Cabaret Voltaire this afternoon – one of the premier Experimental bands and guiding lights since the late ’70s, throughout the 80’s and beyond – recorded in concert at Ancienne Belguique in Brussels on June 12 of this year.
In honor of the band, the Ancienne Belguiqe website ran this bio on Cabaret Voltaire, primarily as tribute but also to give the uninitiated an idea of what’s in store:
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their band — and also to honour late band member Richard H. Kirk — Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson are reuniting to play a series of Cabaret Voltaire concerts. And they’ve chosen AB for their Belgian show. An evening we’re very much looking forward to!
The influence of the legendary cult band from Sheffield on electronic, experimental, techno, industrial and post-punk music cannot be overstated. Together with Throbbing Gristle, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, New Order and a handful of other bands, “the Cabs” helped shape the history of contemporary (electronic / experimental) music since the late 1970s.
Fifty years after their very first performance (Sheffield, 13 May 1976), in times of worldwide conflict, social unrest, rising fascism and political manipulation, the visionary work of Cabaret Voltaire remains as relevant as ever. The band’s sound, lyrics, visuals and films still resonate loudly and continue to challenge the established order.
During their concert, this essential body of work will be brought together, its timeless energy celebrated, and the lasting importance and impact of Cabaret Voltaire highlighted. Chris Watson and Stephen Mallinder are determined to stay true to Cabaret Voltaire’s original vision.
The performance will span the full arc of their impressive output, from early experiments and the first Rough Trade / Factory releases to the work on the Doublevision video label and collaborations with renowned producers such as Adrian Sherwood and Marshall Jefferson.
Stephen Mallinder explains: “The live set is built from scratch but faithful to the original tracks. Everything has been painstakingly reconstructed with the original technology and processes to build the tracks. But as with all Cabs live shows, there is an element of unpredictability, the new. Chance meets causality.”
Chris Watson adds: “I’m delighted and totally thrilled to make a contribution to the band’s 50th anniversary. To share a stage once more with Mal and to honour Cabaret Voltaire’s legacy will be a unique privilege, whilst remembering that in the current times, as back then, the Dadaist interventions of Cabaret Voltaire remain essential.”
The Quietus review of their first return gig: “It’s rare for a band to be able to lean on material that is abrasive, gritty, jagged and hellishly noisy as easily as they can pull out industrial funk, electro pop, via nods to grinding techno, slippery acid house or ghostly post-punk. Tonight, they deftly glide between the lot… an evening that has sincerely shattered expectations of what it was going to be…”
FOR FANS OF:
Throbbing Gristle, Clock DVA, Einstürzende Neubauten, Front 242, DAF
So there you go. Now I wonder if I have any Throbbing Gristle in concert lurking around the vault. Stay tuned.
In the meantime . . .
