Cabaret Voltaire celebrate their 50th anniversery with their first-ever concert in Hungary.
One of the most influential electronic music formations from the United Kingdom, Cabaret Voltaire will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first performance with a series of concerts. Budapest is among the lucky stops on the tour, and on June 3 the iconic group will finally perform live in Hungary at Dürer Kert.
Cabaret Voltaire’s first performance took place on May 13, 1975 at the Sheffield Students' Union Refectory. The date also marks the launch of one of Britain’s most influential and pioneering electronic bands. The group was originally active until 1994, featured Chris Watson until 1981 and Stephen Mallinder until 1994. The name was used as a solo project of Richard H. Kirk until 2009. Kirk passed away in 2021. Last year, however, Watson and Mallinder returned to the place of their first concert, and this year they have announced several performances to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary.
As they point out, the band’s sounds, words and visual works still resonate strongly today, continuing to challenge the status quo in an era marked by social upheaval and political manipulation. At this year’s concerts, the experimental formation aims to present their essential body of work, as Watson and Mallinder remain committed to staying true to Cabaret Voltaire’s original vision. The show will offer an overview of the band’s remarkable output: from the early experiments and the first releases on Rough Trade Records and Factory Records, through the band’s own Doublevision label, to collaborations with renowned producers such as Adrian Sherwood and Marshall Jefferson.
Speaking about the performances, Stephen Mallinder said:
“The live set has been rebuilt completely from scratch but remains faithful to the original tracks. Everything has been painstakingly reconstructed using the original technologies and processes that were used to create the music at the time. At the same time, as with all Cabaret Voltaire live shows, there is an element of unpredictability and the new. Chance meets causality.”
Chris Watson added:“I’m delighted and hugely excited to contribute to the band’s 50th anniversary celebrations. It will be a great privilege to share a stage with Mal once again and to honour Cabaret Voltaire’s legacy. At the same time, it is important to remember that in today’s times - just as back then - the Dadaist interventions of Cabaret Voltaire remain essential.”
Cabaret Voltaire have never previously performed in Hungary, so the June 3 concert promises to be a truly special occasion, when audiences will finally be able to experience them live at Dürer Kert for the first time. Tickets will go on sale on March 16 at 10:00 on www.livenation.hu and www.funcode.hu.
