Tonight’s episode of ‘Dark Wave’ — the weekly Sunday night show on Sirius XM’s classic-alternative station 1st Wave — manged a few nice surprises, including not one but two of long-forgotten U.K. synthpop duo Vicious Pink’s 1985 singles (‘Fetish,’ ‘Cccan’t You See’), and a dash of avant-garde electronic artist Anne Clarke (‘Our Darkness’).
Beginning Monday, fans of The Cure will be able to bid on a double-vinyl edition of the new ‘Disintegration’ reissue signed by Robert Smith that’s being auctioned off to help raise money for the West Memphis 3 legal defense fund.
Highlights of tonight’s ‘Dark Wave’ on Sirius XM’s 1st Wave included a rarely-heard Depeche Mode B-side (‘Breathing in Fumes’), a pair of songs from The Cure’s ‘The Top’ (‘Shake Dog Shake,’ ‘Birdmad Girl’) and Joe Strummer’s great contribution to the ‘Sid and Nancy’ soundtrack (‘Love Kills’).
On Oct. 6, 1990, The Cure made a second attempt at a pirate-radio broadcast in London to promote its upcoming ‘Mixed Up’ remix album; this one went off successfully, and we’ve got edited audio from that night of the band being interviewed and spinning records.
The highlights of tonight’s ‘Dark Wave’ on Sirius XM’s 1st Wave include some unusual selections from big names like The Cure (‘Just One Kiss,’ the B-side of ‘The Walk’) and Depeche Mode (‘Black Celebration’ album cut ‘Here is the House’), plus the return of ‘No Name, No Slogan,’ the one-off 1989 single from Acid Horse, a hybrid of Ministry and Cabaret Voltaire.
Twenty years ago tonight, Robert Smith and the rest of The Cure — aided by a pair of American DJs and shadowed by MTV and the music press — set up a pirate radio station at the headquarters of Fiction Records with plans to illicitly premiere their soon-to-released remix album ‘Mixed Up’ over the London airwaves.
The A.V. Club wraps up its summer-long web series ‘Undercover: 25 Bands, 25 Cover Songs, 1 Small Room’ with this final installment: Shambling indie rockers The Walkman take on R.E.M.’s 1985 single ‘Driver 8,’ from the just-reissued ‘Fables of the Reconstruction.’
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 