The Fall | Photo by Carole Segal via Beggars Arkive
“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 Fall, “Bombast” (This Nation’s Saving Grace)
The Cure, “Siamese Twins” (Pornography)
The Birthday Party, “Mutiny in Heaven” (Mutiny/The Bad Seed)
Tones on Tail, “OK This Is the Pops” (Everything!)
Sex Gang Children, “Beasts” (The Singles 1982-1984)
Ministry, “So What” (The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste)
Nine Inch Nails, “She’s Gone Away” (Not the Actual Events)
The Gruesome Twosome, “Hallucination Generation” (Candy From Strangers)
A Split-Second, “The Colosseum Crash” (…From the Inside)
Death Cult, “Christians” (Live) (Paradise Live)
Christian Death, “Skeleton Kiss” (The Iron Mask)
Fields of the Nephilim, “Preacher Man” (Revelations)
The Sisters of Mercy, “Walk Away” (First and Last and Always)
HOUR 2
Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Ornaments of Gold” (Peepshow)
Peter Murphy, “Deep Ocean Vast Sea” (Deep)
Gary Numan, “Films” (The Pleasure Principle)
Wire, “Practice Makes Perfect” (Chairs Missing)
Cabaret Voltaire, “Spies in the Wires” (Micro-Phonies)
Workforce, “Skin Scraped Back” (Dreams to Fill the Vacuum)
Suspiria, “Allegedly, Dancefloor Tragedy” (Primitive Attentions…)
Severed Heads, “Triangle Tangle Tango” (Rotund for Success)
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus” (Live) (Memento Mori: Mexico City)
Killing Joke, “Love Like Blood” (Night Time)
Skinny Puppy, “Smothered Hope” (The Singles Collect)
Alien Sex Fiend, “Mine’s Full of Maggots” (Maximum Security)
HOUR 3
Bauhaus, “Dark Entries” (1979-1983, Vol. 1)
Joy Division, “Day of the Lords” (Unknown Pleasures)
Sad Lovers and Giants, “Things We Never Did” (Epic Garden Music)
The Essence, “Endless Lakes” (Dancing in the Rain)
45 Grave, “Procession” (Sleep in Safety)
Voodoo Church, “Eyes (Second Death)” (Voodoo Church)
X, “Nausea” (Los Angeles)
The Damned, “Life Goes On” (Strawberries)
999, “Inside Out” (The Biggest Prize in Sport)
Love and Rockets, “Kundalini Express” (Express)
Colin Newman, “Alone” (A-Z)
Danielle Dax, “Brimstone in a Barren Land” (Dark Adapted Eye)
The Psychedelic Furs, “Highwire Days” (All of This And Nothing)
Electrafixion, “Zephyr” (Burned)
Yaz, “Winter Kills” (Upstairs at Eric’s)
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs (1/25/26)
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs (1/18/26)
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs (1/11/26)
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Reminder: There are free stickers
https://slicingupeyeballs.com/free-slicing-up-eyeballs-stickers/
For future shows:
1. Kyoto Song – the Cure
2. City of Refuge – Nick Cave + the Bad Seeds
3. Love + Kisses – Altered Images
4. Sweetness + Light – Lush
5. A Matter of Time – Berlin
6. Blue-Eyed Pop – the Sugarcubes
7. I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts – X
8. The Ordinary Boys – Morrissey
9. Wonderful Woman – the Smiths
Only ONE of the “The Three S’s” this week (Siouxsie, Shoegaze and Shriekback)?
How about a deep cut from Shriekback next week? Hubris from Jam Science or Mothloop from Tench?
As always, thanks for another GREAT show!
Let me jump on that Shriekback bandwagon. Hand On My Heart would be lovely.
Honestly, any of the 3 S’s would be great. MBV’s Slow would be a great Valentine’s Day song. As would Siouxsie’s Melt (since you just played Ornaments).
Agreed! Anything from Jam Science would be awesome!
Cheers
I would like to request: We care a lot (Faith no more) and World Destruction (Timezone). Thanks Matt!
Would love to hear more FNM on here to be sure – one of my favorite bands!
Requests
Consolidated friendly fascism
cabaret Voltaire Don’t argue extended remix
Psychic tv just like Arcadia
Thank you for playing my Electrafixion request! I just love the energy of that album. I greatly appreciate it : – )
In Camera – Fragments Of Fear for a future broadcast. Thanks Matt!
Excellent show! We got quite a few tracks that don’t show up on the DW playlists very often, which I am very much for.
Best week ahead to all reading this!
great show. I would like to request a lesser known but very influential band from the 80s: Mighty Sphincter
I am very honored you chose my Fall request to bat in the leadoff spot this week, thank you Matt! The entire show was finely balanced, super fun set. The NIN cut was another splendid request. RIP David Lynch, you are missed. Wire and solo Colin Newman was really nice to hear. One of my cats is named Zephyr, she’s a big Electrafixion fan, great request that one. And the darkwave holy trifecta again, love it.
Still not seeing the replay available on the app. Argh….
Request for a future communion: “Take Me to the Other Side” by Spacemen 3.
Have a great week Matt, cheers!
Hey Matt!
Here is a (newer) interesting one … perhaps can fit into an upcoming shoegaze set at some point?
Forever Now // Deadlights (from Blue Sides EP)
“The secondary riff on Forever Now is almost Psych Pop, a reminder of The Church’s earlier times”.
Cheers!
Enjoyed it!
Forgot to mention this possible request earlier, but I wanted to see if you could please play something from Gang of Four in memory of Andy Gill, who we lost six years ago.
Also, perhaps another request for something from those first-time Grammy winners The Cure.
Thanks!
Hey Matt,
In honor of the Cure finally winning a Grammy, could you play a song from the masterpiece that is Songs of A Lost World? Any song, your choice. Thanks and cheers!
Front 242- Tragedy for you ( Neurodancer)
Request: Marlene Dietrich’s Favourite Poem,
Peter Murphy
Happy Monday to you my friend! Wowza what a playlist hot diggity dog!! Some really awesome tracks in there! Thank you for playing my Yaz request to close out the Wave this week….and appreciate too as Winter is kicking our ass here. *sniff sniff* Anywho…..
Some possible suggestions for next time:
Happy Mondays – Step On
PWEI – Everything’s Cool
The Verve – Slide Away
Thanks again as always! ｡◕‿◕｡
Unfortunately, the latest episode hasn’t been added to the app (as of Tuesday morning). UGH. Hopefully soon…Taking a look at the playlist and looking forward to hearing X, Peter Murphy, Wire, and Cabaret Voltaire.
A request for a future episode – with Valentine’s Day on the horizon, a dark “love” song:
Spiritualized “I think I’m in love”
“I think I’m in love/Probably just hungry” always makes me laugh.
Wishing everyone a good week.
I’m told there had been a problem since last week with On Demand shows, but that it was fixed yesterday and everything, including Sunday night’s “Dark Wave,” should be available at some point today
Hi Matt, thanks for the update. Happy to report I was able to stream the show this morning during my commute – yay! I need my weekly fix of the dark stuff.
Good request!
Great set – i thought the end of Hour 2 was particularly niiiiice.
For a future show, may I request Time by The Wolfgang Press? it’s got a beat, but it’s spooky and dark too :)
Thanks Matt!
Note that’s the single ‘Time’ rather than the album track ‘Question of Time’ off of Queer
Some requests for February! <3
The Cure – Lovesong (Band Demo Instrumental – 09/88)
Klaus Nomi – Valentine's Day
The Mission – Love Me To Death
THE DAMNED – Shadow Of Love
The Alley Cats – Night of the Living Dead
Pinkie Maclure – Different World (1986) https://pinkiemaclure.bandcamp.com/album/unman
Savages – Dream Baby Dream (Suicide) Apple Music + Qobuz + Bandcamp
Greetings Matt !!
Always a fan. I’ve been making playlist from your shows since 2019.
My daughter gave me ‘into the never’ about ‘Nine Inch Nails and the Creation of The Downward Spiral’ as a Christmas gift. This caused me to listen to the deluxe album while reading and I discovered, or remembered, NIN covered Soft Cells’ Memorabilia. So, how about NIN – Memorabilia !!
Matt,thanx sooo Dark much for the awesome sets & tracks on my Bday!It was some of if not one of your best works,enjoyed all of them,I can’t say enough.Anyway,here’s back to the old request grindstone,if you will.As is the cast,All the best to you,always.
DINO LEE-Stud Pony
MANUFACTURE-Slugger
KMFDM-The Unrestrained Use Of Excessive
Force
M.
Hey man! Great show this week!
Can you play Flying Lizards “Sex Machine” when you get a chance? Thanks!!
Hello from New Jersey!! There are a few tunes that I’d love to hear on Darkwave.
Faith and the Muse: Sparks
Classic Neuveux: Guilty ( not really darkwave but still kool)
Bigod20: like a prayer
Cranes: Jewel
Leather strip: drive ( cover of The Cars- early 2000’s but a superb cover)
The Chameleons- tomorrow never knows ( Cover of the Beatles from the album Strange Times)
Thanks in advance for playing any of these!!