Darker Waves Photo Gallery: New Wave Never Left

Raymond Ahner

November 20, 2023 | 2:16pm ET

The inaugural Darker Waves Festival kicked off November 18th in Huntington Beach with 30 plus bands and the best of 1980s New Wave. Between two main stages on opposite sides of the beach and another stage directly in the middle, fans had plenty of options to take in music from the shade of palm trees swaying in a cool ocean breeze.

Highlights of the one-day fest included Tears for Fears, who headlined the “Darker” stage, with both Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal sounding every bit as good as they did decades ago. Wrapping up their set (and the festival) with their mega-hit “Shout” proved to be the perfect way to close the day.

Meanwhile New Order headlined the “Waves” stage, playing their biggest hits including “Regret,” “Bizarre Love Triangle,” and “Blue Monday,” before closing out their set with the Joy Division classic, “Love Will Tear Us Apart Again.” Other high points included Human League, who also sounded just as good as ever, X, who delivered a flawless set as always, and Devo, who may have well won the award for most fans singing along to every word.

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Although the festival was focused on the legacy bands, it also included quite a few newer acts who had found inspiration in those playing classic records. Glass Spells, Twin Tribes, and Drab Majesty fit in perfectly, and many of the older fans who were there to see the bands that they grew up listening to seemed quite impressed with the new wave of New Wave artists.

By the time it was all said and done, the festival proved to be quite a success, and seems ready to pull it off again next year. Check out our photo gallery below.