VIA PRESS RELEASE | Ahead of their final tour as Cabaret Voltaire, Stephen “Mal” Mallinder and Chris Watson recently announced details of a live album, But What Time Is It Really?, due to be released on April 24th via Memetune.
News of the album was accompanied by details of a final North American tour that will see the band on the West Coast in May, returning to the East Coast in September. Support across the dates will come from I Speak Machine, and ISM’s Tara Busch will also stand in for Chris Watson. The full live band is as follows; Stephen Mallinder – vocals, bass, keyboards, samples, Benge – keyboards, electronic drums, Eric Random – keyboards, guitar, and Tara Busch – keyboards, samples.
Tara says, “Cabaret Voltaire have always been a huge influence on ISM—the grit, the raw electricity, not to mention their visuals and art direction—and it’s truly thrilling to be supporting them in the US. I’m also very excited to be standing in for Chris Watson on synths and samples. I relish this as someone that loves performing and getting a deeper, “nerdier” look at how sounds and songs are created and executed live by bands I love—and Cabaret Voltaire is as good as it gets!”
The album—which will be available on vinyl and CD via the band’s webstore and on the upcoming tour—was recorded during last year’s jubilant sold-out UK tour. Marking 50 years since the live launch of one of Britain’s most influential electronic bands (at the Sheffield Students Union Refectory on May 13th, 1975), Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson were joined by Eric Random and Oliver Harrap for an eagerly anticipated and long-awaited tour.
But What Time Is It Really? perfectly captures the mood of the UK dates. Fans travelled across the world to see the band present new arrangements of classic Cabs tracks such as “Sensoria,” “Crackdown,” “Do Right,” and “Spies in the Wires” alongside “Tinsley Viaduct,” a contemporary piece of musique concrète composed by Chris Watson. The album was engineered and mixed by Benge, recorded by Joe Peat, mastered by James Trevasus with artwork by Dan Conway and Paul Burgess, based on Conway’s live visuals on the tour.
Says Chris Watson, “This record captures the powerful essence of contemporary live performance and establishes a visceral connection to the history of the band.”
Stephen Mallinder goes on to say, “It was an opportunity to capture the shows as a unique moment in time but also give people the opportunity to have a memento. Something that presented sounds and music, with respect to Richard’s memory, that also transcended time.”
