Stephen ‘Mal’ Mallinder and Chris Watson have unveiled a series of Cabaret Voltaire live dates set for November, commemorating half a century since the seminal avant-garde band first took to the stage.
It was on May 13, 1975, at the Sheffield Students’ Union Refectory, that the seminal act ignited their provocative audio-visual experiments, ushering in a radical new chapter for electronic music in Britain. Cabaret Voltaire remained active from 1973 to 1994, featuring Chris Watson until 1981 and Stephen Mallinder until 1994. The group remained inactive for two decades until Richard H. Kirk, the only remaining member, revived it with a performance at Berlin’s Atonal Festival in 2014. Thereafter, a series of interconnected releases, including Shadow of Fear, BN9Drone, and Dekadrone, were launched in 2020 and 2021, before Kirk’s untimely passing in Autumn 2021. (Both Mallinder and Watson have stated that there will be no new recordings under the Cabaret Voltaire name.)
Five decades since their formation, against a backdrop of social upheaval and political unrest strikingly reminiscent of their formative years, Cabaret Voltaire’s prescient blend of incisive lyrics, avant-garde visuals, and revolutionary sounds remains urgent.
“The live set is built from scratch but faithful to the original tracks,” says Mallinder. “Everything has been painstakingly reconstructed with the original technology and processes to build the tracks. But as with all Cabs live shows there is an element of unpredictable, the new. Chance meets causality.”
Mallinder and Watson will honor the uncompromising spirit that defined Cabaret Voltaire’s groundbreaking legacy, meticulously curating a retrospective journey through their extensive catalogue. Audiences will experience everything from the band’s pioneering early explorations, landmark releases via Rough Trade and Factory Records, through their visionary multimedia imprint Doublevision, to their dynamic collaborations with iconic producers Adrian Sherwood and Marshall Jefferson. These live events are set to reaffirm the group’s lasting impact, boldly confronting today’s turbulent world with the fierce experimental energy that defined their earliest days.
In a recent conversation with The Guardian, Mallinder described the preparations as “a bit traumatic – a very intense period of being immersed in my past and the memories that it brought, particularly of Richard. This isn’t something you can do without emotion.” In the years preceding Kirk’s death, Mallinder divulges that they had drifted apart and were not in close contact. “Richard was withdrawn and didn’t speak to many people,” he explains. “And I was one of those people. He wanted to be in his own world. It was difficult because I missed him and there was a lot of history, but I accepted it.”
In the interview, Mallinder and Watson make it clear that no new music will emerge under the Cabaret Voltaire name, stating unequivocally that such a venture would be impossible without Kirk. Instead, these performances serve as a victory lap, a poignant tribute to their late friend, and a celebration that underscores their enduring legacy. “Richard would probably hate us doing this but it’s done with massive respect,” Mallinder reflects. “I’m sad he’s not here but there’s such love for the Cabs that I want to give people the opportunity to acknowledge what we did. You can’t deny the music we made is important – and this is a way to celebrate that.”
The anniversary celebration begins on October 25th with a special performance at Sheffield’s FORGE Warehouse, bringing Cabaret Voltaire full circle to the city where their groundbreaking journey began. Following this hometown event, Mallinder and Watson will continue their commemorative tour with performances on November 17th at SWG3 Warehouse in Glasgow, November 18th at Gorilla in Manchester, November 19th at XOYO in Birmingham, and concluding on November 21st at London’s ICA.
Live Dates:
- Monday, 17 November 2025, SWG3 Warehouse, Glasgow – Ticket Presale
- Tuesday, 18 November 2025, Gorilla, Manchester – Ticket Presale
- Wednesday, 19 November 2025, XOYO, Birmingham – Ticket Presale
- Friday, 21 November 2025, ICA, London – Ticket Presale
Follow Cabaret Voltaire:
Or via: