Cold Waves

Cold Waves is Chicago's annual celebration of the city's relationship with industrial music, spanning industrial, darkwave, EBM and post-punk acts. It began in 2012 as a single benefit night after the death of a well-loved local sound engineer and musician, bringing 14 bands together, and grew into an annual multi-day event at the iconic Metro in the Wrigleyville neighborhood, later expanding to sister editions in Los Angeles and Austin. A portion of proceeds benefits suicide-prevention charities, and the event remains rooted in Chicago's Wax Trax!-era industrial legacy

Attendees consistently praise the tight-knit community atmosphere and the rare chance to meet and hang out with industrial-scene legends between sets, often citing lively after-parties at nearby venues. Many are multi-year returnees who travel in to reconnect with a scene that gathers here each year, and some solo travelers describe it as a welcoming place to meet people in person

The most recently held edition, Cold Waves XIII in 2025, gathered industrial, darkwave and EBM performers in Chicago. Its official 2025 compilation collected tracks from that year's performers, including She Past Away, Actors, Sidewalks & Skeletons, Clock DVA, Lead Into Gold, Deceits, Choke Chain and Mentallo and the Fixer