Legend has it that Cabaret Voltaire’s first public performance in the mid 1970’s ended in a riot. By contrast, last night’s Moore Theatre set by the English post punk/industrial/dance band was received with obvious approval and affection by the enthusiastic audience.
Vocalist/bassist/keyboard player Stephen Mallinder is the remaining touring member of Cabaret Voltaire, originally comprised of Mallinder, Richad H Kirk, and Chris Watson. Kirk passed in 2021 and Watson is currently unable to tour due to health concerns. Mallinder has backfilled the band with Tara Busch on keyboards and vocals (Busch also opened the show as ‘I Speak Machine’, performing solo), Eric Random on guitar and keyboards, and Ben Edwards on percussion. The band did an outstanding job of delivering material that spanned the Cab’s long career. Given that some of the compositions date from over 40 years ago I was struck by how fresh and contemporary it translated to in a live setting. Both New Order and Trent Reznor have acknowledged their debt to the catalog and aesthetic of Cabaret Voltaire, who manages to feel utterly contemporary even after more than a half a century. ‘Legacy’ acts (which is just a snooty way of saying ‘bands that can still draw attention and an audience after a long career) can sometimes be a bit wan or pallid. Such was not the case last night. Mallinder and crew were focused, intense, and good fun with an emphasis on capturing the spirit of the band rather than serving up spot on recreations of their recorded catalog.
Monday night’s set began with a confident (and LOUD) version of ’24-24′ from 1983’s ‘The Crackdown’. The Moore, with its theater stye seating, was an interesting choice of venue for a band with such a strong and dance-oriented groove. The audience seemed at first a bit flummoxed by stationary nature of the arrangement but soon stood to dance at their seats or in the aisles. Cabaret Voltaire makes very difficult music to sit still to and the crowd eventually succumbed to the omnipresent groove. The floor shaking rhythms and deep groove continued through the band’s powerful set with it being abundantly clear that Cabaret Voltaire both influenced and are in turn influenced themselves by the house and dance music worlds.
Cabaret Voltaire’s first US tour in over 30 years (and, quite likely, their last extended outing) continues with West Coast dates through mid-May. The band will resume the tour on the East Coast in September.
