After debuting three years ago, Darker Waves Fest returns to unleash 2026 lineup with Morrissey & The Smashing Pumpkins standing atop

Darker Waves Fest - 2026 lineup

Darker Waves Fest //
Huntington Beach City Beach – Huntington Beach, CA
November 14th, 2026 //

As we transition into spring and anxiously await the best months of the year for live music, there’s one festival in Southern California that’s making a comeback this fall.

Darker Waves held its inaugural edition in 2023 that brought New Order, Tears for Fears, Echo & The Bunnymen, Devo, Soft Cell, The Psychedelic Furs, OMD, The Human League, Violent Femmes and a whole lot more to Huntington Beach, but after taking the past two years off, the one-day event, which leans dark (and a little bit goth) with an array of new wave and post punk, gets ready to make its big return to the sand for one Saturday in November.

This time it will be Morrissey and The Smashing Pumpkins signing on as the main attractions, and of course with Moz you never quite know what you are going to get. Nobody knows if the former Smiths frontman will show up, but should he, don’t expect any burgers or hot dogs to be grilled nearby as the 66-year-old Englishman commands the stage.

The undercard, meanwhile, carries its own weight below the top line with Simple Minds, Bad Religion, Adam Ant, The Psychedelic Furs, Soft Cell, The Damned, Manic Street Preachers, Gary Numan and Silversun Pickups providing plenty of extra star power.

Other acts on the 2026 bill that are worth pointing out include Buzzcocks, EMF, Circle Jerks, Spacehog, Marky Ramone, Mariachi El Bronx, Cold Cave, TR/ST, Gene, Prayers, Modern English, The Motels, The Sounds, Choir Boy, Missing Persons, Christian Death, DECEITS, Past Self, Riki, Warfield, Purest Form and Casket Cassette. Check out the poster above to see who else will be performing.

If there’s a darkness summoning you down to the beach now, make sure to sign up here so you can receive a passcode for the presale beginning this Thursday, April 2nd at 10 a.m. PT when the lowest price on GA tickets ($259.99) will be guaranteed for one hour. All pass types, including GA+ ($399.99), VIP ($599.99) and Ultimate VIP ($1750.70) for those interested in more amenities, can be purchased with the layway plan by putting down as little as $19.99 so just don’t wait on your chance to ride these darker waves in Surf City USA!

Darker Waves Fest 2026

Goldenvoice announces 2016 Coachella sideshows

Coachella 2016 sideshows

Each and every April, Goldenvoice puts on a number of sideshows all around Southern California in support of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

2016 will be no different, and the renowned concert promoter has unveiled its list of shows that will take place at various venues in and out of the greater Los Angeles area, one of which includes the rustic, Westernized Pappy & Harriet’s in little-ole Pioneertown near Joshua Tree.

The sideshows will kick off on Friday, March 25th in LA at the El Rey Theatre, where London electronic music producer Sophie will take the stage, and will continue through Monday, April 25th with Years & Years headlining The Fonda Theatre. In between those, Goldenvoice will welcome performances by Goldroom, Courtney Barnett, Silversun Pickups (with FOALS), Mbongwana Star, Bob Moses, Savages, AlunaGeorge, The Kills (with The Big Pink), Skepta, Rhye (with Ibeyi), AlunaGeorge, M83, The Arcs, Rancid, The 1975, James Bay, Beach House, Museum of Love, Christine and the Queens, Death Grips, Miike Snow, The Heavy, The Front Bottoms, The Last Shadow Puppets, Deerhunter (with Unknown Mortal Orchestra), Matt & Kim, Of Monsters and Men, Lapsley, St. Germain, Ex Hex, Snakehips, Grimes, The Damned, Nosaj Thing, BADBADNOTGOOD, Parov Stelar and more. Check out the full list of sideshows in the poster above.

As in past years, these sideshows will extend outside of LA’s city limits, with The Glass House and The Fox Theater in Pomona once again playing host to quite a few of them in addition to the aforementioned Pappy & Harriet’s. April 14th’s pairing of Silversun Pickups and FOALS on the night before Coachella Weekend 1, for example, looks particularly appealing, while The Kills’ April 18th date at the Mayan Theater with The Big Pink and LA Witch stands out as one of our other must-see shows on Goldenvoice’s lineup. Of course, there’s also Miike Snow at The Fonda Theatre on April 20th and BADBADNOTGOOD, one of our favorites from FYF Fest (read our review here) last year, hitting The Roxy Theatre on April 22nd. Much like Coachella and its own lineup, there’s a lot to choose from here, though that’s not exactly a bad problem to have if you’re a live music fan in Southern California.

Tickets for most of the sideshows go on sale here this Friday, January 29th at Noon PT or next Friday, February 5th at Noon PT.

Goldenvoice