Tones on Tail
“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 show airs at 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern every Sunday on Sirius XM’s 1st Wave (Channel 33).
The most recent two episodes are available to subscribers to stream via the Sirius XM app.
Got a request? Requests will be considered for future episodes, but there’s no guarantee they’ll be played. They must fit the show’s format and fall generally within the 1st Wave era. And not be something the host really dislikes. If there’s something you’d like to hear, drop it in the comments below.
HOUR 1
Theatre of Hate, “Do You Believe in the Westworld?” (Westworld)
Snake Corps, “Save My Heart” (Flesh on Flesh)
Killing Joke, “Victory” (Brighter Than a Thousand Suns)
This Mortal Coil, “I Am the Cosmos” (Blood)
Love and Rockets, “All In My Mind” (Express)
Joy Division, “Transmission” (Substance)
The Cure, “The Figurehead” (Pornography)
The March Violets, “Snake Dance” (Extended) (The Botanic Verses)
The Armoury Show, “Castles in Spain” (Waiting for the Floods)
Xymox, “Imagination” (Twist of Shadows)
Nine Inch Nails, “Sin” (Pretty Hate Machine)
KMFDM, “Juke Joint Jezebel” (Greatest Shit)
Cabaret Voltaire, “Don’t Argue” (C.O.D.E.)
HOUR 2
The Jesus and Mary Chain, “Surfin’ USA” (Summer Mix) (Barbed Wire Kisses)
The Glove, “Like an Animal” (Blue Sunshine)
The Legendary Pink Dots, “Blacklist” (The Golden Age)
The Mobile Homes, “Social Misery” (Nothing But Something)
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, “Burning Dirt” (Confessions of a Knife)
Revolting Cocks, “At the Top” (Beers, Steers + Queers)
Die Krupps, “To the Hilt” (Too Much History)
Skinny Puppy, “Fascist Jock Itch” (Rabies)
The Sisters of Mercy, “Dominion/Mother Russia” (Floodland)
The Neon Judgement, “Voodoo Nipplefield” (Mafu Cage)
Cindytalk, “The Ghost Never Smiles” (Camouflage Heart)
Wire, “Three Girl Rhumba” (Pink Flag)
HOUR 3
Xmal Deutschland, “Incubus Succubus II” (Tocsin)
Bauhaus, “Boys” (Rest in Peace: The Final Concert)
Cocteau Twins, “Hitherto” (The Pink Opaque)
The Wild Swans, “Whirlpool Heart” (Magnitude)
Misfits, “Hybrid Moments” (Legacy of Brutality)
The Weirdos, “A Life of Crime” (Destroy All Music)
The Alley Cats, “Night of the Living Dead” (The Alley Cats 1979-1982)
UK Decay, “For Madmen Only” (For Madmen Only)
Wipers, “True Believer” (The Circle)
Christian Death, “Spiritual Cramp” (Only Theatre of Pain)
Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Premature Burial” (Join Hands)
Public Image Ltd., “Annalisa” (First Issue)
The The, “Boiling Point” (Nakedself)
The Sugarcubes,“Coldsweat” (Life’s Too Good)
Tones on Tail, “Go!” (Club Mix) (Everything!)
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs (4/12/26)
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs (4/5/26)
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs (3/29/26)
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. Love + Kisses – Altered Images
2. A Matter of Time – Berlin
3. Blue-Eyed Pop – the Sugarcubes
4. I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts – X
5. The Ordinary Boys – Morrissey
6. Wonderful Woman – the Smiths (play on 05/24/26 for Morrissey’s “birthday” weekend)
7. Sister Europe – Psychedelic Furs
8. Growing In Green – March Violets
9. Tora! Tora! Tora! – Depeche Mode
10. Rules + Regulations – Public Image Ltd.
11. Love und Romance – the Slits
12. TVC15 – David Bowie
Thanks for playing the Misfits request! That mini punk block was awesome, man. Great show tonight!
Request:
Chainsaw Kittens – Pop Heiress Dies
Great show again, especially liked hearing the Legendary Pink Dots & Cindytalk!
Some requests again for future shows:
Numb – Lies
The Tear Garden – Romulus and Venus
Fini Tribe – I Want More (7″ Mix)
The Shamen – Shitting On Britain
Attrition – This Final Push
Vampire Rodents – Burial At Sea
Mark Stewart – Hysteria
Bauhaus
The Passion Of Lovers
please
Hey Matt, got to see The Chameleons when they came through last weekend. The Veldt were great also. “Soul In Isolation” was one of the standouts in the set. Could you play that in an upcoming show?
pretty sure he played that on last week’s show
Whoops I am still catching up on the replays! I’d take any track by The Chameleons!
Hey Matt, loved the set tonight. I’d love to either hear “Stay” by Shakespeare Sister or “A Realness” by Boy Harsher. Thanks!
Enjoyed the punk block and all the choices this week! Each hour had great guitar work.
Here’s a request as we go into May –
Galaxie 500 – Strange
Thanks!
Furyo – Cavalcade
Great show last night like always, Matt! I loved hearing Neon Judgment.
Thank you for the good words about John McGeoch.
Great sets & selections all around Matt and the R&R Hall nod to JD & NO is well deserved but kinda bitter sweet….whatever the case,these asks kinda aren’t.All the Best,always.
EXECUTIVE SLACKS-The Bus
FRINT LINE ASSEMBLY-The Chair
WALL OF VOODOO-Ring Of Fire
M.
Another great show! Future considerations :-)
The Cure – Underneath the Stars or Six Different Ways
PIL – This is not a love song
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Tearing Apart or if there’s no time limit – The Rapture
The Smiths – Miserable Lie or A Rush and a Push
New Order – Cries and Whispers Temptation 12″
Thanks Matt!
Also wondering if there’s anyway to hear the all Cure Dark Wave you did some years ago that I have only heard whisperings of.
Sadly, I have no recordings of these shows. But here’s the playlist of the all-Cure episode
https://slicingupeyeballs.com/2018/07/08/dark-wave-playlist-july-8-2018/
Over your Shoulder by the Bunnymen
Spectacular job as always, Matt! I hadn’t heard Coldsweat in ages! Pleased to hear that one show up. On a future show I’d absolutely love to hear Coast is Clear or Left of Mother by Curve, 2nd Floor by The Creatures, or Stargazer (Mambo Sun Mix) by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Thanks.
Hey Matt,
How about a deep one from Gang of Four since they’re doing a few more shows this year (the longer last Goodbye!)
“Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broke” – an underrated cut from Mall that also DID chart on the Alt charts for a minute in 1991
-Tony from Boston
Lovely set this week with lots of deep cuts. Nice to hear Legendary Pink Dots and Neon Judgment. I had never heard Cindytalk before, nice one, super dark. And I’m loving all the Wire on the show of late, keep it coming! Loved the punk block in hour 3.
Been listening to early Suede singles and b-sides lately, man those were so good. Request for a future communion: “He’s Dead” by Suede.
Have a great week Matt, cheers!
Second the Suede request. And yes to all the Wire on recent shows!
Great music played tonight as always I like the public image limited and Cocteau twins.
I do have a request for Killing Joke – Night Time or Sex Pistols- Pretty Vacant.
Thanks for playing my request tonight Burning Dirt song from Thrill Kill kult
Another sublime episode of Dark Wave, thanks Matt!
hi matt again a solid selection of dark waves songs during the last few weeks. Continue to excellent work in finding us frankly effective and sublime selections. 2 suggestions if you ever want to take notes for a future show, maybe. Blasphemous rumous (Depeche Mode) or a new kind of man (John Foxx)
New Order – Chosen Time (1981)
Crisis – Frustration (1980) Apple Music + Qobuz
Hey Matt, cheers for another great show! Some standouts for me this week… The Neon Judgment (intriguing intro to this project for me), UK Decay, and this wonderfully noisy The The song.
And shoutout to some of the great cuts last week — Bush Tetras, Nocturnal Emission, Rema-Rema, Fra Lippo Lippi (had never heard of them and loved this), Sex Gang Children.
I recently caught The Wedding Present on tour and thought they were fantastic, even better than last year but I am partial to Sea Monsters. Also great this time around was the chance to see Mark Robinson speed through stripped down versions of his Unrest songs.
Which leads to my requesting something by Unrest — Teenage Suicide or Suki.
Thanks!
Rockin good news about the Weddoes tour Dave! I’m seeing them in SF on Thursday and am also very excited to see Mark Robinson, I never caught Unrest live way back when. Second the Unrest request!
Count me in for Unrest.
I’ve been listening to your show for years and you never disappoint. I’m curious what you think about modern audiences as opposed to when you started Slicing Up Eyeballs–what’s changed regarding listenership?
Thank you for playing my Weirdos request. The punk block was a highlight along with Wire, JAMC, Sugarcubes, Cabaret Voltaire, and Love and Rockets.
A request for a future episode:
JAMC “Don’t Ever Change”
As always, thank you!
Moz and Souxie – Interlude
great shows
you are my Post Punk Professor
appreciate it
Super late with this I realize but….. hoping you’ll indulge me Matt! Thank you for playing my The Wild Swans request. I had forgotten how awesome that song was! This was an absolutely awesome show …. I especially loved the first hour hot damn! I’m thinking about these possible suggestions for next time:
NIN – Ruiner
Revco – Beers Steers & Queers
Skinny Puppy – Love
Thanks again as always!!! ｡◕‿◕｡