There is now less-than one month before US goth rock pillars The Wake return to play Ciudad de México (CDMX) alias México City on 19 August 2023. This will be the band’s first show in México in more-than 25 years, since their now-legendary sold-out shows between 1995 and 1997. As a teaser for the upcoming show, The Wake recently shared live rehearsal footage of their 1995 hit single ‘Christine’ with fans.
The song holds special significance for the band and their Mexican fans, due to the original video for ‘Christine’ being shot in and around CDMX during their first visit in 1995. The Wake frontman and co-founder Troy Payne recently told CDMX-based DJ / interviewer Jonás IH, of the Wintermüte podcast:
“…Christine put us on the map in a couple of different ways. It was both a club hit and a radio hit, which was something of a first for us. The video garnered quite a bit of play as well, so that was all pretty cool (…) it was also lots of fun. We were young and filming a video in what for us was an exotic location – what’s not to like?”
Meanwhile, that first Mexican show at Rockotitlán, CDMX, 1995, was recently described by Guadalajara-based interviewer and radio DJ Juan Heredia (host of El Punto de la Aurora, and Radio Subterránea) as “a turning point, one of the key pieces that inspired and gave strength to what is now the Goth scene in México.” This becomes abundantly clear from live footage of the show:
The Wake’s return to México comes on the back of landmark shows in New Jersey and Madrid, between October and November 2022: the band’s first live outings since 1999.
| Ahead of the US and Spanish shows, Troy also spoke to Post-punk.com about the band’s love for their Mexican audience: |
| “Our Mexican fans are really something to behold. They don’t get cheated – they come to rock out and they do just that.” |
| Asked by México’s Sound and Vision Música why returning to México is so important to the group, Troy replied: |
| “Playing México was a priority for one reason – history (…) The shows we played in México were beyond special, for sure, and it was all about the fans. As I’ve said before, Mexican concert goers don’t just attend, they participate. Their passion is on full display before, during, and after the show. If you want to feel like Elvis, or The Beatles – go play México.” |
| Formed by Troy Payne and guitarist Rich Witherspoon between 1985 and 1986, while both were still at high school in Columbus, Ohio, The Wake is currently playing with their “classic” 1989-1994 line-up, which also includes drummer Daniel C.(2 Forks), and bassist James Tramel (October Burns Black). While The Wake have never truly disbanded, the reunited core members have gone from strength-to-strength since the release of their latest album, ‘Perfumes and Fripperies’, in 2020, and its follow-up remix EP, ‘Mixers &Elixirs’, in 2021. |
| Fans can catch The Wake live at Sala Urbana (formerly ‘Punto Urbano’) in CDMX, México, on 19 August 2023, proudly presented by Xibalba MX Producciones, with special guests Ataraxia (Italy) and The Waning Moon (US/Costa Rica). |
| Tickets are on sale now from: https://ticketplanet.com.mx/THE-WAKE/ |