesday reunited at Cruel World after a 30+ year absence. Original singer/bassist Aimee Mann, guitarist Robert Holmes, keyboardist Joey Pesce and drummer Michael Hausman (augmented by longtime Mann collaborator Paul Bryan) sounded great together. 

Photo: K.Gladstein, Cruel World for Goldenvoice

Mann projected a cool demeanor throughout. The band’s harmonies were seamless amid the sleek new wave of “Love in a Vacuum” and she exclaimed, “These guys are delightful.” Comforting stripped down ballad “Coming Up Close” was a standout, along with regal minor hit “What About Love” and the sublime Elvis Costello co-written “Other End of the Telescope.”

Then Mann recounted how ‘Til Tuesday formed in Boston and how she used to work in a record store where The Cars’ Ric Ocasek was a frequent customer. “We all loved The Cars,” she admitted, before they played a wonderful cover of that group’s “Drive.” Mann mentioned a common denominator among Eighties acts trying to write the “most dramatic songs possible,” and followed with the examples “No More Crying” and “Don’t Watch Me Bleed.” Finally, the band performed signature hit “Voices Carry” (“this made us recognizable in airports all over America,” Mann said) and that familiar austere synth melody can send shivers down the spine.

Andy McCluskey’s onstage energy level never ceases to amaze. In fact, at different points during Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark‘s exuberant set, the singer/bassist made self-deprecating remarks about his age and unusual style of dancing. 

Photo: Cruel World for Goldenvoice

McCluskey (pictured left), 65, encouraged the crowd to pogo and sway along (instructing people to use two hands, “otherwise you look like Elon Musk”). The British synth-pop band, rounded out by keyboardist/vocalist/musical partner Paul Humphries and two other musicians - supplied a thoroughly engaging cavalcade of breezily endearing hit tunes like “If You Leave” (from the “Pretty in Pink” film soundtrack), “So in Love,” “Dreaming,” and “(Forever) Live and Die.” Occasionally, the sleek sonic sheen was given more heft with traditional drums and saxophone bits.

Impeccably dressed and utilizing a backdrop that displayed a map of London streets, Madness was as whimsical and unpredictable as ever - especially sax man Lee Thompson, who stripped off his poncho, clothes and shoes. The distinctly British ska/pop band was among the Cruel World artists with the longest tenures (since 1976) and original members (six).

Here, Madness sounded strong and prompted loud singalongs with American hits “Our House” and “It Must Be Love.” Singer Suggs told jokes, gave a little history and nods to both The Fall and Nick Lowe between other U.K. hits such as the festive “House of Fun,” jaunty music hall of “Baggy Trousers,” and punchy debut single “The Prince.” Onetime producer Clive Langer guested on guitar during the skanking frenzy of “Madness.”

She Wants Revenge excels at portraying the gritty side of life. In Pasadena, the L.A. darkwave duo of vocalist/guitarist Justin Warfield and multi-instrumentalist Adam Bravin were shrouded in smoke as they played songs from the 2000s eponymous and This is Forever albums at the Sad Girls stage. Warfield wore black pants adorned with golden ankh symbols while singing the gloomy “Rachael” and seedy “Out of Control” in monotone with eyes closed. Bravin announced a long-awaited follow up album is in the works, and they performed the promising rocker “Black Wax, My Love,” characterized by Warfield’s rapid-fire singing.

Photo: George A. Paul

Actors, a Vancouver post-punk band led by singer/guitarist Jason Corbett that formed in 2012, bore shades of The Mission and Sisters of Mercy during an impressive early afternoon set.

Highlights included the crystalline, danceable “We Don’t Have to Dance,” a dense, harrowing “Object of Desire” and haunting “Love U More.”  

Event organizer and Rose Bowl Operating Company donated $250,000 from Cruel World and the previous week’s Just Like Heaven festival to the Eaton Fire Relief and Recovery Fund)  

My review originally appeared at rockcellarmagazine.com.

Photos Courtesy of Goldenvoice as indicated.