The Cold Waves Festival in Chicago, IL has just posted the lineup for the 2024 festivities on their Instagram page. Celebrating its 12th festival in 12 years, Cold Waves is described on their Facebook page as a “celebration of Chicago’s relationship with industrial music, the memory of a fallen brother and a fundraiser for suicide prevention charities.” Bands who have been featured at past festivals include Severed Heads, Godflesh and Front Line Assembly.
Check out the 2024 festival lineup below:
This year Cold Waves will feature headlining performances from Drab Majesty on September 27, A-Split-Second and PIG on September 28 and Clan of Xymox on September 29.
Drab Majesty is coming off a recent tour with English rock band Slowdive; the duo composed of Andrew “Deb Demure” Clinco and Alex “Mona D” Nicolaou dropped their most recent EP back in August 2023 and released a single for the film I Saw The TV Glow in May 2024.
A-Split-Second was originally formed in 1985 as a solo project for Mark Heyndrickx, under the stage name “Marc Ickx.” Ickx was later joined by producer Peter Bonne (later re-named Chrismar Chayell) and electronic musician Philip Vargod, better known for his project Lips Kiss; Bonne ended up replacing Vargod by 1987. Ickx and Bonne released several albums together as A-Split-Second but split by 1994. Ickx continued to perform as A-Split-Second and has worked with several touring band members including Fedzjean Venvelt and Nicolas Mansy; Kevin Strauwen has been playing guitar for A-Split-Second since 2024. Ickx has not released new music under the band’s name since 2001, with the album Transmix.
PIG, often stylized as <PIG>, is an English musician who goes by the name of Raymond Watts; Watts has also released music as artists Nainz, Nainz Watts and Ray Scaballero. Watts was an early member of the multinational industrial rock band KMFDM and has established himself as a prominent figure in the industrial music scene since the 1980s. PIG has been releasing music on a regular basis since 2013, with a unique style that offers a darker, grittier perspective compared to that of KMFDM. PIG’s latest release was a compilation album in 2020 titled Pain Is God.
Clan of Xymox, also known simply as Xymox, was formed in 1981 featuring a trio of singer-songwriters: Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert and Pieter Nooten. The band has been active for many years, though Moorings currently resides as the sole original member. Other members include Mojca Zugna, Mario Usai, Sean Göbel and Daniel Hoffmann. Clan of Xymox relocated to Germany in the wake of the resurgence of gothic rock in the 1990s; the band is still based out of Germany today. The band has been releasing and re-releasing music since its formation nearly five decades ago.
SRSQ, Korine, Urban Heat, Male Tears and Carrellee will be playing on September 27, the same day as Drab Majesty. SRSQ is a solo project Kennedy Ashlyn began following the death of former Them Are Us Too bandmate Cash Askew in 2016; pronounced “seer-skew” and sometimes written “srsQ,” means “serious question.” The band has been compared to bands with a similar sound such as the Cocteau Twins. Korine is an electronic pop duo from Philadelphia, made up of members Morgy Ramone and Trey Frey; they have been releasing music since their 2017 LP Corsage and dropped a new remix album of their 2023 album Tear. Urban Heat was formed in 2019 when vocalist Jonathan Horstmann joined forces with Kevin Naquin and Paxel Foley; the band’s website describes their sound as “dark 80’s stylings with modern flourishes.” Male Tears, a California retro-pop band, released their fourth album Paradísco back in July 2024; their performance will hopefully contain new material. Carrellee is an electronic synth-pop artist based out of Chicago; her most recent release was a compilation of remixes called Rescaled. The GMAN After Show for Cold Waves features Daddybear and Vegan in Black on September 27.
Spike Hellis, Paul Barker, Puerta Negra and Nuxx Vomica will be performing on September 28, the same day as A-Split-Second and PIG. Spike Hellis is a Los Angeles based electronic duo composed of Cortland Gibson and Lainey; their first full-length, self-titled album was released in April 2022. Paul Barker, known best as the bass guitarist for industrial metal band Ministry, will be flying solo at Cold Waves; he also joined Puscifer for their 2015 tour. Puerta Negra is an electro-punk/EBM band that blends the genres of alternative rock and electronic music together splendidly; the band adopted their name from a song by the beloved norteño band Los Tigres del Norte. Nuxx Vomica is a solo project of the New York City-based musician and visual artist Madeline Seely; she has yet to release a full-length album, but has released several singles and EPs since 2020. The GMAN After Show for Cold Waves features Nevada Hardware and Invicta on September 28.
The Cassandra Complex, Bootblacks, Houses of Heaven, Curse Mackey and I Ya Toyah will be performing on September 29, the same day as Clan of Xymox. The Cassandra Complex is a British rock band composed of artists Rodney Orpheus, Paul Dillon and Andy Booth; formed in 1980 in Leeds, England, the original lineup is still rocking with the support of part-time US musicians Chris Haskett and Mera Roberts. Bootblacks is a Brooklyn-based post-punk band featuring a lineup of Panther Almqvist on vocals, Barrett Hiatt on synth and Kalle Fagerberg on guitar; their most recent single features three songs titled “When You Want,” “Wilderness” and “Forbidden Flames.” Houses of Heaven is known for fusing early industrial music with techno rhythms to create an unforgettable and individualized experience; the band is made up of Kevin Tecon, Adam Beck and Nick Ott. Curse Mackey is a famed name in the industrial music scene; the Austin-based artist released his debut album back in 2019 and has since released a number of albums and singles. I Ya Toyah is a Polish-American artist who’s known for combining industrial, pop, electro and alternative music in a unique way that leaves listeners feeling invigorated; she has dropped 4 singles in the past year alone. The GMAN After Show for Cold Waves features Sine + Jeff Moyer on September 29.
Information about the festival can be found on any Cold Waves social media page; information on tickets can be found here.
Photo Credit: Alexander Cabrera
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