Cruel World 2025 was doom & gloom… & thank goth for that

There’s one fest that always delivers — both on artists and authenticity. It’s a fest that welcomes all alternative music lifestyles, whether that be in the goth, punk rock, darkwave, New Wave, synthwave, or good ‘ol nondenominational nonconformity categories. Presented by Goldenvoice, Cruel World just concluded its fifth year in Pasadena, California. And what an […]

How dark & dreary! Cruel World returns to Pasadena May of 2025

Goldenvoice is going gothic yet again, with another installment announced for what has come to be the annual mecca of the morose and misunderstood — Cruel World Festival. Now in its fourth year, Cruel World in Pasadena, California has welcomed post-punk and New Wave legends to the stage such as Iggy Pop, Siouxsie Sioux, Morrissey, […]

Just Like Heaven 2024

An indie rocker’s dream was brought to life courtesy of Southern California’s Just Like Heaven Music Festival. The one day extravaganza returned to the Brookside at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, May 18 for its forth and biggest installment yet. Festival producers, Goldenvoice, hosted two brilliantly lit stages paired with excellent sound in the beautiful […]

Catharsis & clove cigarettes at Cruel World 2023

Goldenvoice delivered another dose of poetic depth and darkwave to the apathetically inclined, in the form of the second annual Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California. From near and far, New Wave-lovers, old-school punks, and all-out goths got together to celebrate the best synthy hits the 80s had to offer. Walking into the Rose Bowl, […]

The latest 2023 festival lineup drop feels Just Like Heaven

2023 just keeps getting better for indie music fans! Just Like Heaven Festival returns to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA on May 13th, 2023 for its highly anticipated third year, hosting some of the biggest names of the new millennium indie scene. Top billings feature Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MGMT, Empire of the Sun, M83, […]

Spellbound over Cruel World 2023 lineup

Woe to those that can’t attend the return of Cruel World! What some thought to have been a one-off from Goldenvoice just announced its sophomore lineup — and one that would make the inaugural year cry. If you missed it, the sad and ambivalent, the modern, yet indifferent descended upon the expansive grounds of the […]

Experiencing the down-to-earth Just Like Heaven 2022

It’s as if our prayers were answered this year at Just Like Heaven in Pasadena, California this year! With an insane lineup for any 20/30-something with an alternative taste, it was like a fun reunion you can bring the whole family to! From perfect weather to divine food and music to complement it all, you […]

This Ain’t No Picnic coming to Pasadena in August 2022

In the fine words of Sheryl Crow, “this ain’t no disco” and “it ain’t no country club, either”. That’s right, because alternative rock is harder and here to stay. In this same vein, the fine festival producers over at Goldenvoice introduced This Ain’t No Picnic to high acclaim, set to grace the Pasadena Rose Bowl […]

Cruel World 2022

Oh, what a wonderful Cruel World it was! Presented by Goldenvoice, this nostalgic New Wave fest graced Pasadena’s Rose Bowl on Saturday, May 14th (with the same lineup repeating the next day). Arriving midday, Christian Death was already rocking the side stage, while Sextile was crushing the main Outsiders Stage. Despite the heat, people were […]

Goodbye, Cruel World 2022

As a next generation New Wave kid, when Goldenvoice announced a brand new festival for late Spring of 2020, my little black heart was overjoyed. Morrissey, Bauhaus, Echo & The Bunnymen — need I say more?! Cruel World was going to envelop my entire Spotify and Pandora streaming life, all into one day. And, then, […]

Goldenvoice announces Just Like Heaven 2022

Leave it to Goldenvoice to bring back exactly what we want for live music post-quarantine. Now that the mask mandate has been lifted, venues are back to full capacity and vaccines are everywhere, it’s time to get back to festivals. After a slew of announcements, Goldenvoice — more hard at work than ever — decides […]