Siouxsie Sioux | Photo via Geffen Records
“Dark Wave,” hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs’ Matt Sebastian, explores the darker side of classic ’80s alternative, including vintage goth, post-punk and industrial. The shows airs at 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern every Sunday on Sirius XM satellite radio’s 1st Wave (Channel 33).
The most recent two episodes are also available to subscribers to stream via the Sirius XM app.
Got a request? Requests will be considered for future episodes as long as they fit the show’s format and fall generally within the 1st Wave era — and provided the host doesn’t harbor an intense dislike of the song. If there’s something you’d like to hear, drop it in the comments below.
HOUR 1
The Sisters of Mercy, “When You Don’t See Me” (Vision Thing)
Throwing Muses, “Bea” (Hunkpapa)
Peter Murphy, “All Night Long” (Love Hysteria)
Gary Numan, “I Dream of Wires” (Telekon)
Depeche Mode, “Fragile Tension” (Sounds of the Universe)
The Jesus and Mary Chain, “Blues From a Gun” (Automatic)
My Bloody Valentine, “Map Ref. 41N 93W” (Whore: Various Artists Play Wire)
Lowlife, “Ramafied” (Underground Version) (Eternity Road)
The Cure, “Open” (Wish)
Ministry, “N.W.O.” (Psalm 69)
Nitzer Ebb, “Murderous” (That Total Age)
Mission of Burma, “That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate” (Vs.)
Big Black, “Bad Penny” (Songs About Fucking)
HOUR 2
All About Eve, “D For Desire” (Paradise)
Miranda Sex Garden, “Ardera Sempre” (Suspiria)
Black Tape For a Blue Girl, “Within These Walls” (2024 Mix) (No Songs Tomorrow: Darkwave, Ethereal Rock And Coldwave 1981-1990)
Dead Can Dance, “The Fatal Impact” (Dead Can Dance)
New Order, “Touched By the Hand of God” (Peel Session) (In Session)
Cocteau Twins, “Aloysius” (Treasure)
Shriekback, “Running on the Rocks” (Big Night Music)
Section 25, “Looking From a Hilltop” (Megamix) (From the Hip: 30th Anniversary Edition)
The Fall, “New Big Prinz” (I Am Kurious Oranj)
Diatribe, “Ha Fucking Ha” (Diatribe)
Charge, “Revenge of the Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Perfection)
Love and Rockets, “Kundalini Express” (Live) (Assorted!)
Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Sin In My Heart” (Juju)
HOUR 3
Front 242, “Never Stop V1.0” (Front By Front)
Penal Colony, “Reconciled” (Put Your Hands Down)
Bigod 20, “On the Run” (Remix Edit) (On the Run)
Pigface, “Asphole” (Notes from Thee Underground)
Bauhaus, “Hollow Hills” (Mask)
The Sound, “Missiles” (Jeopardy)
The Smiths, “This Night Has Opened My Eyes” (Louder Than Bombs)
Joy Division, “Failures” (Substance)
Fad Gadget, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (Under the Flag)
Skinny Puppy, “Love in Vein” (Last Rights)
Throbbing Gristle, “Hamburger Lady” (Greatest Hits)
Cabaret Voltaire, “Blue Heat” (12-Inch Mix) (Micro-Phonies)
Robert Smith, “Pirate Ships” (Disintegration: Expanded Edition)
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs (11/9/25)
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs (11/2/25)
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — The Halloween Spectacular (10/26/25)
Slicing Up Eyeballs independently selects all releases featured on this site, but we may earn a commission from products purchased through affiliate links. Those commissions help support and fund the site.
For future shows:
1. Coffee Homeground – Kate Bush
2. Airwaves – Kraftwerk
3. Kyoto Song – the Cure
4. City of Refuge – Nick Cave + the Bad Seeds
5. Love + Kisses – Altered Images
6. Sweetness + Light – Lush
7. A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours –the Smiths
8. Driving Your Girlfriend Home – Morrissey
9. Funtime – Iggy Pop
For the upcoming all cover episode, I’d like to request Mark Lanegan’s version of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”.
Good show this week! That Diatribe track was a welcome surprise.
Have a great week, everyone!
Speaking of Peter Murphy, his new album is amazing. I’d think the listening public would love to hear “Swoon” or “Hot Roy.” Thank you!
Kitchens of Distinction – Drive that Fast
the song I woke up to in my head
You can never have too much KoD
Missed a couple shows and getting caught up on the replays. Great Johnny Marr tribute! For the covers show, there is a rendition of “Purple Haze” by The Cure from a Jimi Hendrix tribute album called “Stone Free”.
Well you would be great to open the best channel on Sirius Xm with one of the best opening tracks of the 90’s. Medicine’s One More.
Siouxsie & The Banshees – Trophy
Great show! For the “covers” show, I would like to request Peter Murphy’s cover of Space Oddity. Thanks Matt.
Thank you for playing my request, Matt!
Best music of the week!
3 finely poised hours of darkwave bliss this week! Impossible to pick a winner, but I will go ahead and give the slight nod to hour 1 simply because we can never have too much Big Black. We miss you Mr. Albini.
Last week it seems that quite a few got on board with a possible shoegaze block in the future. I like to keep the requests to one track per week but I’m gonna break that rule and throw out some great shoegaze covers especially after hearing MBV do Wire this week.
Ride – European Son
Slowdive – Some Velvet Morning
Chapterhouse – Rain
Lush – Outdoor Miner (more Wire!) or Hey Hey Helen
Drop Nineteens – White Dress or Angel
Spacemen 3 – Little Doll
Galaxie 500 – Listen, The Snow is Falling
Have a great week Matt, cheers!
Two super solid thumbs up Matt holy cow! What a great mix if sounds this week….really impressive!!!! We haven’t heard The Stranglers in awhile….how about
Strange Little Girl?!
Or maybe…
Furniture — Brilliant Mind
Talk Talk — Life’s What You Make It
Thanks again as always!!!! ｡◕‿◕｡
Maaaat,I was concerned for you Dark Lord,for a while you sounded like you were in the bunker/fallout shelter?!You still sent out supreme salvos of the Dark Stuff,much appreciated and thanx.Here’s a questionable cover and some bits to ponder.All the best as always.
MINISTRY-Dream Song
MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT-Blue Buddah
(Cover)TYPE O NEGATIVE-Summer Breeze
M.
Hi Matt, great show last night really loved the MBV and Chain cuts. Now for a request for the covers show. I would love it if you played the awesome
Frankie Teardrop ( Cover ) by The Darkside off of the “Your Invitation To Suicide” compilation. Personally I would argue that this cover is in fact better than the original. But i’ll let you decide that for yourself. Also I would love to welcome anything by them on a future episode Pete Bassman of Spacemen 3 is amazing! Thanks.
Excellent and dark show!
Here’s a request –
The Gun Club – Promise Me
Thanks!
Cure-last dance
Ultravox-Hymn & Sounds like a melody(2 songs)
Alphaville-dance with me
Pale Saints-throwing back the apple
The Passions-I’m in love with a German film star
hope you can play these gemsthks,Joe Small
Incredible selection every Sunday, Matt!
I would love to listen:
Soft Cell – Martin
Danse Society – Somewhere
Visage – Again We Love
The Church – Myrrh
Thanks!!
LCanon
Yes to Martin!
FOR THE COVERS SHOW
Dream On – The Mission
Dead Souls – NIN
Heroes – Clan of Xymox
I have a few recommendations for the covers only episode:
“Soul in Isolation” by Faith and the Muse
“Open Your Eyes” by Two Witches
“The Killing Moon” by Eva O Halo Experience
Great show this past week Matt!
For the all covers show:
Mission – dancing barefoot
Dessau – isolation
Leather strip – black celebration
Xymox – a forest
Morrissey – that’s entertainment
Jesus and Mary Chain – surfin’ USA
Great show, I am loving all the Gary Numan. That version of “Are Friends Electric?” from last week’s show was amazing. For the covers show:
Laibach’s “One After 909” or “Life is Life” or anything by them really. They are another band I never would have listened to if it weren’t for you and the show!
Grace Jones — “Warm Leatherette”
Ministry — “Ricky’s Hand” Though I believe you played this a few weeks ago.
Thanks for all you do…
Great show Matt! A suggestion for the covers show, The Ocean Blue does a live cover of There Is A Light That Never Goes Out that I listen to whenever I’m mad at Morrissey :)
Thank you for playing my request for The Fall (that one reminds me of high school and watching 120 Minutes). JAMC, Big Black, New Order and Peter Murphy were other highlights.
Like others, I’m looking forward to the all covers episode. I hope Echo and the Bunnymen make the cut. So many good ones in their catalog…I would love a dealer’s choice from their excellent “It’s All Live Now” album.
Wishing the dark wavers a good week.
Great opener this week with the Sisters of Mercy track. A few cover suggestions – Nick Cave doing I’m Your Man, Trent and Atticus doing In The Hall of the Mountain King (from The Social Network), Concrete Blonde doing Little Wing. Thanks as always for helping me get through the beginning of the work week.
For your cover show
Book of Loves cover of Sound and Vision
Thanks
Not sure if I’ve heard any controlled bleeding, fini tribe, young gods or executive slacks, how about some neon judgment , pancow , borghesia , a spilt second, halfler trio.
Hey Matt, for your covers show, I highly recommend The Soft Kill’s cover of Ministry “I’m Falling”. Thanks!
I love the show. Listen to the old ones all week if I can. You had said that you were going to do a cover show.. My two faves are from Uncle Al’s Band Surgical Meth Machine(Gates of Steel(Devo) and Ministry(LayLadyLay(BobDylan).
I also thought of a fun show idea for the future… “Dark Wave in the Movies”. All of your faves that are in movies.
Cool suggestion for “Dark Wave in the Movies”. If not a full length show – could be an awesome block of music during an episode…
Great show, thank you Matt!
Sub-Pop recently put out a 30th Anniversary edition of Six Finger Satellite’s Severe Exposure album. Some 6FS might be a good fit for a post-punk block in a future (non-covers!) program, either from Severe Exposure (“Parlour Games”, “Rabies (Baby’s Got The)”, “Human Operator”) or the prior full-length, The Pigeon is the Most Popular Bird (“Love (Via Satellite)”, “Solitary Hiro”, “Neuro-Harmonic Conspiracy”)
Love the show. “Missiles” was awesome!
Covers suggestions: Galaxie 500 “Ceremony.” I am sure you will include something from the Bunnymen. (lots to choose from)
I have 2 requests please:
Pi – Kate Bush
Circle – Siouxsie & The Banshees
Your show is a weekly habit. I’ve been listening faithfully for a few years. Thank you for keeping the weekly communion going.
Great show!!! For covers.
The Cure – Love will Tear us Apart
The Cure – World in my eyes
Placebo – Running up that Hill or Bigmouth
Sorry Bigmouth Strikes again :-)
Sadly, we are definitely gonna need some Stone Roses this week to honor Mani — a true legend and beloved figure of the English music scene from Manchester and on through to best work of later-day Primal scream. The roses are my all-time favorite group. Such a sad loss. Even though it has to be a roses song tribute, I would also suggest keep your dreams by Primal Scream.
Trisomie 21 – Coming From Darkness (1983) Apple Music
Aaah…! – Slip Away (1982) https://medicalrecords.bandcamp.com/track/aaah-slip-away
A possibility for your eventual “Covers” show: Live at Night Music Nr 213, NBC television show, USA in 1990. “Hey Joe”: 6:27 — Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Toots Thielemans & Charlie Haden.
One of the BEST live cover songs I’ve heard, and I had to share: https://youtu.be/D33uLEADyHM?si=oFdNOrgy-rtXPbjr
Thanks, Matt.
I have faithfully listened to Dark Wave every Sunday evening for the past 10 years (I haven’t missed a show) and on December 5th, I will turn 66!! I was going over all the songs I have heard on your show and I was wondering if you could play the very 1st song that got me hooked on Dark Wave music? Sketal Family “The Promised Land”. Thank you and I’ll be listening
After a grueling snow filled weekend, I really could use the Power of Lard