Blitzed! New Wave, Electronic & Synth Festival
Don't miss Blitzed magazine's electrifying live event and Sound Lounge debut! Grab your tickets for an unforgettable festival of electronic and synth music, featuring no fewer than five great acts - The Rude Awakening, Magnetic Skies, Rodney Cromwell, Cult With No Name and headliners Vicious Pink. Plus DJ sets from Paul Dakeyne.
Doors open at 3pm with the first artist on stage at 4pm. Live music will continue until 11pm, followed by Paul's final DJ set before our midnight curfew.
Vicious Pink, formed by Josephine Warden and Brian Moss in 1979, emerged from a chance meeting in a Leeds nightclub, quickly becoming a distinctive force in the synth-pop scene. Originally known as Vicious Pink Phenomena, they gained attention with their unique backing vocals for Soft Cell and went on to release a series of avant-garde singles that climbed the UK dance charts between 1982 and 1986. Their music, known for its artful and provocative style, has left a lasting impact on electronic music. Their latest release, Unexpected, offers a glimpse into their creative process, featuring rare recordings and limited-edition vinyl for collectors.
Cult With No Name is an innovative band known for their collaborations and distinct style that blends electronic, synth wave, and dark wave elements. Over the years, they've worked with notable artists like Tuxedomoon, Kelli Ali, and John Foxx, and contributed to significant projects, including the soundtrack for the documentary Blue Velvet Revisited. CWNN's discography features a range of critically acclaimed albums, such as Another Landing, Heir of the Dog, and Mediaburn, with their 10th album, Nights in North Sentinel, showcasing their opulent, melancholic sound. In 2023, they released X into I, their first album without guest artists since their debut, solidifying their reputation as "synthpop's best-kept secret."
Rodney Cromwell is the electronic project of Adam Cresswell, a South London artist known for blending retro synths with upbeat pop sensibilities and darker themes of paranoia and despair. His debut album, Age of Anxiety, garnered critical acclaim, followed by the EP Rodney's English Disco and the 2022 album Memory Box, which infused synthpop with magical realism. Featured by major publications and radio stations worldwide, Rodney Cromwell has supported acts like Blancmange and A Flock of Seagulls, and completed his first UK headline tour in 2023. His latest single, "Exercise Class," was released in June 2024.
Magnetic Skies, initially a synth-pop duo formed in 2019 by Simon Kent and Jo Womar, expanded into a full band with the addition of guitarist Carlos Aguilar and drummer Lenin Alegria, blending electronic and human elements into their sound. Their debut album, Empire Falling, showcases their dynamic, sweeping compositions across ten tracks, including the euphoric "Into Paradise" and the synth-pop gem "Suffocate." Influenced by acts like Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode, their music balances electronic precision with emotional depth. Magnetic Skies have supported notable acts like Heaven 17 and Altered Images. They are currently working on their second album, continuing to build their unique sound and fan base.
The Rude Awakening, formed in 2018 by Johnny Normal and Bridget Gray, is a dynamic synth-pop duo known for exploring themes of intimacy, sexuality, and the human condition. Their debut album, Kaleidoscope, received praise for its captivating sound, and they've since delved into cover versions of synth-pop classics and remixing tracks for artists like B-Movie, Mechanical Cabaret Classix Nouveaux and David Brooks (Gary Numan band). With performances across the UK and Europe and ongoing work on their second album, The Rude Awakening continues to push boundaries with their provocative and engaging music.
Paul Dakeyne is a DJ/Producer with over three decades of experience in electronic music, known for his global hit "18 Strings" as Tinman and his role as a resident DJ for Ministry of Sound. He has remixed around 250 records, played sets for U2 and Kraftwerk, and produced music for major BBC TV shows. An innovator in digital audio technology, Paul is also a respected Music-Tech Educator, public speaker, and radio presenter, with his '80s Electropop Radio Show garnering 3 million global streams.
