Dubhed: Making The Impossible Possible

Cabaret Voltaire played at the FORGE Warehouse in Sheffield on Saturday (25th), a reunion and live performance that was such an unlikely prospect that any thought of such a thing would previously have been dismissed as a fever dream.

And yet...the prospect of seeing two 70-year old men on a stage, playing music that never was - and was never intended to be - populist, yet has made such an indelible mark on electronic music, is enough to send people into a heightened state of emotion.

It's an intriguing concept. Founder member Chris Watson left in 1981, balancing a continued interest in music with a parallel career in television. Stephen Mallinder continued into the 1990s, before solely focusing on solo and other musical projects.

The absence of fellow founder Richard H. Kirk is inescapable. Richard tragically passed on 21st September 2021 (which I wrote about at the time), having resurrected the Cabaret Voltaire for remixes in the late 2000s and then more fully for live performances in 2014-15 and three albums and EP in 2020-21.

As people questioned whether RHK solo was Cabaret Voltaire, there will be purists today who have said that Stephen and Chris together isn't truly Cabaret Voltaire. Bollocks, I say.

This is no money-making nostalgic cash-in: this is two artists celebrating their friend, and a band that they started half a century ago, playing music that was revolutionary and game-changing on so many levels. And still sounds provocative and exciting today.

I had no reasonable chance of getting to Sheffield or seeing Cabaret Voltaire at any of shows in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London in November. However, I would have loved to have been there, just to see, hear and experience the music that I was introduced to by my brother in the mid-80s and which has been a constant ever since.

Thankfully, Ian Corbridge was in the audience on Saturday night and captured nearly half of the set on his phone. "I hold my phone just in front of my chest as I am always conscious of people behind me." Ian reassures us and it has to be said that the sound and audio quality is amazing compared to the tinny, blurry crap that you frequently get uploaded to YT.

I'm not sure how long these will remain available, but I've inserted the eight songs into their relevant setlist position below.

You can also read a great review of the Sheffield show by Daniel Dylan Wray over at The Quietus.

In a post that's all about the impossible becoming possible, in checking the info on the upcoming short tour of the UK, I was delighted to discover that Cabaret Voltaire is returning a further 11 UK dates in October 2026, supported by the wonderful Gazelle Twin and including a gig at The Forum in Bath. Tickets are on sale Friday (31st) and I will be trying my darndest to get some.

Cabaret Voltaire @ the FORGE Warehouse in Sheffield, Saturday 25th October 2025

Personnel: Stephen Mallinder, Chris Watson, Eric Random, Oliver Harrap (standing in for Ben 'Benge' Edwards, who was poorly)

1) 24/24

2) Animation