The Inaugural Darker Waves Festival Proves That Synth-Pop Never Goes Out of Style

Just when it felt like festival season was finally winding down for 2023, one last entry for the year came in under the wire – and it was a good one. For the first time ever, Darker Waves Festival gave fans of 80’s New Wave and synth pop the unforgettable experience of catching major acts like New Order, Tears For Fears, The B’52’s, Devo, the Psychedelic Furs, and more right on the water in Huntington Beach. With such a good lineup, location, and experience, we’re hoping this is just the beginning of an annual trip to Darker Waves.

The festival, which took place on Huntington Beach City Beach – just 40 miles south of Los Angeles and in the middle of November – ended up having truly perfect weather despite many forecasts predicting a day of gray clouds and rain. Initially, many fans worried the day would turn into a repeat of Cruel World Festival, which took place in Pasadena this past summer and ended early before 80’s legend Souixsie of Siouxsie and Banshees could take the stage because of a lightning storm that never actually reached the festival. Luckily for Darker Waves, not only did it never rain, but the sky remained clear and breezy for the whole day.

Both the fest and the fans took the 80’s-goth-beach theme and experience a few different ways. The beach featured everything from vapor wave-inspired photo ops and a giant sand sculpture, to a completely free arcade of 80’s pinball and video games and even a real-life Delorean. Many fans wore black bathing suits and black crocs while others wore long sleeves and thigh-high, chunky goth boots. Dozens of people in the crowd wore band merch, including the infamous red Devo hats, and even more had various clothes sporting the slogan, “Make America Goth Again.”

Aside from the incredible lineup and perfect weather, some highlights of the festival include a generally well-organized and kind staff, nice amenities like bathrooms and the aforementioned arcade, and excellent food and drinks. Typical festival food was present like burgers and fries, chicken strips, etc., but almost all of it was elevated in both quality and taste. Pulled pork nachos, teriyaki chicken wraps, root beer floats, and pumpkin spice shakes were just a few treats available for purchase; the only obvious downside to the food were the prices. ($20 for a burger, $13 for fries, and $9 for a lemonade were typical.)

In terms of the live music, Darker Waves is a great festival for fans that love to camp out at one stage all day and a really bad one for fans that like to run around and catch a little bit of everyone. Because DW is only a one-day fest and featured more than 30 acts on the bill, it was absolutely impossible to catch even half the bands performing. The main stages – called “Darker” and “Waves” – sat about three-quarters of a mile away from each other, forcing fans to trek through both lots of people and lots of sand to see acts with only five minutes between each set. This resulted in over a dozen cruel set overlaps; fans had to choose between The Human League and the B-52’s; the Psychedelic Furs and Echo & the Bunnymen; between the Cardigans and Devo; between Molchat Doma, Violent Femmes, and London After Midnight.

Luckily, no matter what stage someone chose during their time at Darker Waves, they were bound to witness a great show. Early in the day, English band Blossoms – who formed in the early 2010s but have a definitive synth-y, New Wave sound – combined light vocals with charging basslines and drum beats to create undeniably catchy songs. A highlight of their set was new song “To Do List (After A Break Up),” a nostalgic and dancey romp you can’t help but sing along to. Not long after them, The English Beat took the same stage and got the whole crowd dancing in the sand with their hit, “Tenderness.”

Speaking of dancing, local punky legends X hit the Darker stage with a set of nonstop hits including fan-favorite “Los Angeles.” Singer Exene Cervenka tossed her hair back and forth and shimmied across the stage with all the confidence and joy you’d expect. Meanwhile, T.S.O.L. drew a huge crowd at the third and smallest stage at the fest – the Tiki Stage – just before a triumphant showing from goth legend Sean Brennan’s band, London After Midnight. The band – led by Brennan – played an entire set in atmospheric smoke and fog as each band member’s long hair blew in the beachy breeze. While their moody songs fit the Darker Waves bill just right, it was impossible to ignore all the women in the crowd screaming throughout their set. Not long after, the French musician and DJ Kavinsky made the Tiki Stage into a dancefloor. The crowd went wild when he spun his big hit “Nightcall” made famous in the soundtrack to the Ryan Gosling film Drive, as well as a great remix of Satisfaction with a Daft Punk track. 

Back at the Darker Stage, the Cardigans delighted the crowd with the infectious “Lovefool” and an airy cover of “Sweet Child o Mine.” Opposite them at the Waves stage, and somehow attracting the largest crowd of the entire festival, were Devo. Perhaps the crowd had heard how this was one of Devo’s last ever performances, or perhaps tens of thousands of people just knew they needed to hear “Whip It” one last time, but Mark Mothersbaugh lived up to the challenge and put on a memorable final show for thousands at Darker Waves. With fans wearing yellow jumpsuits and those classic red Devo hats, the little pops of color peppered the entire festival and felt like a special send-off for a fun band.

As the sun set, Soft Cell brought out neon lights and the greatest mashup of “Tainted Love” and The Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go?” you’ve ever heard. Marc Almond held out the mic to the crowd to sing along as psychedelic graphics moved on the huge LCD screen behind him. The Psychedelic Furs ended up coming out onstage around 15 minutes late, but the crowd barely cared the moment they jumped into “Heaven” and “Mr. Jones.” Nearby, The Human League closed out the Tiki Stage for the night and brought their upbeat technicolor vibe to an adoring audience. Singer Philip Oakey dressed in a shiny black leather jumpsuit with big shoulder pads and stalked around the stage as vocalists Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall each sang with voices that showed zero sign of having aged in over 30 years.

The B-52’s, who are still as magically energetic as ever, put on a show for the ages; colorful visuals, fun outfits, and all the crowd’s favorite songs made the set beyond memorable. The final three tracks of “Private Idaho,” “Love Shack,” and “Rock Lobster” were hands down some of the most fun performances of the whole festival. It felt like Darker Waves couldn’t get any better, and yet somehow it did. Headliners New Order – led by the lovable Bernard Sumner – played nearly 80-minutes of straight hits, dazzling the crowd with electric green, red, blue, and yellow lights through memorable tracks like “Age of Consent,” “Ceremony,” “Blue Monday,” and “Bizarre Love Triangle.” Each track somehow embodied the studio versions of the songs we know and love while having a little twist when played live. “Blue Monday” featured an extended synthy intro while “Bizarre” had an extended outro. The way certain songs took on new life during the performance just proved how New Order has never been interested in resting on their laurels; their songs are alive, fresh, and still resonate with audiences. This approach gave them one of the best sets of the night.

Closing out the entire festival on the Darker stage was Tears For Fears, whose mere stage presence alone reminded the audience why they made the top bill. Band mates Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal played off one another with the ease and joy that only a band who’s been around as long as them can have, taking turns playing guitar, singing, and riffing off one another. By the time the pair began “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” – placed third in their set – it felt like the day couldn’t get any more perfect. The skies were clear, the softest breeze was blowing, and thousands upon thousands were singing in one voice.

Through a combination of lovable legacy acts, a perfect location, and nostalgic but fun experience, Darker Waves Festival put on a memorable and remarkable first year. With only a few changes – like cheaper prices, less set time conflicts, and stages that are slightly closer together – Darker Waves might become the unmissable festival of Southern California.