Siouxsie and the Banshees | 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 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
Ministry, “The Missing” (The Land of Rape and Honey)
The Lords of the New Church, “Dance With Me” (Killer Lords)
Japan, “Talking Drum” (Tin Drum)
Cocteau Twins, “Persephone” (Treasure)
Echo & The Bunnymen, “Pictures on My Wall” (Crocodiles)
The Cramps, “TV Set” (1977 Verion) (Gravest Gravy)
Love and Rockets, “Haunted When the Minutes Drag” (Album Version) (Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven)
Sex Gang Children, “Shout and Scream” (Song and Legend)
Pain Teens, “Inside Me” (Inside Me)
Swans, “Stay Here” (Filth)
Skinny Puppy, “Assimilate” (Bites)
Depeche Mode, “My Favourite Stranger” (Memento Mori)
Front 242, “U-Men” (Geography)
John Foxx, “Underpass” (Metamatic)
HOUR 2
The Cure, “The Baby Screams” (The Head On the Door)
Specimen, “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” (Batastrophe)
Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Swimming Horses” (Hyaena)
Killing Joke, “Twilight of the Mortal” (Brighter Than a Thousand Suns)
The Cult, “Bleeding Heart Graffiti” (Best of Rare Cult)
Jane’s Addiction, “Mountain Song” (Nothing’s Shocking)
Shriekback, “Gunning for the Buddha” (Big Night Music)
The Danse Society, “Godsend” (Seduction)
Bauhaus, “In Fear of Dub” (Mask: Omnibus Edition)
Pailhead, “I Will Refuse” (12-Inch Version) (Side Trax)
Blok 57, “Burn Baby Burn” (Blok 57)
Tribantura, “Lack of Sense” (Lack of Sense)
Lard, “Bozo Skeleton” (The Last Temptation of Reid)
HOUR 3
The Jesus and Mary Chain, “UV Ray” (Automatic)
The Sisters of Mercy, “Jolene” (Kid Jensen Session) (BBC Sessions 1982-1984)
The Creatures, “Fury Eyes” (Boomerang)
The Mission, “Wasteland” (God’s Own Children)
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, “Rivers of Blood, Years of Darkness” (Confessions of a Knife)
Nitzer Ebb, “My Heart” (Showtime)
Girl Under Glass, “Tomorrow Evening” (Humus)
Bel Canto, “Birds of Passage” (Birds of Passage)
Soft Cell, “Memorabilia” (Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret)
Joy Division, “Wilderness” (Unknown Pleasures)
The Smiths, “Reel Around the Fountain” (The Smiths)
Lowlife, “Eternity Road” (7-Inch Version) (Eternity Road)
Concrete Blonde, “Cold Part of Town” (Concrete Blonde)
Psychic TV, “Godstar” (7-Inch Mix) (Allegory and Self)
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Matt Sebastian (6/14/26)
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Matt Sebastian (6/7/26)
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Matt Sebastian (5/31/26)
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. A Matter of Time – Berlin
2. Blue-Eyed Pop – the Sugarcubes
3. The Ordinary Boys – Morrissey
4. Growing In Green – March Violets
5. Tora! Tora! Tora! – Depeche Mode
I’ve never requested before! But here goes, some odd favorites of mine:
1. Voyou – Housemann (Germany Calling Mix)
2. Second Voice – Typhoon
3. Red Flag – Russian Radio
4. The Merry Thoughts – Pale Empress
5. Boris Mikulic – Break Free
Great show again, and thanks for playing my Swans request! Pain Teens was new to me, even though it sounded like something I should know. No requests this week, but my wife sent hers, if/when those get through moderation.
Thank YOU so much for requesting it. I was 13 when this song came out and somehow totally missed it. Temporal distortion… mind blown
Hey Matt!
Exceptional set tonight – thanks for continuing to kill these shows week in/week out. Well worth staying up until 1AM to see what comes over the airwaves.
One thought…is it right to play “The Missing” without going straight into “Deity” (or “Deity” without it having been preceded by “The Missing”, for that matter)? I don’t know…something unfulfilling about when they are not played together.
On to a request for a future show. I would love to hear “Shape Draw Back” by Swamp Terrorists, ideally as you come out of a Shoegaze block to very rapidly wake everyone back up. (If you feel like it, of course…)
Very Best,
Dave W.
Long Branch, NJ
Hey Matt! Always a great show. I liked Blok 57 tonight.
Torn between Hour 1 and Hour 2 and honestly can’t decide. Both top shelf Matt.
Another stupendous show this evening Matt! Have to give it to hour 2, with The Cure, The Cult, Siouxsie and Shriekback it was a no doubter!
A request for an upcoming show please if I may, Heroine (Theme from Captive) by Sinead O’Connor & The Edge.
Amazing show tonight! Thanks for playing my Pain Teens request – love to get the word out there about them
Loved Pain Teens.
The House Of Love – Yer Eyes
Hi Matt ! You always keep offering us exceptional songs week after week. Definitely my 3 Best hours of music of thé week. A suggestion for a future show : The thin Wall of Utravox. Thank you and have a good week Matt!
Another great show. Loved hearing “Haunted…” and pretty much everything after it in the first hour. Same with second hour, really love those last few blocks — must listen to more Blok 57 and Tribantura. I’ll do like xTina and throw out a few ideas:
The Cure “One Hundred Years”
The Damned “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today”
The Smiths “Death of a Disco Dancer”
Thanks again for doing the Lord’s work!
One other request — about two or three years back, you blew my mind when you played “Cop Shoot Cop.” I remember I was listening live and thinking, who else would play this? I know it’s a long one, but would love for you to play that again at some point!
Matt
I’m headed to Europe in 2&1/2 weeks
In other words, I travel Matt ….
Can I get a Simple Minds request ? I Travel ?
Bye bye
Wow Matt this week’s program is fire!! Seriously all 3 hours were full of kick assery!! Assimilate came on as soon as I was done with work. Is there a better song to drive to?! I think not. Anywho will only request this one song this week as it’s so awesome….it needs no other possibilities:
The Cure – A Night Like This
Thanks again as always!!!! ｡◕‿◕｡
Thank you for putting together yet another great set of music. Easily the best part of my week.
A thought for a future set:
Rise and Fall of a Decade – Pure Hands
Pupilla – Jealousy
Love Is Colder Than Death – Oxeia
Really, anything from any of the Heavenly Voices compilations.
Thanks!
Wow Matt this week’s program is fire!! Seriously all 3 hours were full of kick assery!! Assimilate came on as soon as I was done with work. Is there a better song to drive to?! I think not. Anywho will only request this one song this week as it’s so awesome….it needs no other possibilities:
The Cure – A Night Like This
Thanks again as always!!!! ｡◕‿◕｡
Enjoyed the dark balance in each hour.
Here’s a request as we go into summer –
Sort Sol – Marble Station
Thanks!
What a lovely version of Reel Around The Fountain! Thanks for another great show, Matt
Fantastic show, already listened twice. As per usual you included something I’ve never heard before that is pure ear candy – this week it was Blok 57, gotta check more of them. The new/old Cramps was outstanding. Pain Teens into Swans into Skinny Puppy was also excellent. And thanks for playing my JAMC request, perfect for summer solstice.
Request for a future communion, another awesome b-side/cover combo: “Lucifer Sam” by Love and Rockets, covering Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd.
Have a great week Matt, cheers!
Great looking setlist – traveling this week and looking forward to when we can rock out to it! Love seeing the Pain Teens and Assimilate \m/
We’re in the UK and the world cup is in full swing- makes me think Cicciolina by PWEI would be a timely request!
Thanks Matt!!!
Sunshine Blind – The cresent and the star I know it’s not 80s, but it’s a great goth tune.
Could you please play some Stone Roses maybe “ Somethings Burning “ or “ So Young “ please !!!! Thank you
Way to usher in the Summer Matt,splendid to say the least.Keeping up the HOT trend,I got some scorchers here to run by you,and as it gies All The Best.
KNIFELADDER-Head Of The Serpent
PORTISHEAD-Machine Gun
SUBURBAN LAWNS-Jam The Controls
M.
Hey Matt!
Great show! Thanks much for spinning Blok 57! :)
Since we’ve all now welcomed Summer in the proper way (while listening to SXM Dark Wave!), think that I should request the following off of Aion circa 1990:
Black Sun // Dead Can Dance
Cheers!
Thanks for playing my Specimen request, but why didn’t you say who requested the song, like you have with others? I was waiting for that, but you never said. Oh well, at least you played it!
W.A.T. – Art Lovers (1983) https://stroomtv.bandcamp.com/album/world-according-to
Yo Matt. How about Ribbons by the sisters or the hungry wolf by X. Thanks.