Coldwave

Coldwave: 46 upcoming festivals, including 18 with tickets on sale.

Coldwave is characterized by a stark, minimalist sound, often featuring icy synthesizers, stark drum machines, and detached vocals, creating a melancholic and atmospheric mood with a generally low-energy rhythm. Emerging in the late 1970s, it developed as a more radical, colder offshoot of new wave and post-punk, emphasizing a sense of detachment and bleakness. Iconic artists associated with the sound include Siouxsie and the Banshees, who were early progenitors, and numerous French-speaking bands where the term "cold wave" gained particular traction. This genre's austere aesthetic significantly influenced subsequent darkwave and gothic rock movements.

Parent genreIndustrial & Gothic