The Manhattan Beat: Cold Waves NY

In the summer of 2012 in Chicago, Illinois, sound engineer Jamie Duffy, a key personality in the local electronic and metal music communities, committed suicide. In need of healing and hope, 14 bands gathered for a memorial concert to say goodbye and raise money for Duffy’s family. That concert launched an annual music festival called Cold Waves. Cold Waves is now a traveling multi-day festival celebrating Chicago's relationship with industrial music and, perhaps more significantly, a fundraiser for suicide awareness and prevention charities.

The Cold Waves festival expanded in 2017 from Chicago to Los Angeles, California, and in 2018 the Cold Waves festival came to New York City for two nights at Irving Plaza (September 13 & 14) and one night at Gramercy Theater (September 15). After the three New York dates, the festival traveled to Chicago (September 21-23) and Los Angeles (September 27-29). Performers in all three cities included Meat Beat Manifesto, Frontline Assembly, ohGr (aka Skinny Puppy’s Nivek Ogre and Mark Walk), Lead into Gold, Chemlab, and others.

Over the past seven years, some of the biggest acts in industrial, darkwave, cold wave and post-punk music have performed at the Cold Wave festivals. These have included KMFDM, Godflesh, Front 242, Stabbing Westward, Fear Factory, Prong, Pop Will Eat Itself, and <PIG>. The festivals also introduced newer acts, including High Functioning Flesh, Youth Code, HIDE, and Author & Punisher.

The festivals also connected and supported nightlife workers suffering from depression, addiction, suicidal tendencies and other mental health issues. A portion of the proceeds this year benefitted Darkest before Dawn, which connects mental health resources, emotional support, counseling, and community to nightlife, restaurant and music venue staff, whose late hours and isolated commutes leave them susceptible to depression, addiction and suicide. Data supports this demographic as having little to no mental health insurance options.

Visit Cold Waves at www.coldwaves.net.