Cold Cave with Buzzkull

Cold Cave, the darkwave synthpop band of Wesley Eisold (American Nightmare, Some Girls, Havior) and Amy Lee, make their Maine debut at SPACE.

Cold Cave is the creative rebirth of acclaimed musician and writer Wesley Eisold. Cutting his teeth in legendary hardcore punk and noise bands American Nightmare and Some Girls, Eisold’s body of work has truly effected a generation of listeners — particularly in Portland, Maine, where AN played their first-ever show in a church in February 2000. Through constant cross-pollination Eisold has gained mass appeal, influencing underground and popular culture with his ever evolving artistic vision.

With an already prolific number of releases, Cold Cave has become a name synonymous with the contemporary resurgence of darkwave and synthpop. Propelling Cold Cave to perform at world class museums The Getty and The Guggenheim, with Nine Inch Nails at the Hollywood Bowl and the O2 Arena, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Sonic Youth. He has worked in collaboration with fashion designers Rick Owens and Alexandre Plokhov, and conceptual artist Doug Aitken for his Station-to-Station Film and Concert Series. He has performed at Coachella Music Festival and Matt Groening’s curated All Tomorrow’s Parties. Cold Cave performed at the wedding of legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, as well as released books by Genesis P-Orridge and Richard Brautigan on his Heartworm imprint.

Eisold was born without his left hand, making his foray into electronic music and singing, the obvious path, situating him as a voice of adversity for the outsider. Cold Cave craft melodic synthscapes with jackhammer beats, songs celebrating the contradictory beauty of the human condition. The songs have an immediacy that belies thought-provoking titles like “The Laurels of Erotomania,” “People Are Poison,” and “The Trees Grew Emotions And Died.” In this way they mark that transitional moment when synthesizer music went from a subversive device for sound collagists to a serious commercial force. They are cerebral and savage, yet sweet and seductive.

A reluctant god of nihilism and despair, his baritone is as rich and resonating as that of Morrissey, Nick Cave, or David Bowie, juxtaposed with the prophetic musings of his collaborator Amy Lee, stylistically they are heirs to the noir of The Velvet Underground, Joy Divison, The Cure, and Depeche Mode, with the ideals of artistic minimalism reminiscent of the avant-garde. Marked by a pitch black aesthetic — there is a light of hope in their brand of goth new wave.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

SPACE, 538 Congress St, Portland, United States