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As a band Kraftwerk are never far away from words like ‘pioneer’ ‘seminal’ and ‘future’ – and as descriptions/ music journalist cop outs go, they’re pretty on the ball. In fact, I agree with all three – except one. And, as I stand in the vast Turbine Hall of London’s Tate Modern, being engulfed by one of the most important acts of the last half century, their fingerprints appear, ever more evidently, all over the last forty years of pop music.
The hugely anticipated eight-night residency at the Tate sees Kraftwerk run through one of their albums each night – from Autobahn (1974) to Tour de France (2003). Tonight it’s the turn of Radio-Activity, the group’s 1975 release. With my 3D glasses and cushion (that’s right) at the ready, I await with eager anticipation for a show which, I’ve been told, will blow my tiny little mind.
They’re not wrong.
As the curtain drops and reveals four men standing behind podiums and in front of a huge screen – Kraftwerk launches into ‘The Robots’ and the visuals begin, lighting up to reveal the iconic images that adorned the cover of the 1978 single. The band will show a different animation for each track of their show tonight, ranging from the impressive to the stunning.
After the first track the band glides through Radio-Activity to a stunned audience – none of which are sitting on their cushions. Never have I been to a show where a crowd is so captivated – or where a band has so much control over every aspect of its performance. It’s as if the Tate was made for these eight shows – with the band’s literal translation being ‘Power Station’ it’s no surprise they chose the Turbine Hall either.
After the album the band treats the crowd to some of their biggest hits – ‘The Model’, ‘Autobahn’ and ‘Tour de France’ are all delivered impeccably – with machine like precision. Although it’s never made clear what the four middle age men are doing behind their podiums.
As the show draws to an end I wonder what I’ll write in this review – and more importantly – what my conclusions will be. It’s unarguable that Kraftwerk have been one of the most important bands to release music in the last half century. That’s a fact. They sit at the centre of a movement which has developed far beyond Radio-Activity to the point where most artists that have been influenced by Kraftwerk are probably unaware of it. However, while their music sounds futuristic I wouldn’t say that it’s of the future. Nor does it sound ‘fresh today’ as many claim.
Kraftwerk have managed to always sit outside of such chronological attachments. People are always wanting to confine them to the past, present or future – in my humble opinion one of the greatest compliments you can pay them is that they sit outside of all three. That’s why they’ve managed to endure for so long – and why they will continue to do so.
Below: inspired by Kraftwerk: the artists we'd be without
