Fifty Years Deep and Still Shaking the Walls
Cabaret Voltaire have done something rare and genuinely moving: they made it to 50 years, and they’re going out on their own terms. Stephen ‘Mal’ Mallinder and Chris Watson have released But What Time Is It Really? — a live album captured during last year’s sold-out UK run — and it lands today via Memetune. CD is available now; vinyl drops May 22nd through the band’s store and across their final tour.
The UK dates marked half a century since Cab Volt’s live debut at the Sheffield Students Union Refectory on May 13th, 1975 — one of those moments in underground music history that still echoes everywhere you look. The album was engineered and mixed by Benge, recorded by Joe Peat, mastered by James Trevasus, with artwork by Dan Conway and Paul Burgess pulling directly from Conway’s live visuals on the road.
The Setlist Is a Whole Mood
The tracklist runs deep through the catalog — Sensoria, Crackdown, Nag Nag Nag, Do Right, Yashar, Spies in the Wires. Classic, essential, the kind of songs that helped build the vocabulary of electronic music as we know it. Alongside those is Tinsley Viaduct, a contemporary piece of musique concrète composed by Chris Watson — a reminder that even in a retrospective mode, these two aren’t just playing the hits. They’re still pushing.
As Chris Watson put it: “This record captures the powerful essence of contemporary live performance and establishes a visceral connection to the history of the band.”
Mallinder added: “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.”
North America, They’re Finally Coming For You
The final world tour kicks off May 4th in Seattle — their first North American shows in over 30 years. The full live band features Mallinder on vocals/bass/keyboards/samples, Benge on keyboards and electronic drums, Eric Random on keyboards and guitar, and Tara Busch of I Speak Machine stepping in for Chris Watson on keyboards and samples. ISM also opens across all the North American dates.
Busch had this to say: “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.” She also called getting to stand in for Watson on synths “a nerdier look at how sounds and songs are created and executed live by bands I love.” We respect that energy completely.
North American Tour Dates
May 4 — Seattle, WA — Moore Theatre
May 6 — Vancouver, BC — Commodore
May 8 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theater
May 10 — Denver, CO — Summit
May 12 — Los Angeles, CA — The Bellwether
May 15 — San Francisco, CA — The Warfield
Sep 11 — Dallas, TX — Granada Theater
Sep 15 — Chicago, IL — Metro
Sep 16 — Chicago, IL — Metro
Sep 18 — Toronto, ON — Phoenix Concert Theatre
Sep 19 — Montreal, QC — Sat
Sep 21 — Boston, MA — The Wilbur
Sep 25 — New York, NY — Knockdown Center
Sep 26 — Philadelphia, PA — Underground Arts
All North American dates with I Speak Machine. Full European and UK dates (including shows with Gazelle Twin) at the band’s official site.
Why This Matters
Mallinder and Watson have been clear: there will be no new recordings under the Cabaret Voltaire name. The passing of Richard H Kirk in 2021 closed that chapter definitively. What remains is this — the legacy, the live experience, and a band that helped invent entire genres while most of the world wasn’t paying attention. The Quietus called the UK shows “an evening that sincerely shattered expectations.” The Wire praised the “hard-edged, dissonant, eruptive reimagining with modern technology.” The Scotsman called it “a timely reminder of the pioneering role Cabaret Voltaire played in taking alternative music onto the dancefloor.“
Don’t sleep on this tour. Seriously.
‘But What Time Is It Really?’ is out now on CD via Memetune. Vinyl available May 22nd.
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