After a triumphant West Coast run in May, Cabaret Voltaire are back for the second leg of their final North American shows this September — including a stop at Levitation. It’s their first US shows in over 30 years, and they’re bringing a serious lineup: Stephen Mallinder on vocals, bass, keys and samples, Benge on keys and electronic drums, Eric Random on keys and guitar, and I Speak Machine’s Tara Busch stepping in on keys and samples to cover for Chris Watson. Support across the run comes from I Speak Machine themselves.
Busch is clearly buzzing about it:
“Cabaret Voltaire have always been a huge influence on ISM — the grit, the raw electricity, not to mention their visuals and art direction — and it’s truly thrilling to be supporting them in the US. I’m also very excited to be standing in for Chris Watson on synths & samples. I relish this as someone that loves performing and getting a deeper, ‘nerdier’ look at how sounds and songs are created and executed live by bands I love — and Cabaret Voltaire is as good as it gets!”
The Live Album
Alongside the tour, Mallinder and Watson have released ‘But What Time Is It Really?’, a live album recorded during last year’s sold-out UK tour — a run that marked 50 years since Cabaret Voltaire’s live debut at Sheffield Students Union Refectory back in May 1975. For those dates, Stephen and Chris were joined by Eric Random and Oliver Harrap.
The record captures the band reworking classics like Sensoria, Crackdown, Do Right and Spies in the Wires, alongside Tinsley Viaduct, a new musique concrète piece composed by Watson. It was engineered and mixed by Benge, recorded by Joe Peat, mastered by James Trevasus, with artwork from Dan Conway and Paul Burgess drawing on Conway’s live visuals from the tour.
“This record captures the powerful essence of contemporary live performance and establishes a visceral connection to the history of the band.” — Chris Watson
“It was an opportunity to capture the shows as a unique moment in time but also give people the opportunity to have a memento. Something that presented sounds and music, with respect to Richard’s memory, that also transcended time.” — Stephen Mallinder
‘But What Time Is It Really?’ is out now via the Cabaret Voltaire store and will be available across the remaining tour dates.
What the Press Are Saying
“It was one of those rare performances where history becomes physical, where influence stops being an abstract chain of references and becomes bass pressure, sweat, light, and collective disbelief.” — Post-Punk
“The night served as both a celebration of electronic music history and a reminder of how timeless Cabaret Voltaire’s sound remains.” — Concert Addicts
“It’s a blistering reminder of a back catalogue that stretches from Dada cut-ups to honorary status as house music influencers.” — Uncut, 8/10
“These songs resonate as loudly as when they were first created.” — Mojo, 4/5
Final Tour Dates
North America (w/ I Speak Machine unless noted):
- September 11 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
- September 12 – Austin, TX – Levitation
- September 15 – Chicago, IL – Metro
- September 16 – Chicago, IL – Metro
- September 18 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
- September 19 – Montreal, QC – SAT
- September 21 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur
- September 25 – New York, NY – Knockdown Center
- September 26 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
UK & Ireland:
- October 7 – Dublin – The Academy
- October 8 – Belfast – Limelight
- October 10 – Birmingham – Town Hall (w/ Gazelle Twin)
- October 11 – Liverpool – Arts Club (w/ Gazelle Twin)
- October 13 – Nottingham – Rock City (w/ Fader)
- October 14 – Cardiff – The Globe (w/ Fader)
- October 15 – Bath – Forum (w/ Gazelle Twin)
- October 17 – Newcastle – Boiler Shop (w/ Gazelle Twin)
- October 18 – Glasgow – Barrowland (w/ Gazelle Twin)
- October 19 – Manchester – Albert Hall (w/ Gazelle Twin)
- October 21 – Bexhill – De La Warr Pavilion (w/ Gazelle Twin)
- October 22 – London – Roundhouse (w/ Gazelle Twin)
- October 25 – Sheffield – Octagon (w/ Gazelle Twin)
Editor’s Note
Cabaret Voltaire were active from 1973–1994 in this lineup configuration, with Chris Watson departing in 1981 and Stephen Mallinder in 1994. The group lay dormant for 20 years until Richard H Kirk, as sole remaining member, revived it for a 2014 Berlin Atonal performance, followed by ‘Shadow of Fear’, ‘BN9Drone’ and ‘Dekadrone’ in 2020–2021. Kirk passed away in autumn 2021. Mallinder and Watson have confirmed there will be no new recordings under the Cabaret Voltaire name — this really is the final chapter.
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