Well, this is one gig that I could not even have imagined five years ago: Cabaret Voltaire at the Forum in Bath on Thursday 15th October 2026.
Richard H. Kirk had resurrected the Cabaret Voltaire name and continued to record and perform solo right up to his death in September 2021. And that, I reasonably thought, was the end of the story.
And yet, here I was, cheering with an expectant crowd as the other founder members Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson took to the stage, stood behind their respective banks of kit and launched into 24-24, the opening song of 1983 album The Crackdown. Which is where my Cabaret Voltaire started, forty three years ago.
The venue set was pretty much seated, but with a generous standing/stalls area at the front, although I was slightly alarmed at how roomy it was. This wasn't a sold out gig and I'd been unable to shift a spare ticket when my 'plus 1' had to drop out at short notice.
It was a strange crowd, too. Half were people my age, i.e. old, who in some cases I have to admit were hard to imagine as avant industrial electronic enthusiasts back in the day. The other half were people a third my age, i.e. young. Assuming that the Cabs didn't do a 'Kate Bush' and find a new audience via Stranger Things, it was good to have a mix, though everyone seemed to be standing very, very still.
Not that Cabaret Voltaire's music was easy to dance to, or intended to be. So, as the gig progressed through deep cuts from their early days - The Set Up from the Extended Play EP, 1980 single Seconds Too Late, the itchy, nervous Landslide from Red Mecca - i kind of found my own rhythm, if you could call it such.
A new(ish) Chris Watson composition, Tinsley Viaduct, was premiered at Cabaret Voltaire's first reunion shows. A beatless, ambient piece that brought the first phase of the set to a close.
A brief snippet of Allen Ginsberg reading his epic poem Howl and then straight into Crackdown, heralding a run of 1980s tracks, a serious uplift in BPMs and the moment that I lost my inhibitions and let myself move with the groove.
Just Fascination, followed by Yashar, followed by Sex, Money, Freaks, followed by Easy Life, the latter the sole concession to the 1990s (or indeed beyond). Then Do Right, the opener of Micro-Phonies and the close of the main set, as the band left to rapturous applause.
I should mention at this point that there was no support act. I was initially expecting Gazelle Twin, then found that the Cardiff and Bath dates would instead host Fader aka Neil Arthur of Blancmange, and Ben 'Benge' Edwards, who previously collaborated with Stephen Mallinder in Wrangler and Creep Show.
Sadly, fate intervened and Neil had to pull out of both dates due to illness. However, Ben was there as 1/4 of the Cabaret Voltaire touring band, along with long-time CV collaborator Eric Random. The sound from the quartet was great, bringing a real heft to the 'dance' numbers, and we were ready for more.
For the encore, a trio of classic singles; the scuzzy electro-punk of Nag Nag Nag, the intense and urgent I Want You and the pulsing, clacking, infectious Sensoria.
My first time was also the last time: like Saint Etienne recently and Edwyn Collins, I was attending my gig on a farewell tour. Stephen, Chris, Ben and Eric made it worth every second, an evening to savour and cherish.
In recreating the setlist for today's selection, I decided to include the taped intros for the three 'phases', not least because two of them were Cabaret Voltaire songs and in my mind were an integral part of the evening's music.
I've also included the first few minutes of Allen Ginsberg's Howl. I'm not sure what recording was used on the night, but I went for a 1959 live reading. Whilst the concert had a distinct separation between this and the songs before and after, I overlaid Howl on Chris Watson's song Tinsley Viaduct, both getting cut off as Crackdown kicks in. I think it works.
I've gone for 12" mixes of Virgin-era singles and the essential John Robie rework of Yashar, but stuck with the short single mix of Easy Life as, apart from the album version, all of the extended versions are instrumental. I stuck with the album version of Sensoria, due to the 12" remix being a mash-up with Do Right, which already features in the selection.
All together, 20 tracks coming in at just under 100 minutes, which is pretty much how long Cabaret Voltaire were on stage. Except I can keep experien this one over and over.
1) Theme From Earthshaker (1984)
2) 24-24 (Album Version) (1983)
3) Why Kill Time (When You Can Kill Yourself) (Album Version) (1983)
4) The Set Up (1978)
5) Kneel To The Boss (1980)
6) Landslide (1981)
7) Seconds Too Late (1980)
8) Tinsley Viaduct (Live @ London ICA, 21 November 2025) (Cover of Chris Watson)
9) Howl (Big Table Chicago Reading, 29 January 1959) (Excerpt): Allen Ginsberg
10) Crackdown (12" Remix By Cabaret Voltaire & John Luongo) (1983)
11) Spies In The Wires (1984)
12) Just Fascination (12" Remix By Cabaret Voltaire & John Luongo) (1983)
13) Yashar (A (Re)Production Of John Robie) (#1) (1983)
14) Sex, Money, Freaks (12" Mix By François Kevorkian) (1987)
15) Easy Life (Single Mix) (1990)
16) Do Right (Album Version) (1984)
17) Doublevision (Album Version) (1983)
18) Nag Nag Nag (Single Version) (1979)
19) I Want You (12" Mix) (1985)
20) Sensoria (Album Version) (1984)
1959: Allen Ginsberg Reads Howl: 9
1978: Extended Play EP: 4
1979: Nag Nag Nag EP: 18
1980: Seconds Too Late EP: 7
1980: The Voice Of America: 5
1981: Red Mecca: 6
1983: Crackdown / Just Fascination EP: 10, 12
1983: The Crackdown: 2, 3, 17
1983: Yashar EP: 13
1984: Micro-Phonies: 1, 11, 16, 20
1985: I Want You EP: 19
1990: Easy Life EP: 15
2001: Just Fascination EP (promo CDS): 14
2025: Live @ London ICA, 21 November 2025 (bootleg): 8
I didn't take any photos of Cabaret Voltaire whilst they were on stage, I was too busy having a good time. I've also not trawled t'internet for other audience members who were taking pics or filming (and there were plenty of them).
Instead, today's headline photo is a snippet of Cabaret Voltaire's pre-gig projection reel, bleeding onto the walls surrounding the main stage. Rather lovely too, I think.
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