Cruel World Festival showcases popular and established musical artists as well as reunited groups. The first edition on May 14 and 15, 2022, featured Morrissey, Bauhaus and Blondie among more than 25 artists. A second edition of the festival took place on May 20, 2023, featuring Siouxsie and Iggy Pop as headliners with a run of 20 other artists including Billy Idol, the Human League, Love and Rockets and Echo & the Bunnymen. The 2023 edition was ended early in the night due to nearby lightning strikes. Siouxsie's headlining set that evening was rescheduled for the following day, with Iggy Pop and Gary Numan also returning. Duran Duran headlined the third festival on May 11, 2024.
The inaugural edition featured more than 25 bands, with headlining sets by Morrissey, Bauhaus and Blondie and appearances by Devo, the Psychedelic Furs, the Church and others.[3] The festival was a way to "revive the '80s", with "some of the biggest names" from the 1980s new wave and gothic rock scenes.[4] As tickets sold out for the first day, a second day with the same line-up was added for Sunday, May 15.[5]Los Angeles Times wrote: "Cruel World time-travels back to that moment when synthesizers were supplanting guitars and rebel teens born into baby boomer hegemony were hungrily seeking new sounds, ideas and hairdos".[4]
In January 2023, the second edition of Cruel World Fest was announced for Saturday, May 20, 2023, to take place at the same location, with tickets going on sale on Friday, January 27.[6]Siouxsie and Iggy Pop were announced as headliners, joined by Billy Idol, the Human League, Love and Rockets, Echo & the Bunnymen, Gary Numan, Gang of Four and many others.[6] It was Siouxsie's first United States performance in 15 years[6] and her only confirmed U.S. performance of the year.[7] It was also the first Love and Rockets set in 15 years (with Bauhaus having broken up between festivals) and Daniel Ash stated that it would be the beginning of the final ever Love and Rockets tour.[6][8] Near the end of the night, during Pop's performance and before Siouxsie's scheduled set, the festival was ended abruptly by authorities, due to "extremely severe weather conditions" that included lightning strikes.[9] Early in the morning of May 21, the promoters of the festival announced on social media that Siouxsie and Pop would return later that day, "with Siouxsie performing an extended set."[10] Sunday also featured Numan returning for another performance, as well as a set from Club Doom Dave.[11]
The third edition of Cruel World took place on May 11, 2024, headlined by Duran Duran and featuring sets by Blondie, Interpol, Adam Ant, Simple Minds and others.[12] Gary Numan returned to the festival to perform his 1979 album The Pleasure Principle in its entirety.[12]Ministry performed a set consisting of songs from their first two albums, With Sympathy (1983) and Twitch (1986), including many songs not performed since the 1980s.[13]Tones on Tail performed their first official set since 1984.[14]The Alarm and Balvanera cancelled their appearances, the former due to frontman Mike Peters' cancer diagnosis.[15]
Adam Ant and the Motels cancelled and were replaced by Squeeze and Berlin, respectively.[19] Lightning delays interrupted Iggy Pop and The Human League, which lead to the end of their performances on May 20th and meant Siouxsie was unable to perform as scheduled[20]. Siouxsie and Pop, along with Numan, returned the following day for a second show.[11]
