Cruel World 2025

May 17, 2025

What a great day at Cruel World. It was wet - yes - but so much fun and brilliantly organized so you could catch virtually every act you wanted to see. It all started (for me) with the legend that is Midge Ure I had the privilege of introducing him on stage then watch as he got the crowd singing along with all his hits, from his solo #1s, to Ultravox and Visage. Next it was Neil Arthur of Blancmange who I was so excited to see and he did not disappoint. What a set! Then it was Alison Moyet who captivated the audience with her incredible voice and her string of unforgettable songs, from Love Resurrection to Situation, Only You, Nobody's Diary, and Don't Go from Yazoo. Alison was sick, but no one would have known it from her performance. When I talked to her after in her trailer she was so happy it had gone well as she didn't want to disappoint her fans at this, the final show of her sixty date world tour. 'Til Tuesday were next, and Aimee Mann seemed thrilled to be reunited with her band, and her iconic voice had everyone singing with her. This was followed by the perennial show stoppers, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Wow! I've seen them at a hundred concerts and somehow they are able to get better every time. The 50,000 people sang, danced, clapped and bounced (really) to them as they rocked in the rain. How do you follow OMD? With Madness. The Ska legends sprinted out, opening with One Step Beyond and didn't slow down until they hit the fan favorite It Must Be Love. Next I raced across the festival field to devolve. Yup, it was Devo time, and there was a sea of energy domes (the official name for the iconic Devo hats) in the audience. And what a set! From Whip It to Uncontrollable Urge, they had everyone pogoing. Afterwards Mark and I talked sadly about someone who was so missed as he was always at every Devo show - Jed the Fish. The Go-Go's followed Devo in what might be they last performance together. If that turns out to be true they left their fans with a great memory and a parade of their hits. Finally it was time for the headliners, New Order. Their 12 song set started and finished with a tribute to their roots, Joy Division, opening with Transmission and closing with Love Will Tear Us Apart. But they didn't neglect their hits post Ian Curtis, and Age Of Consent, True Faith, Blue Monday, Temptation, Regret, and more were huge with the massive crowd.

Cruel World #4 was a resounding success - despite the British weather that came with the bands to SoCal. Here's to CW5 next year, more great music and some warm sunshine.