Ahead of their final tour as Cabaret Voltaire, Stephen ‘Mal’ Mallinder and Chris Watson have announced details of a live album, But What Time Is It Really?, due to be released on 24 April 2026 via Memetune.
Pre-order the album HERE
The album – which will be available on vinyl and CD via the band’s webstore and on the 2026 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 13 May 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.
Listen to Nag, Nag, Nag HERE
News of the album is accompanied today by details of the final North American tour that will round off a series of dates that start this week in Norwich. The North American tour 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 stand in for Chris Watson.
”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,” Tara Busch says. ”I’m also very excited to be standing in for Chris Watson on synths & 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!”
”This record captures the powerful essence of contemporary live performance and establishes a visceral connection to the history of the band,” says Chris Watson.
”It was an opportunity to capture the shows as a unique moment in time but also give people the opportunity to have a memento,” Stephen Mallinder goes on to say. ”Something that presented sounds and music, with respect to Richard’s memory, that also transcended time.”
In the current climate of social turmoil and political manipulation, the prescient work of Cabaret Voltaire continues to be necessary. The sounds, words, images and films of the band still resonate loudly, continuing to challenge the status quo.
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But What Time Is It Really? Tracklist –
CD
24-24
Animation
Why Kill Time (When You Can Kill Yourself)
Tinsley Viaduct
The Set-up
Landslide
Crackdown
Spies in the Wires
Just Fascination
Taxi Music
Yashar
Sex Money Freaks
Easy Life
Do Right
Nag Nag Nag
Sensoria
VINYL
Side One
The Set-up
Spies in the Wires
Just Fascination
Crackdown
Tinsley Viaduct
Side Two
Yashar
Sex Money Freaks
Easy Life
Do Right
Nag Nag Nag
Composer, producer, and performance artist Elizabeth Bernholz, aka Gazelle Twin, will be special guest across the UK tour in October. Select UK dates below –
7 October – Dublin, The Academy
8 October – Belfast, Limelight
10 October – Birmingham, Town Hall
11 October – Liverpool, Arts Club
13 October – Nottingham, Rock City
14 October – Cardiff, The Globe
15 October – Bath, Forum
17 October – Newcastle, Boiler Shop
18 October – Glasgow, Barrowland
19 October – Manchester, Albert Hall
21 October – Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion
22 October – London, Roundhouse
25 October – Sheffield, Octagon
Cabaret Voltaire | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
Live photo | Leon Chew©
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