Mark E. Smith of The Fall | Photo 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 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
The Sisters of Mercy, “Doctor Jeep” (Vision Thing)
Wire, “It’s A Boy” (A Bell Is A Cup Until It Is Struck)
The Cure, “The Exploding Boy” (Join the Dots)
Japan, “Visions of China” (Tin Drum)
Ian McCulloch, “Proud to Fall” (Candleland)
Depeche Mode, “Nothing” (Music For the Masses)
Visage, “Fade to Grey” (Visage)
Adrian Borland, “We Are The Night” (Cinematic)
The Gruesome Twosome, “Hallucination Generation” (Candy From Strangers)
A Split-Second, “Into the Burning Hole” (Kiss of Fury)
Bauhaus, “Silent Hedges” (The Sky’s Gone Out)
13th Chime, “Cuts of Love” (The Singles 1981-1983)
And Also the Trees, “Scythe and Spade” (Virus Meadow)
The Naked and the Dead, “The Gate” (The Naked and the Dead)
HOUR 2
Mob, “Stay” (7-Inch Version) (Let the Tribe Increase)
The Toy Dolls, “Nellie the Elephant” (Dig That Groove Baby)
Crass, “Bata Motel” (Penis Envy)
The Damned, “Help” (Damned Damned Damned)
The Germs, “Lexicon Devil” (GI)
Cowboy Junkies, “Seventeen Seconds” (Songs of the Recollection)
Shudder To Think, “Shake Dog Shake” (Give Me the Cure)
Tricky, “The Love Cats” (Vulnerable)
The Smashing Pumpkins, “A Night Like This” (Aeroplane Flies High)
British Sea Power, “A Forest” (NME Awards 2009 – Pictures Of You – A Tribute To Godlike Geniuses The Cure)
Majesty Crush, “Ghost of Fun” (Sans Muscles)
Catherine Wheel featuring Tanya Donelly, “Judy Staring at the Sun” (Happy Days)
My Bloody Valentine, “Map Ref. 41N 93W” (Whore: Various Artists Play Wire)
Blind Mr. Jones, “Spooky Vibes” (Stereo Musicale)
Pale Saints, “Sight of You” (The Comforts of Madness)
HOUR 3
Joy Division, “Leaders of Men” (Substance)
The Monochrome Set, “Killing Dave” (The Independent Singles)
Morrissey, “That’s Entertainment” (The HMV/Parlophone Singles ’88-’95)
Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Happy House” (Live) (At the BBC)
Meat Beat Manifesto, “Everything Counts” (For the Masses)
KMFDM, “Juke Joint Jezebel” (Single Mix) (Greatest Shit)
Nine Inch Nails, “Zoo Station” (AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered)
Nitzer Ebb, “Capitvate” (William Orbit Mix) (Belief)
Pixies, “I’ve Been Waiting For You” (Complete ‘B’ Sides)
The Fall, “Jerusalem” (I Am Kurious Oranj)
Pram, “Blue Singer” (Iron Lung)
Sex Gang Children, “Into the Abyss” (Empyre & Fall)
Big Black, “The Model” (Songs About Fucking)
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Matt Sebastian (8/9/26)
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Matt Sebastian (8/2/26)
- Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave” — hosted by Matt Sebastian (7/26/26)
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. Dear Heart – Cocteau Twins
2. The Queen Is Dead – the Smiths
3. My Love Life – Morrissey
4. Paradise Place – Siouxsie + the Banshees
5. I Remember Nothing – Joy Division
6. Dreamland – Rose of Avalanche
7. No Time To Cry – the Sisters of Mercy
8. The Blue Hour – Christian Death
9. Burning Bridge – Kate Bush
10. Velouria – Pixies
11. Look Back in Anger – David Bowie
12. Bang Bang – Iggy Pop
13. Blue Hotel – Lene Lovich
14. Visions In Blue – Ultravox
15. Showroom Dummies – Kraftwerk
16. See Those Eyes – Altered Images
17. When I Was Young – Danielle Dax
18. Smack Jack – Nina Hagen
19. Over You – Roxy Music
20. A Matter of Time – Berlin (with Terri Nunn off the “Best of Berlin” compilation)
21. Tora! Tora! Tora! – Depeche Mode
Hey Matt! I liked the William Orbit remix of nitzer ebb’s captivate. Orbit will be missed.
What about something from Nefilim off their one album “Zoom”. The band Carl McCoy had while Fields of Nephilim were on hiatus.
So many weird & good covers! Really liked the Cure covers block too.
Couple of requests for future shows again:
Associates – Kitchen Person
These Immortal Souls – Black Milk
Suzanne Vega – Blood Makes Noise
Grey Factor – Guerilla Warfare
Matt when you post to Facebook and social media please say the name of the episode , it makes it easier to use voice commands to find the show on the apps. Tonight’s episode was called , “we are the night” knowing that helps a lot . Thank you.
MAN U REALLY KNOW HOW TOO DEMOLISH A SHOW MATT!!!! OVERALL YOUR A TERRIBLE DJ! U ARE ABOUT THE ONLY ONE WHO LIKES SHITTY “COVERS”. Cover songs in general SUCK!! MOST OF HATE HATE HATE “COVERS” NIGHT!!!!!! I REQUEST A NEW DJ FOR DARK WAVE!!!!! I BEEN LISTENING SINCE AROUND 2008 AND I RARELY DROP COMMENTS EVEN FOR REQUESTS. LAY OFF THE COVERS MATT. U KNOW WE HATE COVER NIGHT. PLEASE PASS THE TORCH TO A NEW DJ!! MYSELF AND OTHERS COULD’VE HAD AN EARLY SUNDAY NIGHT BUT YOUR A JERK WHO DIDNT ANNOUNCE ” THE DREADED COVERS NIGHT” SO WE COULD ALL SAY “F” THIS AND GO TO BED EARLY. I MEAN IT. NEW DJ FOR DARK WAVE!!!!! YOU STINK MATT!!!
Thanks for playing The Fall, Jerusalem is, rather that whole album and The Infotainment Scan are just perfect
That block of Cure covers Thanks!
I meant to say **chef’s kiss** then Thanks!
Well Matt, don’t mind grumpy Tony above. Must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed and decided it was okay to mimic the always all caps orange buffoon. This week’s installment kicked ass. And the covers didn’t even start until the all Cure block in hour 2. Never heard that Cowboy Junkies cut, nice one. The shoegaze block was stellar, loved hearing Majesty Crush, Blind Mr Jones, and Pale Saints. Thanks for playing my Pixies doing Neil Young request, a rare Kim lead vocal! I guess Tony can be mad at me too for requesting a cover. Nice ones from The Fall and Pram as well. And of course we can never have too much Big Black.
Request for a future shoegaze block: “Last Train to Satansville” by Swervedriver.
Have a great week Matt, cheers! And keep the covers coming.
Exactly….what the hell is that guys problem?!!
John Lydon doesn’t care to hear your political views. Kindly mate keep politics off this board!
With that I’ll request
PIL – Flowers of Romance
Well, that was an interesting show! I really do enjoy hearing so many new-to-me bands and songs, but it may have been a bit light on ‘familiar comfort music’ this week. Not really a complaint – I do think it’s good to mix it up once in a while, and I don’t actually mind hearing covers now and then! Just hard to pay full attention for 3 hours when nearly all the songs are unfamiliar, takes more stamina than usual!
A few requests for future shows, including one cover!
1. Attrition – Right Hand Man (from “A Tricky Business” 1991)
2. Dominion – Lies On The Line (from “Lost” 1990)
3. The Neon Judgement – Awful Day (1986 single)
4. Battery – Shame (from “NV” 1995 – it’s a Depeche Mode cover!)
Thanks, and don’t let the haters get you down!
Gang of Four – Call Me Up
Seconded!
Thirded
My,my,Matt,indeed creepy and crawly and chock a block full of covers!Nice use of that,here here.Speaking of that,here is a cover and a few extras,Dark as ever.All the Best Always!
GHOUL-Immigrant Song
JOY DIVISION-Wilderness
BAUHAUS-Dark Entries
M.
Great Show! I really enjoyed the covers !
Hello Matt! I for one thought this week’s installment was on point like any other brilliant show you present us with. I guess not everyone will ever agree on everything, but that diatribe seemed excessive. At any rate, thank you for playing my KMFDM request. Some possible suggestions for next time:
A-ha – Hunting High And Low
Ultravox – Reap The Wild Wind
OMD – Souvenir
Thanks again as always!!!! ｡◕‿◕｡
Great Dark Wave – again – tonight, Matt! Thanks to all the amazing requests from the dark darlings; love hearing stuff I never knew existed!
And now, it’s the same thing I do every Sunday night, Pinkie – try to get The Residents’ Laughing Song played on Dark Wave!
Great choices!
Here’s a request for a future DW –
Morrissey – November Spawned a Monster (live version from Beethoven Was Deaf)
Thanks!
Hey, Matt! Learning hard on the Dark half of Dark Wave with this request:
Jimmy Smack, “Hating Life”
Thanks!
L.A.A. -untitled lll from the album Crypts of tears
Thank you
Great show, loved all the covers! I really liked Meat Beat’s “Everything Counts” — I’m not sure I’ve ever heard that one, unless it was on here. And my favorite was Big Black’s “The Model.” Always love it when you go out on a classic. Thank as always.
Gruesome Twosome might be the most perfect obscure song choice for Dark Wave
A British Sea Power sighting, what a treat! The cure cover block featured some key (and a little bit forgotten) bands from a specific era of my life (long live MUFO, IYKYK) gonna have to revisit the High Art soundtrack I think! Thanks for that ride!
After reading the comments, figured I’d request Tony’s Theme off Surfer Rosa.
Also <3 <3 <3 the william orbit nod, the gruesome twosome, and finishing it out with Big Black. Great set!!
I meant to mention the British Sea Power cover too, love that band, great pick. I wish they’d tour the US again, been a long while.
Hard to pick a favorite cover from this episode. Though I dare you one day to play John Eddie’s cover of “In Between Days”. That will really tick that Mr. Anti-covers off. I did love all the covers.
That being said, I have to give it to Hour 1 tonight. It just kind of hit for me this week.
I’d like to request either Concrete Blonde “I Know The Ghost” or Click Click “Awake and Watching”. They’re pretty opposite in sound and style, but I love them both anyway.
Thanks. Have a great week.
Hey Matt!
Sorry for the disappearing act..
As usual, loved the set! And loved all the covers!
Maybe I have a way for you to remedy having to apologize (no need) in the future for playing all the covers..which also is a request:
Could you please play Pigface “Point Blank” from the Live album “Truth Will Out”, which is basically Pigface covering themselves, from the original studio album “Gub”, but with some different touring members, including Jim Marcus on Vocals instead of Chris Connelly.
I think that works, right?!
Thanks!!
Scotty P
Killing Joke – Seeing Red (2003) Apple + Qobuz
This one is for Tony.
Hey Matt, great episode! Really loved the varied directions, the unfamiliar artists and/or songs, and ahem yes, the covers.
Highlights for me…. a phenomenal shoegaze block – particularly that Majesty Crush track. British Sea Power – I was tired and didn’t even realize it was a Cure cover at first. Their sound was just incredible. Pram and Sex Gang Children…. wow! I’ve heard and been into Pram but never that song, so beautiful!
Some familiar favorite DW artists – Big Black, The Fall, 13th Chime.
I noticed comments about the lack of familiar comfort tunes. It truly is hard to please everyone. Silly rants about covers aside, I quite enjoy the show when songs are unfamiliar and it’s only when there are tracks have been played before…that’s when I reach for my ‘skip button.’ and that’s all good. 3 hours is a lot of time to invest in this day and age.
Still in Japan, btw, and picked up this 7″ by Kristin Hersh, which includes a (gasp) Nirvana cover…Nirvana on Darkwave?? I’m gonna go ahead and request it. Kristin Hersh doing Pennyroyal Tea.
Thanks for all you do!
Thank you Matt, all the covers were awesome. I had never heard Nitzer Ebb Captivate, William Orbit mix. Nice tribute to William Orbit.
Here are some great Dark Wave tracks to consider for future episodes:
Wire – 3 Girl Rhumba
Xymox – She’s Dangerous
Chris and Cosey – Put Yourself in Los Angeles
Throbbing Gristle – United
Cabaret Voltaire – Nag Nag Nag
Curve – Dirty High
I listen to every show and each one is unique and awesome in it’s own way!
John